Volunteer as a family in Costa Rica for sea turtles at Playa Tortuga!

Join our immersive conservation project in the spectacular tropical rainforests of Costa Rica, in a national reserve on the Pacific coast. As a family volunteering in Costa Rica at Playa Tortuga, you can participate in sea turtle research, crocodile monitoring, monkey and mammal surveys, tree boa studies,  and butterfly garden projects.  Family volunteering at our Playa Tortuga Conservation Project is very popular, and over the years, we have hosted countless families here. Children from 7 years upwards with parents are most welcome to join. There are activities for all ages, and as the research centre is located right adjacent to the beach and within the rainforest, if kids want to rest/take time out, this option also exists.

Highlights include:

• Live in a tropical rainforest nature reserve teeming with wildlife, from sea turtles that nest on the adjacent beach to tree boas, howler and capuchin monkeys, river otters, sloths, beautiful birds, and butterflies.
• Set camera traps to spot elusive ocelots at night and wade through rivers to catch and tag caimans.
• Work alongside friendly staff and learn about Costa Rica’s amazing biodiversity!

See this Family’s experience in December 2024 below, as their daughter Tilly goes to ‘Jungle School’:

A Range of Activities for Your Family in Costa Rica

Sea Turtle Conservation Volunteer Programme

Families can participate in sea turtle conservation activities on the South Pacific beaches of Osa Costa Rica. You will learn about the biology of sea turtles, especially the Pacific Olive Ridley, and help protect their nests. Children under 12 cannot participate in night-time turtle walks but can engage in turtle hatchery work and baby turtle releases.  Turtle season starts in early July with adult females nesting on the beaches when we start the first night turtle walks and then by mid August the first baby turtles start hatching and releases take place late afternoons/early evenings.  This runs all the way into January and often we still have baby nests hatching into February and March. Adults continue to nest up to December and even beyond.  During turtle season, families and children can get hands on with lots of aspects of the turtle programme – ideal for keen budding marine biologists!

Mammal Inventory Monitoring & Capuchin and Howler Monkey Research Project

Families can take part in exploring the reserve’s forest on guided nature trail walks, and observing over 11 species of mammals, including raccoons, capuchin monkeys, sloths, and more. Cameras traps are set to spot elusive creatures like ocelots to gather data to help with conservation efforts.

Families can also participate in surveys to observe and record the behaviour of capuchin and howler monkeys by helping to gather data on troop size, diet, and movements to contribute to ongoing research.

Crocodilian Monitoring Volunteer Programme

Families can join nocturnal monitoring sessions to study crocodilians in the reserve. Families will use equipment like flashlights, and GPS to observe and collect data on these fascinating creatures.  Sometimes kayaks will be used, which is weather/river dependent. This activity usually takes place from January to July, but can also happen at other times of the year.

Butterfly Garden Volunteering Project

This is an ongoing project at the reserve – families can assist with the butterfly garden where the team investigate native butterfly species, and take care of food plants for the butterflies.  Costa Rica is home to an incredible array of butterflies, with over 1,200 species having been identified in their rainforests.  The Blue Morpho is one of their most famous which families may be lucky enough to encounter in the butterfly garden.

Tree Boa Research Project

Families can also join night-time research sessions to study tree boas and to help with collecting data on population size, movements, and biology to support conservation efforts.

Presentations

Families will have workshops and information sessions throughout the volunteering week, so that families understand what they will be doing and the importance of the conservation work too as well as all safety discussions too.  For any children wanting to make presentations when they get back to school, this will be an ideal opportunity to take some notes!

All of the above programmes are available to families when you join – some are dependent on the season, but when you arrive, you will be given a rota with a variety of different activities laid out for the week, so everyone gets the chance to take part in different activities.  We are flexible if you want to opt out and the reserve has relaxing hammocks where you can chill out too!  There are also plenty of family things to do outside of the reserve in your free time, including surfing, horse back riding, whale watching, snorkelling, jumping in waterfalls, zip lining and more!

Volunteer Manual Download

If you want to get detailed information on our Playa Tortuga project, including further details on what you will be doing, what to bring, transfers and logistics and much more, please download our PDF document here: WorkingAbroad Playa Tortuga Volunteer Information!