Baby Sea Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica

Traveling internationally, and volunteering with animals was always a dream of mine, and I am so grateful for Animal Experience International for helping me achieve that. This was my first time traveling out of the country independent, as well as volunteering, and AEI was very helpful in the process of preparing me for my trip. They provided me all the information I needed, and were always available if I had any questions, or concerns at all, and were quick to respond. AEI was there for me with every aspect of my trip from start to finish. Traveling independently out of the country can be nerve-wracking but I always felt safe and prepared thanks to AEI. I am so glad they were the ones guiding me for my first experience as a volunteer out of the country.

Mags and her team were such an amazing group to be working with. They were very informative and allowed us hands on tasks that we will never forget. I planted mangrove trees, cleaned up the ocean side, visited a locally Women ran recycling center and of course studied and observed the amazing Sea Turtle. I learned a lot of different aspects about Sea Turtle Conservation that I had not thought about prior. This program helped me feel that I am doing something to better our environment and there is also so much more to be done. I really appreciate everyone's time and efforts that went into this program. It was very beneficial for me!
I am now armed with fictional data and real life experience to explain to people why change is a must and it needs to happen immediately.

What an incredible experience! Nora, from AEI, perfectly planned every detail of this trip. We were connected with an outstanding host in the local community and an inspiring organization (LAST). Nora was available before the trip to video call and answer all of our questions. She also communicated with our group throughout the entire trip to ensure we were having an amazing experience. I was also impressed with the organization of our transportation. Being in an unfamiliar location, it could have gotten quite overwhelming, but, with AEI's help, our transportation was always well organized. We worked with sea turtles, mangroves, and a local spay and neuter clinic. This trip was truly life-changing thanks to AEI, and I learned so much about conservation.

My trip to Costa Rica was unlike any other trip aboard I've experienced! Thanks to AEI, I had the best time and also gained so much valuable knowledge from this trip. I had assumed I would just being doing a lot of manual labor while in Costa Rica, but the education aspect of this program really helped me understand why the work was so important and needed to be done in the first place. LAST (Latin American Sea Turtles) was the organization that I worked with and because of them I was able to learn so much about sea turtles, their habitats, the ecosystem in the Osa Peninsula, and about the importance of conservation. Without AEI I'm sure I would've never found LAST or been able to plan a trip like this on my own, so I am very grateful for everyone at AEI who handled the logistics because everything went smoothly and I felt very safe and comfortable at all times.

It would be so much work to try to put a trip together like this on your own, and going through AEI is an awesome option. They provide support leading up to the trip, and are also available for help during the trip, which is very comforting. Everything ran so smoothly for our trip there, thanks to their careful planning.
Working with LAST (Latin America Sea Turtles) was an amazing experience, and I was confident in them and their work because I know AEI had already done their research and worked with them before. If you want to work with animal organizations overseas but do not know which ones to trust or choose, working through AEI is a great option for you. They do research on organizations, and carefully plan trips that are environmentally friendly and do not cause harm to places, people, or animals. They are a great organization to work with.

Some of the unique features that I loved was being able to be surrounded by the rural community of Costa Rica. We were able to experience the culture first hand while getting to help researchers with sea turtles and other animals. Staying in a smaller setting made you realize just how connected the community is. Dogs are constantly roaming around while Scarlett Macaws fly through the air. It is something that you will never forget. The amount of diversity can't be beaten and you will be able to meet some of the most friendly people that treat you like family.

Some of the activities that my group conducted were sea turtle research day, mangrove reforestation and bringing a company to animals at a spay and neuter clinic. These were each very different while we were able to help both animals and plants. This trip really made me appreciate our environment and encouraged me to continue to save our planet.

I had the pleasure for volunteering at Playa Blanca in Costa Rica last December for about a month and it was the most memorable experience that i Have had. The people were wonderful and it was so much fun staying at the beach. I made incredible friends and working with the turtles is definitely unforgettable. I thank the team at Animal Experience International for being so open, warm, transparent and reliable. They helped me with everything from before I booked the trip until well after I came back. I can't wait until I can do another experience!