Protecting the Sea Turtles in Guayabitos, Mexico

If you love nature, want to have a great time by the beautiful beaches, at the same time enjoying all the amenities of a hotel and witnessing the magical spectacle of natural miracles that has been reoccurring for millions of years... then this project is for you!

The aim of the project is to protect the sea turtles with the help of volunteers who will be cooperating with a team of biologists. Up to now, the project has been quite successful and has reached extraordinary results. Participating in marine turtle conservation is a great opportunity to discover the rather charming life of sea turtles.

There are five species of turtles arriving to this area: Negra (Black Turtle), Golfina (Olive Ridley Turtle), Laud (Leatherback Turtle), Carey (Hawksbill Turtle) and more! The size of the turtles varies from 1 meter to 2.4 meters long and the weight from 40 kg to 500 kg. Every turtle makes a nest of around 150 eggs.

The main work consists in patrolling the beaches at night. The working hours are from 8:00pm to 8:00am, four days per week, for an average of thirty hours. Depending on the number of turtles that come ashore, two teams might be formed among the volunteers. This way, each group will be taking turns, working one night and taking the next night off for recovery. In addition, the weekends are also spared for resting. The goal is to find the adult turtles and collect their eggs, to move the eggs to a protected place called Vivero and release newborn baby turtles into the sea when they hatch. Activities must be carried out at night since turtles do not go out of the ocean during the day (because of natural predators, it is safer for turtles to get out of the ocean in the dark). The group will also take part in the reconstruction of some of the most important turtle camps in the region.

Project dates:
January 10 - January 22, 2024
January 24 - February 5, 2024

More details and application available at https://cadip.org/volunteer-in-mexico

CADIP Affordable Volunteering Abroad: https://cadip.org/