- Program
- Turtle Conservation Project, Costa Rica
- Traveled
- June 2026
- Hometown
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Program Leaders
- Emily, Andreanna, and Josh
In this first-person account, Jordan Evans of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, looks back on Rustic Pathways’ Turtle Conservation Project program in Costa Rica in June 2026, with photos from the trip.
Jordan describes beach service projects, night walks to look for turtles laying eggs, an art class with local artists in Islita, and evenings of uno and movies.
Jordan’s Dream of Helping Sea Turtles in Costa Rica
Hey, I’m Jordan and I did the Turtle Conservation Project in Costa Rica with Rustic Pathways in June! It was a dream come true to be able to interact with sea turtles and participate in projects to help them.
Beach Service, Night Walks and Surf Lessons in Costa Rica
We spent a lot of our time on the beach doing different service projects, swimming, and doing night walking to look for turtles laying their eggs.
We also left the refuge on some days to explore Costa Rica and do things like a boat tour and take surfing lessons.
My favorite memory was taking an art class with local female artists one day. I had the best time talking to the artists and exploring the beautiful town of Islita.
Uno Nights and Program Leaders in Costa Rica
Our group also had the most amazing people and it was so much fun to get to know everyone! I loved hanging out together every night together playing uno and watching movies.
We also had amazing Program Leaders (Shout out Emily, Andreanna, and Josh).
Jordan describes the turtle work, the art class in Islita and the group that came home from Costa Rica. The memories concern the June 2026 session, and Jordan first shared them on the Rustic Pathways Instagram account on July 14, 2026.
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 beach and trail maintenance in the refuge with park rangers, hatchery work, and night patrols for nesting turtles. See the program page for the current itinerary, dates and activities.
