Nope, I'm not talking about a Sandals commercial. I am talking about a volunteer vacation with Pretoma. Pretoma is a Costa Rican based non-profit that works to protect sea wildlife, such as sharks and sea turtles, through research and beach monitoring projects. Within Costa Rica, they are a strong, passionate voice for the oceans and any one who wants to can become a part of it by volunteering with them.
Volunteer options vary: you can choose to volunteer your time in Punta Banco or San Miguel, Costa Rica. Both towns are beautiful, although different. Punta Banco is a small, beautiful village a bus ride away from Panama. There are probably the least amount of turtles on this beach of the 5 places where Pretoma does research, but there are still plenty! The village is more isolated, with Internet and phones 4-5 miles away. San Miguel is more of a town than a village, with more than one supermercado, and a bit more touristy. I spent time in Punta Banco and fell in love with the small community - definitely a great place if you are looking to get to know the locals!
Your day breaks down as such: Wake up. Eat. Go to the Beach. Eat some more. Basically, your time is spent at night, patrolling the beach for nesting sea turtles. Once you find them, you (with your research assistant guide) will dig up the eggs and put them in the clean sand hatchery in town. There is a lot of free time!
Prices include all meals and lodging if you choose to stay in the research station. One week starts at $350. The longer you stay, the cheaper it ends up being. Because it is a tad tricky to get to both places, I would definitely recommend a minimum stay of two weeks (as they do) in order to fully relax, interact with the community and see the turtles.
Helpful tips:
1. The season runs from Jul - Nov, with more turtles appearing as time goes on. However, the rainy season starts mid September. I would try to plan for the end of August/beginning of September to avoid a trip full of rain.
2. Also, turtles hate the moon! If you have the luxury of planning around the lunar cycle, it would totally be worth your while.
Happy rescuing!
*Additional: I volunteered here for a month in 2009. To read about my sponsored trip from Sosauce.com, click here.
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