Highlights

Work as part of a nesting survey team to help tag and record data about the nesting turtles.
You will be supporting sea turtle conservation at one of the most important nesting beaches in the Western Hemisphere.
Stay at the John H. Phipps Tortuguero Biological Field Station, located in a tropical rainforest setting, and just steps from the black sand beach.
This experience is ideal for educators, couples, spring breakers, groups, or anyone who is interested in helping sea turtles and making a difference.

Overview

Sea Turtle Conservancy’s research programs are scientific research projects, not guided tours. Fieldwork in remote locations is a delicate business and prone to last-minute change, flexibility is a must. STC’s programs are not package holidays! You will be assisting researchers with scientific field work at a remote field station, and when not working you will have unsupervised free time to relax and enjoy the nature surrounding you. Eco-Volunteers must be 15 years or older (under 18 must be accompanied by an adult). Eco-Volunteer Participants will assist with:

Nightly beach patrols – Work as part of a nesting survey team to help tag and record data about the nesting turtles. This includes measuring turtles, counting eggs, and marking nests. The presence of tagging teams on the beach also acts as a strong deterrent to poachers and egg collectors.
Morning nest surveys – Walk the beach in the morning to check the status of nests marked during previous night patrols.
Nest inventories – Assist with determination of nest survivorship and hatching success through nest inventories.

Ethics

At Terra Incognita we support tours that do good in the world. They must help conserve the environment, support local people and provide educational opportunities for guests and staff, or be actively working to improve in these areas.

What conservation activities do you support through the tour, and your wider operations?

Sea turtle conservation -

The black sand beach of Tortuguero draws the largest nesting population of green turtles, Chelonia mydas, in the Atlantic Ocean. Weighing up to 500 pounds (200 kilograms) green turtles are among the largest sea turtles in the world. STC studies have solved many of the mysteries of green turtle reproductive ecology and behavior. Long-term tagging at Tortuguero during the nesting months facilitates monitoring of the nesting population to evaluate the survival status of the species. Eco-Volunteer Participants will work with nesting turtles weighing up to 350 pounds and measuring 3 to 4 feet in length.

How does the tour support local people?

STC hires local people to help run the research station and has a Junior Research Program to train local middle and high school students in sea turtle science and field biology.

What type of environmental education activities do you incorporate into your tour?

Eco-volunteers take part in the night beach surveys which help reduce poaching and other human disturbances on the nesting beach.

Do you provide any additional conservation, community or educational benefits through your wider operations that you’d like to mention?

STC helps organize beach clean-ups and educational outreach in the community and with the local schools.

Certificates

STC’s Tortuguero Program Recognized was Marine Conservation Success Story by the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

Top 5 achievements

Conservation of green sea turtles.
Pushed to recycle materials instead of building a landfill in the village of Tortuguero.
Changed local attitude from killing turtles to eco-tourism based on observing sea turtles nesting.
Helped developed "Turtle Spotter" program to reduce impacts of nightly eco-tourism groups on nesting turtles.
Utilization of red LED lights at the station to reduce impact to nesting turtles and working with beach front homeowners and businesses to use red LED lights.

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Company Name

Sea Turtle Conservancy

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About Company

The Sea Turtle Conservancy, formerly known as the Caribbean Conservation Corporation, is the world’s oldest sea turtle research and conservation group. An international nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization, Sea Turtle Conservancy was founded in 1959 by world-renowned sea turtle expert Dr. Archie Carr to save sea turtles from eminent extinction through rigorous science-based conservation. Headquartered in Florida, the organization carries out worldwide programs to conserve and recover sea turtle populations through research, education, advocacy and protection of the natural habitats upon which depend upon.

Tour Website

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Cost

From $1,713

What is included in the cost:
First and last night hotel accommodations in the historic Balmoral Costa Rica in San José, including breakfast;
Land and boat transport to Tortuguero (via Mawamba Lodge), with breakfast en route;
All meals and accommodations while in Tortuguero;
A tax-deductible donation in support of STC’s sea turtle research and conservation efforts in Tortuguero;
A Scientific Research Permit;
A guided tour lead by a local naturalist (either a hike along a rainforest trail or a boat tour through the canal system);
Return flight to San José on Sansa (small propeller plane);
All scheduled in-country transfers between airports and hotels.

What is not included in cost:
Your round trip International Air Transportation to and from San José, Costa Rica;
Items of a personal nature, such as laundry, phone calls and tips;
Airport departure taxes (about $27, is now sometimes included in your international airline ticket), passport fees or fees not listed in the program;
Meals in San José.

Group size

1 to 12 people

352-373-6441

stc@conserveturtles.org

conserveturtles.org

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