Drone-Powered Sea Turtle Conservation on Costa Rica's Wild Coast
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Drone-Powered Sea Turtle Conservation on Costa Rica's Wild Coast
- Costa Rica
- Playa Grande
About Program
Spend a week or more on Costa Rica's wild Pacific coast, working alongside local NGO to protect one of the country's most important green sea turtle nesting sites.
Your nights are truly hands-on: walking beach patrols under the stars, recording nesting females, relocating nests to keep them safe from poachers, and releasing hatchlings into the waves.
What sets this program apart is the technology you'll work with, flying conservation drones and helping AI turn aerial imagery into real data that protects these beaches. You'll be based near Matapalo in Guanacaste, living simply in cabins surrounded by monkeys, coatis and the sound of the ocean, with beach clean-ups and school education projects along the way.
No experience needed, just a passion for wildlife, and the longer you stay, the more turtles, nests and sunrises you'll be part of.
Program Highlights
- Get hands-on with drones and AI that help find and protect nesting turtles
- Walk wild beach patrols under the stars and release baby turtles into the sea
- Work side by side with a local sea turtle conservation NGO on one of Costa Rica's key nesting beaches
- Live steps from the ocean in Guanacaste, surrounded by monkeys, coatis and tropical wildlife
- Flexible stays from one week, open to all, no experience needed, season from November to April
Video and Photos
Program Impact
Every volunteer directly supports the protection of one of Costa Rica's most important green sea turtle nesting beaches, where over 1,000 nests are recorded each season. Your work on night patrols helps find and safeguard nesting females and relocate nests away from poachers, while hatchling releases give a new generation the best possible start at sea.
Beyond the beach, the data you help collect, both on foot and through our drone and AI technology, feeds real conservation research and helps local teams monitor more ground with fewer resources. This is work that used to be done entirely by hand, and your contribution makes it faster and more effective.
Your program fee goes directly toward sea turtle conservation and toward supporting our local partner NGO on the ground, funding the people, tools and daily fieldwork that keep this project running season after season. You also have the chance to join beach clean-ups and environmental education projects in local schools, helping inspire the next generation of conservationists.
