Location
Multiple Locations +10
  • Costa Rica
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Indonesia
    • Bali
  • Croatia
  • Australia
  • Belize
  • Madagascar
  • Portugal
  • Tanzania
    • Zanzibar

Program Details

Language
English
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Hostel

Pricing

Starting Price
350
Price Details
Program fees include airport pick-up, orientation, program supervision, accommodation, meals and 24/7 in-country volunteer support.

*starting price based on Turtle Conservation in Madagascar project - prices from $350 for 1 week
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Airport Transfers Meals
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance Visa
May 01, 2024
Aug 11, 2024
81 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Are you looking for meaningful travel opportunities that focus on preserving life below water? Whether you’re passionate about the health of our oceans or want to preserve sea turtle populations, IVHQ has a program suitable to your interests.

Trusted by 136,000+ volunteers, IVHQ offers the world's most popular Sea Turtle & Marine Conservation volunteer programs in 11 destinations around the world. Choose from 12 different program options! You can volunteer in Belize and experience life on a private Caribbean island; spend your days gathering vital raw data and diving in Madagascar; or tackling increasing ocean pollution on the Environmental Scuba Diving project in Portugal.

Regardless of which program you choose, you'll enjoy a fully-hosted experience, including airport pick-up, orientation, accommodation, meals and 24/7 in-country support.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Choose from 12 impactful Sea Turtle & Marine Conservation Programs worldwide
  • You’ll be joining a global network of 124,000+ volunteers backed by the world’s leading team of volunteer travel experts with an outstanding safety system and track record
  • Affordable PADI or SSI diving certifications available at a discounted rate
  • Gain marine conservation experience in a cross-cultural setting
  • Help save our oceans and explore life below water in a responsible way

Program Reviews

4.81 Rating
based on 16 reviews
  • 5 rating 81.25%
  • 4 rating 18.75%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.6
  • Support 4.7
  • Fun 4.45
  • Value 4.6
  • Safety 4.65
Showing 1 - 8 of 16 reviews
Default avatar
Beatrice Nare
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sea turtle conservation in Lombok

My experience in Lombok volunteering for the turtles project was the best in my whole life till now.
As a first time solo traveler, I had been feeling the safest throughout all of my stay and program.
The local team was very welcoming and always available in case of any issues, from sanitary problems to transport requests.
I got to meet a lot of new people and I learned lots of new things that will help me during my life. This experience helped me grow as a person and, even if my program lasted just 2 weeks, I know I did my best to help with the turtle conservation.
The accommodation was clean and comfortable. The meals were delicious, with a variety of Western food and local food. The service was excellent.
I really recommend to have an experience like mine, because it will be memorable and it will constitute an important part of your life, from which you can learn a lot.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would change nothing! Everything was perfect just like that and I think that that is part of the experience, adapting and making new experiences.
Pros
  • Project
  • Nature
  • People
16 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Beatriz
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Zanzibar experience 23

Everything,!
My experience was amazing because not only I had all the Supprt I needed before but also during and after the program! The people in my program were amazing, the accommodation was incredible and the food outstanding. Thank you for making my time in Zanzibar and volunteering experience incredible, I really could feel that something to help was being done.
We visited placed that showed us that the recycling was being done, we cleaned the beach and the village several times, we monitored the reefs by snorkeling. What I recommend is to have a diving license or bring the money to do it in Zanzibar because that was you can also participate in the coral restoration. The coordinators at the camp were amazing and prepared everything so well, we always had something to do and also time to rest.
I loved every day :)

95 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Abi
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Turtle conservation in Costa Rica

I had a great experience in Costa Rica learning about the country.
I learnt a lot about a different culture, including the way of life, different mindsets and popular food of the region.
I managed to practice and learn more Spanish by communicating with the host families.
I had some unique opportunities, from activities on the conservation project to day trips exploring the rain forests to living with local families and experiencing their way of daily living.
It was also a great way to make new friends.

Pros
  • Learning about a different culture.
  • Meeting new people.
  • Going to unique places.
Cons
  • I got sent to an area where there were not many turtles that time of year.
  • Got a local SIM card but the island didn’t use that provider.
103 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Elaine
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I love Costa Rica!

This was an incredible experience. I learned so much and met great people and had amazing adventures along the way. It is important to physically and mentally prepare yourself before you go. It's a lot of hard work and there can be culture shock while you adjust to everything. I only gave four stars because there were times we weren't well informed of what was going on or what the plan was. But that was part of the adapting and going with the flow! If you go in with an open mind and a willing heart, you will have the best time. Costa Rica is so beautiful and the people are so friendly and it's really just an amazing adventure.

Pros
  • Beautiful scenery and incredible wildlife
  • Locals are very friendly
  • Making a positive impact
Cons
  • Hard physical labor at times
  • Transportation costs
  • Basic food
113 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
millie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best experience ever

2 weeks volunteering in Costa Rica was such an amazing experience thanks for IVHQ. They helped us plan the trip and pick the best time to go. We were so surprised how smoothly everything went as we had a lot of travelling to do to get to our volunteer location. Everything was planned out from the taxi to the bus station to the actual cash we needed to pay for the bus. This made it much less stressful for us volunteering as we didn't have to worry about getting around.
Something that would have been useful though would be to know the charity you are supporting before you go. We would have loved to raise money to give to the charity and promote it before we went. It would have also been useful to have a list of donations we could bring. We got to Costa Rica a day earlier so had the chance to see the city, at this point we could have bought useful items that we used throughout our volunteering such as buckets, gloves etc.
Living in a house with the other volunteers was really fun and we all made friends really quickly. We got weekends free to explore the area and take trips with each other. The work we did was really hard work but it was so rewarding and everyone loved helping out as much as we could.

Pros
  • Felt super safe and well organised
  • Didn't have to worry about meals as they all got made for you
  • Getting close to baby sea turtles
Cons
  • Some activities out of your comfort zone
  • Wish we got a list of things to bring as donations
  • Wish we got reminders on how to get through passport control
140 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Christina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Unforgettable experience!

I was so impressed with this program! From the very beginning (online preparation), we were met with so much guidance and kindness. For a group of girls traveling to Indonesia for the first time, we were so grateful for the assistance. When we arrived in Bali, it only got better! We did a two-week program. The first week was in Ubud. The accommodations were so lovely, the food was great and our leaders were incredible. The first week focused on immersing volunteers in the Balinese culture. We loved this part! It was so wonderful to have informative tours of the monkey forest and rice fields. We also had a traditional cooking lesson and art lesson. It was awesome! My favourite part of the introduction week was visiting the Tirta Empul Tampak Siring - Bali Holy Spring Water Temple. Having a guide was an essential part of this experience for us because we wanted to make sure that we were respecting this sacred space. This experience was life-changing. Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, we headed to Nusa Penida for the week of volunteering. The accommodations and food were more basic here, but still quite wonderful! Here, we cleaned beaches, made signs to raise awareness with locals, and went crab catching. Most notably, we got to learn about and work with sea turtles. What amazing creatures! The staff at the turtle conservation were so kind, informative and fun! We got to experience releasing a turtle back into the ocean! It was so cool to be a part of that moment - truly something that I will never forget! We celebrated our new friends and time together with a dinner and bonfire. I would take this trip again in a heartbeat! I recommend it to anyone and everyone who will listen!

What would you improve about this program?
I feel like a fancier person might complain about the food or the accommodations, but I loved them! We stayed in a small building that was owned by a local family. This made the experience so much better! We got to meet them and learn from them. They were wonderfully kind and downright hilarious!
213 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Thank you, Christina! What nice words - thank you we really appreciate it. I am so glad you had an amazing time and got to release a sea turtle back into the ocean. Lena - IVHQ Program Manager.

Kim
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sinply. Amazing.

This was my first time volunteering abroad, as well as my first time being in Bali. Everything was simply amazing! From it being the accomodation, the food, the CULTURE <3, the people, and the animals! I had such a breathtaking time being able to volunteer while submerging myself in a beautiful island full of luscious nature and rich culture. I have recommended IVHQ and it’s Turtle Coservation program to all of my colleagues and family. I look forward to my next adventure volunteering!

Sampai jumpa Ubud and Nusa Penida!

What would you improve about this program?
More turtle time :)
182 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Hi Kim, it is really nice to hear from you and thank you for your review! I am pleased to hear that you had such an amazing time with so many aspects of the program and your trip! It was awesome to have you help us. Thank you very much for your recommendation and we would love to have you back! ^Brigitte - IVHQ Bali Program Manager

A final pic with le turtle sanctuary before packup. :')
Chee Chuan (Cheech)
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Bali and Turtles - The Wombo Combo

Life in Bali has not just allowed me to satisfy the wanderlust craving in mine. It has also allowed me to reflect on the life I once lead, and how I should be grateful for the littlest things in life.

With regards to the turtle conservation program, it was a superb one since it combines a 1-week orientation program together with your remaining weeks being put into turtle conservation activities. The 1 week allowed me to settle down, adapt to the culture and life there, and mingle around with other volunteers. Various opportunities to explore around were offered together with simple culture and language classes to ensure that all flows smoothly during our remaining stay. It was indeed a relaxing, zen-like first week which constantly reminds me of my childhood days in Malaysia and how we should strive to preserve all these rich cultures in our respective homelands. It also reminded me about how life should be about interacting with people you meet and not just being on technology most of the time.

Then, with regards to the turtle conservation effort, this really challenged me from the physical and mental aspect. Physical in a sense that a lot of muscle and energy is required to carry buckets of water, transport the turtles around, and wash their enclosures. Mental in a sense that we need to be prepared to get dirty throughout the day with the numerous enclosure cleaning and rubbish collection we do on the beach on the weekdays. Coupled with the scarce resources we have on the island at times, we really had to be appreciative of the littlest things we had. It made the volunteers appreciate each other's presence more, thus leading to banter, card games, and drink nights.

All in all, even though things are not fully developed yet in Bali, it has led me to reminisce about life in the olden days, and to be more grateful than ever with all that we have in our home countries. We must strive to preserve culture, encourage individual interactions, and most importantly help out in causes which are similar to that faced in Bali. :')

What would you improve about this program?
I think the cost for the trip can be lowered further to enable more volunteers from all over the world to go through this experience of a lifetime. Apart from that, I feel that more funding would be good to aid the people there in the provision of medicine to the turtles, as well as help with getting more facilitator help with the place. Lastly, although food was OK at most times, I think more resources can be provided to the staff at Nusa Penida to prepare healthier food options. :)
188 people found this review helpful.
Response from International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Hi Chee Chuan, Thanks for sharing. It is great that you had an inspiring and thought-provoking time on the program in Bali. We are glad that you enjoyed the program structure and were able to adapt to the culture and meet other volunteers during the one-week orientation, and then really get stuck into the volunteer work during your second week on the program. Thanks for being an awesome IVHQ volunteer!
Chloe – IVHQ Bali Program Manager

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Questions & Answers

In order to volunteer, you have to be 18. If you have a group, a guardian, or family member (over the age of 18), then you can volunteer! Hope that helps!