About the Galapagos Volunteer Project
Volunteer on a range of wildlife conservation and environmental projects on Isabela island, Galapagos. Join a dynamic team of volunteers and local staff while giving back to the community in the Galapagos islands. This Galapagos volunteer programme forms part of a wider comprehensive approach to developmental aid in Galapagos. Volunteers in Galapagos can help to care for giant tortoises, become an ecotourism intern in the national park and get involved with turtle nest monitoring.
During your free time you can snorkel with penguins and sea lions, and enjoy living in a town filled with friendly locals and active volcanoes. There is much to learn and discover as a volunteer in Galapagos, where volunteers can explore the natural scenery of the islands and get immersed in the local community while gaining cross-cultural experiences and building valuable skills.
Galapagos Giant Tortoise Conservation Volunteer project
As a Galapagos Tortoise conservation volunteer, you will work with the Galapagos National Park as a member of the staff at the Tortoise Breeding Centre. Volunteer tasks will include; Feeding and caring for the tortoises, as well as maintaining their enclosure, Assisting the zookeepers and working directly with the public to educate tourists by informing them of the rules and regulations designed to keep the tortoises safe and the habitats intact, Practice of conversational English with the guides of the reserve
Schedules are flexible, but typically Monday-Friday 7:30am – 12:30pm. This may be subject to change depending on the tasks at hand.
Volunteer requirements:
- Basic level of Spanish
- Min 18 years old
- A passion for animal conservation
- An ability to openly communicate rules and regulations to tourists and follow instructions
- Ability to work independently as well as in a team
- Physical ability to work outdoors with potentially high allergen, sun and temperature exposure
- Minimum stay is 2 weeks
- Please note that if you have a strong allergy to wasp stings, to consider another project, as they have wasps at this centre.
Galapagos Ecotourism Volunteer Project
The objective of the programme is to support Galapagos National Park staff in maintaining and improving visitor sites, facilities, and information signs. Participants will be involved in a variety of conservation efforts in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park. You will assist park rangers in the field with maintenance of visitor sites, trails, and protected areas, clearing brush and weeds, cutting new trails, removing invasive species, and replacement and maintenance of signs.
According to the needs of the National park at the time, participants will support ecosystem conservation and restoration activities such as controlling introduced species and protecting endemic species out in the field. Some tasks will require the use of basic tools (shovels, hand tools, etc.). Support with data entry collected from tourism activities, and registering tourist-related information, may also be required. If you have your own computer (and are willing to use it) with Adobe illustrator, you could also get involved with designing maps, signs, canvases.
Schedules are flexible, but typically Monday-Friday 7:30am – 12: 30pm. This may be subject to change depending on the tasks at hand.
Volunteer requirements:
- Basic to intermediate Spanish is a plus
- Min 18 years old
- Good health and fitness
- Ability to work independently as well as in a team
- Physical ability to work outdoors in gardening/outdoor jobs, with potentially high sun, element, and temperature exposure
- Basic knowledge of non-motorised tools and safe usage is an advantage
- Passion for the outdoors and the conservation of nature
- Minimum stay is 2 weeks
Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring Volunteer
Available during nesting season only: January to end May
As a sea turtle nest monitoring volunteer, you will assist the Galapagos National Park staff by taking critically important nesting baseline data. This will include identifying species (hawksbill or green), determining nesting patterns and monitoring nest sizes, hatching and success to continue with the protection and management of these species that are in a critical state of conservation at a global level.
The tasks are 4 hours per day, from 6am – 8am (first light) and anywhere from 8pm – 1am (dark).
Some examples of tasks you will be involved in include:
- Clearing and preparing of nesting area along the beach
- Beach patrols along the beach in Puerto Villamil looking for nests and signs of sea turtles
- Identification of species of marine turtles (green or hawksbill turtle)
- Monitoring of nests already registered
- Observing nest sizes and potentially aiding in the relocation of nests if they have been laid too close to the tide line.
- Data collection on nests, beach conditions, etc.
- Excavation of nests after hatching to make studies of hatching success and mortality
- Determination of nesting patterns and percentages of hatching success.
- As you walk the beach, picking up rubbish and debris to keep the beach clear for the turtles.
- Kikuyo removal – you will also be asked to dedicate 3 hours weekly (usually Wednesdays) to the removal of kikuyo from the turtle nesting area. Kikuyo is a highly invasive plant to Isabela that chokes out other native plant species and that overgrows into areas along the beach that sea turtles can no longer use to nest.
- Beach profiling – if you’ll be volunteering on this project around the 15th of each month (during the nesting season), we will need your help to measure beach erosion to determine the current beach profile. This data collection allows us to compare changes in the beach profile over time, ultimately leading to better management of the beach as erosion is a consequence of many factors.
Volunteer requirements:
- Basic level of Spanish is a plus (not necessary)
- Min 18 years old
- A genuine passion for the outdoors and animal conservation
- Ability to independently collect and register data
- Physical ability to work outdoors with potentially high sun, element, and temperature exposure
- Able to walk up to 8 kms on a beach in the mornings and evenings
- Ability to independently collect and register data (training will be provided)
- Minimum stay is 2 weeks.
Sustainable Agriculture Volunteer Project
The farms of Isabela Island are starting work in greenhouses to optimise production year-round in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The highland town of Tomás de Berlanga is about 10 miles uphill from the coastal part of town, where our headquarters, your accommodations, social life, and the beach are located. Located on the side of Volcano Sierra Negra, the highlands are fertile, lush lands with rich volcanic soil – perfect for agriculture!
Volunteers will learn local techniques for sustainable tropical agriculture and will help to create food sovereignty, lower the carbon footprint of island life, lower waste from shipping materials, lowers cost to local consumers, increase local income, and increase the nutritional content of the food available in Isabela.
Volunteer schedule is 30 hrs/week. It is about a 30-minute bus ride up to the highlands at 7:00am, and the bus leaves the highlands at 3pm. Prepared by the family, you will enjoy a farm-to-table lunch at the farm before returning to town.
Volunteer requirements:
- Basic to intermediate level of Spanish (to communicate with fellow workers)
- Genuine passion for the outdoors and conservation of nature
- Physical ability to work with construction and gardening type tasks in the outdoors with potential allergens, sun and temperature exposure
- Ability to work independently as well as in a team
- Basic knowledge of non-motorised tools and their safe usage is helpful
- Minimum stay is 2 weeks.
Endemic Plant Species Volunteer Project
The project is assisting the Galapagos National Park in the operation and maintenance of its plant nursery located in the highlands of Isabela. The facility plays an important role in the conservation of the island’s endemic plant species through research, restoration, and education. Volunteers will have the opportunity to assist in ecological restoration projects in rural and urban areas of Isabela, while learning about the island’s ecology.
This is a great opportunity for anyone with ‘green hands’, who is interested in ecological restoration, to get experience in landscaping. You will increase your knowledge on effective ways to cultivate the endemic and threatened Scalesia plant, as well as learn about Isabela’s endemic flora in an impactful way.
Tasks are expected to be hands-on and laborious. You should expect to get dirty, work under the sun and work hard during the workday. Some of the tasks that volunteers will help with include:
- Assist park rangers in the nursery with transplanting of seedlings, pruning, and prepping of nursery beds.
- Maintenance of the irrigation system.
- Assist in the management of plagues and invasive species.
- Answer questions that tourists or locals may have when visiting the plant nursery.
The schedule is 30 hrs/week. The highlands are approximately 30 minutes up from Puerto Villamil town by bus. The daily bus leaves for the highlands at 7:00am, and returns from the highlands at 3:00pm. You will enjoy lunch at one of the local farms or at a restaurant in the small highlands town before returning to Puerto Villamil.
Volunteer requirements:
- Basic to intermediate level of Spanish (to communicate with fellow workers)
- Min 18 years old
- Genuine passion for the outdoors and conservation of nature
- Physical ability to work with construction and gardening type tasks in the outdoors with potential allergens, sun and temperature exposure
- Ability to work independently as well as in a team
- Basic knowledge of non-motorised tools and their safe usage is helpful
- Minimum stay is 2 weeks.
“Collaboration and contribution are built into our ethos, and by working together, we’re ensuring that the wild and beautiful landscape of the Galapagos remain protected and thriving for centuries to come. We would not be able to run our programs if it were not for our volunteers. The number of volunteers, the passion they have and how hard they work keep our projects alive and thriving! ” – Quote from Project Manager
