I came to the Corcovado Foundation as an environmental science major trying to figure out if the path of a field researcher is one I really want to take. This was the best possible decision I could have made. During night patrol the last 4 weeks I worked on over 20 turtles, helping to measure the turtles' carapace, write down data, camouflage nests, and relocate eggs that are at risk. While the turtles are obviously the main purpose of being here, we have ample free time during the day to go to the beach or the river, travel to Puerto Jimenez, go on hikes, hit up the bar, and relax in hammocks. The Osa Peninsula is absolutely beautiful and the wildlife you will see is incredible. In addition to all of this, the volunteers and leaders here are some of the most wonderful people you will ever have the pleasure to meet. Thank you Emily, Ed, Eva, Alberto, and Aida for making this such an unforgettable experience and I'll miss you all! I may be leaving with more bug bites than the entire population to Costa Rica has put together and a recently developed fear of rice and beans, but I can't say enough good things about this program. Thank you again and I can't wait to tell everyone back in California about my time at Hacienda Rio Oro.

Mackenzie

I can honestly say that my two weeks working on the sea turtle project as part of the Corcovado Foundation has been one of the best experiences of my life! Aida and the team were welcoming and friendly from the moment I arrived and they really took the time to not only teach us all about the important work that they do but also to spend time with the volunteers taking us on excursions and showing us the local area. The strong sense of community was unexpected but was what will make my experience unforgettable. I will definitely be recommending the project to my friends :)

Helen 30 UK

The reason why I signed up to come to this project was to help towards conservation of a turtles, to meet like minded people and to experience something that I have never done before! All of these things I feel that I have accomplished over my two weeks stay. My stay here has been full of surprises and challenges, which the staff and fellow volunteers here have helped me to enjoy. I will never forget my time here at the foundation and I will miss everyone that I have had the pleasure of meeting here!

Eloise

J'ai realise un reve ici, vivre au milieu de la nature avec des personnes qui donnent de leur temps et de leur personne pour une superbe cause. Je n'oublierai jamais ce sejour, ce fut un reve emeveille d'etre parmis ces personne et ce paysage, un superbe cadeau! Etre volontaire fut une aventure incroyable et si magique, que je la recommande.

Merci a toute l'equipe, Aida, Alberto, Eva, Emily et Ed. Hope to see you soon again :)

Clemence

If I had to describe this experience in Hacienda Rio Oro with few words I would say: the best experience of my life. Thanks to volunteers and coordinators who suddenly became my friends I succeedeed in enjoying this adventure in Costa Rica at the maximum level. Monitoring turtles and feeling very useful for saving my planet helped me to grow up both as a volunteer and a person. I would never forget the good times I spent here in Costa Rica. A big THANK YOU to everyone! 

                                                                                                             Arianna

The time I spent at Rio Oro was an unforgettable experience. I really enjoyed how remote it was, the rest of the world just seems really far away. All the people were great and because you spend all your time together you become good friends very quickly. I saw turtles almost every night and the work is so fascinating. I think the best part was being on the beach, you look around and as far as you can see, there is no other person, With all the work being at night, you very quickly get used to sleeping at any hour, but it also means you have the days off for tours or activities, or to just chill in a hammock all day. I would definitely recommend coming here and I will never forget the time I spent here.

                                                                                                              Linda

Coming to Costa Rica and volunteering with the Corcovado Foundation was a spur of the moment decision of mine. If I could go back to that moment, the only change I would make would be planning to extend my stay. One week here, while wonderful, surely wasn´t enough for my liking. From the moment I met two other volunteers in our travels to the Hacienda, I felt welcomeand excited.Landing in Puerto Jimenez, we were greeted by departing volunteers and a wonderful staff. When I did some research about the program prior, I felt very prepared for the workload and program. An unexpected surprise, however, was the family-like atmosphere. Each meal, day,and patrol is shared with others from many different areas of the world, contributing their own personalities and cultures. Of course, I also learned a lot about turtles in my stay here. The nesting process, identification, and general activity of sea turtles wasvery unexpected and beautiful to be able to witness. You feel a connection with the turtles as you record and possibly relocate their nests,I felt like another parent in the situation. Along with turtles, Costa Rica and the Hacienda have much more wildlife to see and learn about including a variety of reptiles, birds, and small mammals. Overall, I only have great things to say about Rio Oro, the staff, and of course the turtles. I could only wish for more time here.

Laura Hickey

Age 18

Virginia, USA

I thoroughly enjoyed my two weeks at Rio Oro working, socialising and patrolling the beach. The research assistants (Ed, Emily, Eva and Alberto) and head of the project, Aida, have made my stay very comfortable and great fun. They are extremely friendly and although their primary job is turtle conservation they are always making sure you are enjoying yourself and are happy with the activities and the general day to day goings on. The people I have stayed with here have all been very welcoming and some of the most interesting and diverse people I have met. Patrolling and seeing turtles has got to be the highlight of the trip but learning about the local area, working to help the project, exploring the surrounding area and hanging out with the other volunteers don´t fall too far behind. It has been an experience of a lifetime here at Rio Oro and I wish my writing skills were good enough to convey my appreciation of my time here. I will never forget the people and the wildlife and I hope Ican return soon.

Daniel Ridley.  

I applied to the Corcovado Fundation with the idea of protecting turtles, and today, after one week, I'm leaving with amazing memories. It is not only a question of planet's conservation but also a great human experience. I've met so many people from all around the world, from different cultures. I´ve been out of my confort zone, discovered another world and feel so glad to relocate turtles's nest. Thanks you Corvovado Fundation for this unforgettable week!

Marion, 21, France  

At first, I didn't exactly know what to expect, Am I going to get killed by a scorpion, a spider or even a crocodile ? But the truth is that I quickly became a master at scorpion killing. But that's only a small part of this amazing experience. Seeing a turtle nesting is such an incredible experience and is totally worth all the night walking. In fact, you get addicted to that feeling of finding a turtle and justalways want to see more !!!  You can make a real difference in the future of sea turtles and that's probably the best reward you can get. Don;t forget to enjoy the bar and have fun ! There are so many opportunities to learn something new, you just have to be open minded !

Alex, 23, Quebec

Amazing experience when you love wildlife and you would like to go through your limits in a really friendly environment, It s really easy to feel confortable and don t care sleeping around beeting insects and snakes, I really enjoyed to feel fare from normal life,without wifi/electricity/hot shower, and to apreciate each moment, I learnt a lot thanks to permanent workers and other volunteers, about turtles, wildlife, other countries and myself. Even if I saw more scorpions than turtles, each night was really exciting when we were looking for turtles. Thanks for all you are doing for turtles and the wildlife in general, you are doing a really good and important job for the future.

Marie

My trip to Costa Rica for the Sea Turtle project has fulfilled my desire to travel in my gap year perfectly, and i have thoroughly enjoyed my stay here in Rio Oro. It really is a beautiful place, with very comfortable living spaces filled with welcoming faces and stunning countyside. The research assistants and leaders are a fantastic bunch too. They´re very knowledgable about what they do, involve everybody equally and just make a light and friendly atmosphere. For someone that´s fascinated by wildlife in general, the location and work are great, and the conservation aspect is the icing on the cake. Unfortunately I´m limited by the fact that i can´t write a book about my experience for my blog entry as there´s simply too much to fit into one paragraph (even if it is on the hefty side), and I would relish the opportunity to come back in the future.

Washington

WOW! Who´d have thought eight days in the Costa Rican jungle would fly past so quickly!

Arriving after two days travelling from England, nervous didn´t cut it. Within a matter of minutes I felt like I was part of the family! Everyone is so welcoming, kind and supportive, even when you´re panicking on the beach at 5am during a tropical storm!

My first experience of backpacking and working on a conservation project has been truly amazing, from the exotic wildlife, exploring the beautiful jungle, swimming in rivers, trekking through the forest, jumping waves in the ocean to patrolling the beach for turtles.

There have, of course, been some difficult moments; cold showers, very limited wifi, numerous insect bites and painful sunburn (regardless of how much suncream you use!) but my time here has been unforgettable.

Rosie, 23, England

From Brighton to Rio Oro!

I´m 24 years old and never thought I would be doing something like this! Wildly apprehensive (and scared within an inch of my life!) I have never felt so nervous as I did stepping off the wonderfully bumpy Collectivo...

However, the second I arrived here in camp, I have felt welcomed. Everyone here has treated me with kindness and support and laughter. It did not take long for me to relax here, to enjoy the hammocks, the fireflies, the cold showers the card games, the friends, the weather, the cabins, the beach, the streams and of course the turtles! The constant suprises of exotic wildlife flitting around the camp, high in the sky, the trees, the water, the ground were continually met with excitement from ALL members of camp - whether they´d been here 2 days, 2 weeks or 2 months.

There are challenges here - the size of the spiders being a particular one for me! But the limited electricity and wifi and hot water fade into insignificance as you really start to commit to the lifestyle here. I have met people from all sorts of countries and walks of life who I have built firm friendships with. It has been truly amazing, an experience I am sad to end and will treasure forever.

Josephine, 24, Brighton, England

Choosing to come to Costa Rica was a big decision for me as it took me more than 30 hours to simply get to San Jose. However, it has been an amazing experience to be volunteering with the Foundation as Aida and the research assistants are professional and helpful. They do their best to make the best stay for the volunteers with the activities and interaction.

The life at the lodge is completely different from the city life. From the constant little surprises of spotting wildlife along the road and in your room to living with limited electricity and internet, it brings people down to the simple things in life and truly enjoy the rustic life of what Costa Rica has to offer. I can assure you that it is an experience you can never find in a city and it is a wonderful thing to be supporting the conservation efforts of the sea turtle population. Keep up the good work and I hope to be back some day!

James, 27, Singapore