- Program
- Turtle Conservation Project, Costa Rica
- Traveled
- Summer 2024
In this first-person account, Andre looks back on Rustic Pathways’ Turtle Conservation Project program in Costa Rica in summer 2024, with photos from the trip.
Andre describes a group of 17 that went from strangers to family in 8 days, night walks and beach cleanups, and watching a baby turtle make its way to the water after hatching.
Andre’s Week 6 at the Turtle Conservation Project in Costa Rica
The Turtle Conservation Project in Costa Rica was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. My name’s Andre, and I am sharing on behalf of the 17 people who were part of week 6 of this program.
My whole group went from strangers to family in 8 days. We took over 3,000 photos and videos, put Tajin on everything, and ate an endless amount of chikys (common Costa Rican cookies). Whether it was throwing rocks into a Jenga container or waking up at 5 am to a howler monkey it was an extremely memorable experience.
Night Walks, Turtle Eggs and Baby Turtles at Camaronal
On this program we did over 20 hours of service cleaning the beach, going on night walks, and collecting turtle eggs. The service that we did around The Camaronal Wildlife Reserve had an impact on ourselves and the reserve. Our base camps were a little rustic, but it was all worth it to get to see the baby turtle make its way to the water after hatching.
We got to see the impact of our service every night when rare turtles laid their eggs on the beach and we stopped raccoons from getting into the nests.
What Andre Took Home From Costa Rica
None of us were expecting to gain 16 new best friends in a week. The food was incredible and the views were jaw dropping. This Rustic Pathways program helped our group form a bond that we will have for the rest of our lives.
Andre describes the 16 new friends and the bond the group took home from Costa Rica. The memories concern the summer 2024 session, and Andre first shared them on the Rustic Pathways Instagram account on March 28, 2025.
The program still runs as Costa Rica: Turtle Conservation Project. It runs 8 days for students ages 14–18 and includes about 26 hours of conservation work, with five nights at a field station in Camaronal Wildlife Refuge and night patrols for nesting sea turtles alongside park rangers. See the program page for the current itinerary, dates and activities.
