Volunteer for sea turtle & wildlife conservation with the local community of Las Tunas on the Pacific Coast of Ecuador.
Sustainability Initiative: Apply to receive your 4th week of volunteering for free. Stay longer, make a stronger impact, reduce your carbon footprint. Schedule a call with us to find out how!
Program Highlights:
Program Schedule:
Arrival in Ecuador on Saturday: You will be picked up from Guayaquil airport (according to your scheduled flight) and stay one night in town.
Day 1, Sunday: Transfer to Las Tunas – Puerto López (around 4 hours). Where our Project Coordinator will wait for you to give you an orientation about your accommodation and explore Las Tunas village. During the afternoon you will have a presentation about the program schedule, sea turtle ecology and environmental programs.
Days 2-6, Monday-Friday: Early in the morning on your first day, the Project Coordinator will take you to the workplace for the first time and give you an orientation on-site for the following activities: Turtle nesting monitoring, beach cleaning, reforestation, community empowerment about making handicrafts made of recycling and natural material. You will work each day around 4 and 5 hours on the project. On Sunday evenings, the project coordinator will make a work plan with you and set the expectations for the first week. In the afternoon you are free to enjoy the beach, surf, play volleyball or soccer with locals or relax. It’s possible to book optional Spanish classes, surf classes, and salsa dance classes for the afternoon.
Day 7-8, Saturday-Sunday: Over the weekend, you’ll enjoy some free time to discover the magical places around Puerto Lopez, like the breathtaking beach Los Frailes Natural Reserve, discover the magic of Isla de la Plata (A.K.A Little Galapagos), spot humpback whales (only from June until October), or enjoy the vibrant surf, and party in the beach village Montañita or Ayampe, hiking around the Ayampe Forest Reserve, horseback ride, bird watching and photography at Ayampe Reserve. Sunday evening the Project Coordinator will plan with you the work for the new week & their expectation.
Days 9-13, Monday-Friday: Your mornings will monitor the turtle nests, beach cleaning, reforestation, community empowerment about making handicrafts made of recycling and natural material, and cleaning the beach of plastic. If you are lucky, you can see the sea turtle eggs hatching and you can see “the path of life” of the turtles going to the sea.
The remaining weeks will follow a similar schedule of volunteering Monday-Friday and having Saturday-Sunday mostly free. The departure is on Saturday.
We recommend!
Join our exciting intro week in Montanita before you volunteer and get the chance to learn Spanish, experience the lively local scene, and learn to surf in one of the hottest surf spots in Ecuador. See more details in “Travel Highlights” below.
Planning to come for one month or more? Combine this project with our Wild Animal Rescue Shelter in the Amazon, for a truly diverse wildlife experience. We will assist you with the transfers.
What’s Included
What’s not Included
Flights, visas (if required), travel health insurance, personal expenses, lunch & dinner (budget about $50 per week), bus ticket from Guayaquil (about $5 per person).
Las Tunas is a beach located south of Manabí, 11.9 km (7.3 miles) south of Puerto López. It is a small village with around 1600 inhabitants. Las Tunas beach is known for its natural beauty, crystal clear sea waters, gastronomy, and for its community of friendly farmers and fishermen. Manabí province, in Ecuador, is one of the most interesting areas to know in the country. Rich and proud in their culture, you can enjoy delicious typical food, as well as learn about the history of the different places around Puerto López, or even take a weekend to learn about the most famous artisanal craft in the province: The Sombrero de Paja Toquilla, also known as the Panama Hat.
The volunteer program is being managed by Las Tunas community. The community has been working for around 10 years on programs to protect and take care of the environment under the concept “No Nature, no life”. Our dream is to set up an international volunteer program to support the local community and its conservation efforts.
4 species of sea turtles nest on the beaches of Las Tunas: Golfina Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), Green Turtle (Chelonya midas), Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the biggest – Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Each of the species nests at different times of the year. This is a general guideline:
As a volunteer, you will partake in the following projects:
There is a kitchen available, shared bathrooms and common spaces.
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Please take note of this project’s minimum requirements:
Culture week in Montanita
Join our exciting culture week in Montanita before you volunteer and get the chance to learn Spanish, experience the lively local scene, and learn to surf in one of the hottest surf spots in Ecuador. It is the perfect way to prepare yourself for your volunteering project and traveling in Ecuador. Montañita is a very laid-back surfer’s town on the Pacific coast. You can add the culture week once we accept you to the program.
Extra fee: US$400 for 7 nights, this includes:
During your volunteer program, you will have ample time to enjoy the many nearby attractions.
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