Costa Rica: Turtle Conservation Program (17 and older)

San Jose Hotel
Students stay in a hotel with shared rooms. Private bathrooms with hot water and Western-style toilets.

Camaronal Refuge
The Wildlife Refuge in Camaronal is very rustic as it is an authentic park ranger’s wooden house right in front of the ocean. Rooms accommodate up to 6 students, always separated by gender and do have electricity. Western-style toilets and showers are located in a separate building and students should be prepared for no hot water at this location.

This small piece of paradise will show the participants the beauty of the natural resources of Costa Rica, birds singing, beautiful sunsets, and the sound of the waves crashing as part of daily life in this part of the world. In addition to the turtles, you may see lizards, crabs, dolphins, macaws, and howler monkeys.

Rustic Pathways works with local community leaders and organizations to identify and prioritize the needs of each community. Please note that while we try our best to ensure we provide our advertised projects, some changes may occur due to the communities and project partners we work with.

Community service in this program is divided into 3 different projects:

Beach clean ups – Walk along the beach with big plastic bags picking up trash brought to the beach by the tide, putting away big logs that upset the turtles when they are laying eggs.
Night Patrols – Walk along the beach during the night, with the high tide, looking for turtles laying eggs, and nest that need to be relocated into the hatchery.
Work in the hatchery – Plant the nest that need relocation, also work during the day shoveling sand to oxygenate the sand of the hatchery where the baby turtles are born

This program involves service and adventure activities that require students to be physically active.

Each location has an in-house chef in charge of the meals. Breakfast will normally include eggs, toast, fruit, gallo pinto (our delicious rice & beans recipe). Lunch and dinner selections will include rice, beans, plantains, vegetables, salads, and for non-vegetarians, chicken, beef, or fish. Occasionally we will offer American and international selections like pasta, pizzas, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, burgers, and salads.

Dietary Requirements/Food Allergies – We can easily accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other common dietary requirements on this program. Please make sure to include this in your medical form so that our staff can prepare and we recommend bringing along some of your own favorite snacks!

Water from the tap is safe to use for brushing teeth or drinking. Don’t forget to bring along your own reusable water bottle, so we can minimize our plastic usage.

Since the base is located on the Pacific coast, the temperature can go into the 80s during the day and cool during the night. Summer is the rainy season, so be sure to bring a rain jacket. There can be occasional rain showers, however it does not usually rain all day.

Flights – Direct flight from Los Angeles (LAX) or Newark (EWR) to San Jose (SJO). This program does not have any internal flights. The advertised dates for this program include travel time from the USA.

Visa –There are no visa requirements in Costa Rica for students traveling on United States passports. Students traveling with Rustic Pathways on passports not issued by the United States are responsible for determining their own visa requirements. Please check with the appropriate consulate or embassy.

Internal Travel – You’ll spend most of your time in one place. Traveling to your destination internally can require up to 4 hours on a bus ride with the group.

We want to encourage students to disconnect in order to fully immerse themselves in the experience and get the most out of their program. That being said, students will have access to wifi at their hotel during this itinerary. There is no wifi while at the wildlife refuge. Parents will have access to our 24/7 emergency number and will also receive updates from our staff once your student is in country.

Personal gifts, internet, phone calls, and snacks are not included. All other costs (accommodation, meals, in-country transportation, and activities) are included in the program price.

We recommend $150 per week to cover souvenirs and incidentals. Students traveling to Costa Rica can make purchases in US dollars, and will receive change from the merchant in colónes. Any money that needs to be changed back is best done in the airport on the return home.

Students should pack enough clothes and personal items to last through the end of the Turtle Conservation Program. Laundry is available in the program once a week.

In general, Costa Ricans dress modestly and as polite visitors, we will dress accordingly especially during community service hours. The requirements are fairly straightforward and the same for both boys and girls: Shorts: Basketball-style only; no running or soccer-style shorts. Rule of thumb is that the bottom of the shorts should be approaching the kneecap. Leggings or yoga pants: Only if paired with a long T-shirt. Loose-fitting pants, capris, and long skirts: Acceptable and preferred Tops: Shoulders must be covered – No tank tops or spaghetti straps. If you arrive and your clothing is deemed unacceptable by your program leaders, you’ll have to purchase appropriate clothing before service work begins.

This is an environmental conservation program. You will be staying in a wildlife refuge, with its own rules. The most important thing is to respect these rules, the wildlife, and nature. For example, we participate in night walks on the beach for turtle conservation. Night walks happen at the peak of high tide, so depending on the timing, walks could happen any time during the night and early hours of the morning. We aim to respect the natural habitats and behaviors of these animals.

Our staff are bilingual so you don’t need to worry about the language barrier. This program has the highest level of physical community service work, keep that in mind. If you like, you can bring your instrument and play music with the group.

Ensuring the safety of your teen as they travel with Rustic Pathways is a top priority. Please review our Health and Safety measures.

Our Travel Protection Plan helps protect our participants, their belongings, and their travel investment in those unforeseen circumstances that may arise during travel. Learn more about the plan offered through our partner.

Please know that your service contribution is an essential part of achieving the development goals we have established in collaboration with our partners and no donations are required.

If you do wish to bring donations, we are collecting donations of basic school supplies that will be distributed through a local organization to Costa Rican students with limited resources. In order to ensure what is brought is most useful and easily able to be distributed, we ask that you only bring a “school supply pack” as listed below. There are two types of packs needed, please select one and bring all the items on that list bundled together in a simple grocery bag or similar.

Please be aware that we are unable to accept donations sent by mail after your program ends. If you are interested, please bring them along with you on your program (and be mindful of baggage allowances).

Our Costa Rican staff will collect any donations from you on your arrival day. Thank you for your contribution!