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Brilliant 4.72rating (22)
  • Life Below Water
  • Life On Land

Sea Turtle Hatchery

location
1 - 50 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
Verified

Highlights

  • Contribute to the conservation of sea turtles by doing daily beach patrols and working in our sea turtle hatchery, protecting nests and assisting babies to the ocean.
  • Exchange skills with, teach and learn from our amazing local community who help us protect the turtles.
  • Work in one of the wildest and most bio-diverse places in the world!

Highlights

  • Contribute to the conservation of sea turtles by doing daily beach patrols and working in our sea turtle hatchery, protecting nests and assisting babies to the ocean.
  • Exchange skills with, teach and learn from our amazing local community who help us protect the turtles.
  • Work in one of the wildest and most bio-diverse places in the world!
  • Gain Spanish fluency by living with locals and sharing daily life with other Spanish speaking volunteers and research assistants.
  • Experience living in our sustainable base camp that is located in one of the most biodiverse areas of the entire planet and only a few hundred meters from Playa Rio Oro!
    • You don't have to pay anything yet

    Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Families
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    Join us as we work with the local community to protect sea turtle nests on our beach and relocate to our sea turtle hatchery. Volunteers play an integral role in our work

    Our community-driven sea turtle conservation project is based on the extraordinary Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica — one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. While the region is rich in wildlife, local communities often face limited economic opportunities due to its remote location. That’s why ...

    About the program

    Our community-driven sea turtle conservation project is based on the extraordinary Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica — one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. While the region is rich in wildlife, local communities often face limited economic opportunities due to its remote location. That’s why we’re committed not only to protecting endangered sea turtles, but also to empowering our local community through conservation training and employment. We protect the busiest beaches on the South Pacific of Costa Rica, seeing thousands of turtles a season.


    About COPROT

    Founded in 2018, COPROT (Comunidad Protectora de Tortugas de Osa) was created to safeguard vital sea turtle nesting beaches, collect essential scientific data, and promote sustainable development within our region. We’re looking for passionate, motivated individuals who want to make a tangible impact in a rural coastal area of Costa Rica.


    Life on Camp

    Volunteers live at our rustic, off-grid jungle base camps. You should be comfortable with basic living conditions, a mostly vegetarian diet, and working outdoors in a remote environment. Flexibility, a sense of adventure, and a willingness to contribute wherever needed are key!


    What You’ll Do

    No previous experience is required — all are welcome to apply! As a volunteer, you’ll be involved in a variety of meaningful tasks, including:


    • Conducting morning (3–5 hours) or night (4–7 hours) turtle patrols
    • Collecting data on nesting females and hatchling success
    • Supporting with relocating nests and releasing hatchlings
    • Supporting community-led ecotourism
    • Assisting in the construction and management of our beachside hatchery
    • Teaching and planning English lessons for local children and adults
    • Helping with gardening, construction, and general camp maintenance



    With nearly 7,000 turtle nests recorded annually on our beaches, your work will play a direct role in conserving critically important sea turtle populations.


    Why Volunteer with COPROT?

    If you’re seeking a hands-on, immersive experience where you can contribute to real conservation efforts, connect with local communities, and live in one of the planet’s most remarkable ecosystems — COPROT is the project for you.

    Typical day

    As a COPROT volunteer, you’ll be directly involved in the protection and monitoring of endangered sea turtles. Each day, you’ll participate in turtle patrols—either early morning (2-4 hours) or night patrols (4–6 hours)—where you’ll:

    • Search for and protect newly laid nests
    • Collect data ...

    Typical day

    As a COPROT volunteer, you’ll be directly involved in the protection and monitoring of endangered sea turtles. Each day, you’ll participate in turtle patrols—either early morning (2-4 hours) or night patrols (4–6 hours)—where you’ll:

    • Search for and protect newly laid nests
    • Collect data on nesting females
    • Relocate vulnerable nests to safer areas on the beach or to the hatchery
    • Excavate hatched nests to record success rates
    • Support with hatchling releases
    • Assist with responsible ecotourism activities and environmental education


    At our Carate base camp, we manage a sea turtle hatchery where many of the nests are relocated to protect them from predators like dogs. After approximately 50 days of incubation, volunteers assist in releasing baby turtles safely to the ocean—one of the most rewarding experiences of the program.


    In addition to turtle-related activities, volunteers contribute to daily camp life and community engagement through:


    • Beach clean-ups and plastic upcycling
    • Teaching or assisting with English lessons and workshops
    • Presenting educational talks
    • Gardening and helping with our reforestation and composting efforts
    • General maintenance to keep our off-grid camp running smoothly


    Sample Daily Schedule

    While every day varies depending on turtle activity, tides, and weather, here’s an example of a typical day at camp:


    • 05:00–07:30 – Morning Patrol
    • 08:00 – Breakfast
    • 09:30–11:30 – Gardening & Camp Duties
    • 12:00 – Lunch
    • 15:00–17:00 – Excavations or Hatchling Releases
    • 19:30 – Dinner

    Evenings may also include group reflections, workshops, games, or preparing for night patrols.

    Free-time activities

    In your free time you can go hiking around the jungle looking for wildlife, you can visit the rivers and waterfalls, or relax at one of the local ecolodges/hotels. Our volunteers also enjoy hanging out at the nearby beaches (Playa Pejeperro, Rio Oro & Carate) where you can play some soccer or ...

    Free-time activities

    In your free time you can go hiking around the jungle looking for wildlife, you can visit the rivers and waterfalls, or relax at one of the local ecolodges/hotels. Our volunteers also enjoy hanging out at the nearby beaches (Playa Pejeperro, Rio Oro & Carate) where you can play some soccer or volleyball, as well as watching some of the most incredible sunsets! Please note that the beaches face out on to the Pacific Ocean which can have dangerous rip tides so we do not recommend swimming. 

    Sea turtle monitoring can be quite physically demanding (lots of walking on soft sand), and in order for us to be able to collect the best data possible we are also mainly working during early mornings and late nights. This is awesome though, as the night sky is like no other, and we can never get tired of sunrises over pristine beaches...

    We expect volunteers to support on the beaches as much as possible, and collaborate in other environmental activities that we may be conducting during the day. This is not a vacation location, it's a conservation station!!

    We are also a POSITIVE VIBES ORGANIZATION :D which means that we expect everyone to bring the best version of themselves, and treat everyone on the project and in the community with love and respect.  

    We normally work very hard on the project, but there’s still always plenty of time to relax and explore. There are a lot of different activities around the Osa Península that can be arranged in advance and may have discounts for volunteers. Here you have a list of some of these activities (these prices are just for guidance and may be subject to change) and also an example of how your week could be in the last page:

    - Corcovado National Park

    - Surfing in Matapalo

    - Horse-riding

    - Chocolate tour

    - Whale and dolphin tour

    - Waterfall hike

    - Guided gold-mining tour

    - Plus a lot of free activities: night walks, jungle walks, beach cleans, game and movie night, pizza nights, etc.

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Language Skills

    You need to speak Spanish (basic level) or English (basic level)

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    Any experience in teaching, gardening, building or scientific skills would give volunteers a huge advantage.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday

    What's Included

    What's Included

    On-site Services

    This amount covers 3 meals a day and shared accommodation 7 nights a week, as well as all training for inclusion in the sea turtle conservation program. Volunteers must cover their transportation costs to reach and leave COPROT, and any extra activity that they want to do during their free time.

    Accommodation

    This beautiful conservation camp is in the heart of Carate, near the local school and church. The base camp is surrounded by lush tropical rainforest, where we often see many tropical birds, monkeys and other native mammals. If you are really lucky you can even see tapir and big cats, as we are just a few kilometres to the entrance of the Corcovado National Park. 

    Our volunteers stay in a mixed dormitory in a single bunk fitted with mosquito nets and with bedding provided. All of our buildings are made primarily with sustainable and/or upcycled materials in order to have the lowest possible impact on the environment.

    Our communal kitchen is open and social, with a view of the garden. There are 2 tables where we like to cook and eat our meals together, and we have a local cook that makes the lunches and dinners for the team. The camp has a simple solar system to offer small amounts of power for lighting, WiFi and to charge appliances. The use of this charging system will depend on how many people are on camp and how much sun we have, as this effects how much power we will have available.

    There is a communal bathroom area in the middle of the camp, where there are 2 toilets, 2 showers and a space for hand washing laundry for the ultimate off-grid experience. 

    We are conscious about our waste, so ideally everything needs to be reused, recycled, composted or sent back to Puerto Jiménez as trash. One of our goals is to become a zero waste facility within the next 5 years, and have the least possible impact on the environment. Please consider this when planning your trip, and think about what you’re bringing to the camp. It will be your responsibility to get rid of large waste articles (like shoes, big containers, batteries...) before your arrival, or take them with you when you leave. During your stay, please reduce the use of plastic and bring biodegradable soaps and shampoo for use in the bathroom.

    Food & Beverages

    We provide a breakfast, lunch and dinner to all volunteers. All of our food is vegetarian/vegan. Some examples include:

    Breakfast : - oatmeal with fresh fruit and peanut butter
                         - pancakes
    Lunch/dinner: - vegetable curry with rice/naan bread
                              - bean chili with rice and lettuce
                              - pasta with lentil bolognese
                              - minestrone soup with veggies, beans and pasta

    Internet Access

    Limited access at the project site
    You don't have to pay anything yet

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Airport Pickup at Puerto Jimenez

    An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Puerto Jimenez (PJM) in Puerto Jimenez. We assist you to find cheap flights to Costa Rica. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Costa Rica provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Costa Rica you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Costa Rica. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    Volunteers can join the program from July 2026 to January 2027.

    All volunteer arrivals are on a Monday to match the local transport service and our training schedule. Volunteers are asked to take the 1.30PM transport (colectivo) from Puerto Jiménez to Carate so that everyone arrives together.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program Fees

    $250 per week 1 - 50 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    1 - 50 weeks

    Deposit

    Reserve your spot with just a few clicks and a small, secure deposit. You can pay by credit card, PayPal, or other convenient methods.

    Final Payment

    You’ll agree on the final payment method with your local organization during the application process. This final payment is only due closer to the start of your trip.

    You don't have to pay anything yet
    4.7
    Top Pick
    One of the top picks on Volunteer World, according to travelers
    •
    2025
    This was my first volunteering experience and if I had the chance I would do it again! This was such a memorable month for so many reasons. ..
    Heidi Ruesche

    Sea Turtle Biologist

    •
    2023
    It is a very intense experience, from all points of view. Firstly because it forces you to completely detach from your normal life (which ...
    Marta Ciccolari Micaldi

    Sea Turtle Biologist

    •
    2023
    Ce fut une magnifique expérience de conservation et de protection des tortues. Je suis restée un peu plus de deux semaines et j'ai pu ...
    Marine Feron

    Sea Turtle Biologist

    •
    2022
    My time here what such an amazing experience I gained so much knowledge working alongside the coprot team. There are many volunteering ...
    Molly Mitchell

    Sea Turtle Biologist

    •
    2022
    It was one of my best experiences in my life, enjoying and getting in touch with nature. Doing jungle walks forgetting about city problema ...
    Eduardo Tubelli

    Sea Turtle Biologist

    •
    2022
    I had the most amazing experience visiting coprot tortugas I will definitely be back again. I recommend this place to anyone looking to ...
    Megan Gledhill

    Sea Turtle Biologist

    Location

    Americas > Central America > Costa Rica > Osa Peninsula

    Meet your project coordinator

    Simon
    22
    reviews
    4.72
    Brilliant
    2018
    Founded

    Verified

      Moderate response rate
    Spoken languages: English, Spanish
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    Travel dates

    1. - 1. Jan 1

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