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

The program and everything surrounding it was amazing. Aida and all the assistants are amazing people that are actually trying to make a difference and that is what makes this project stand out from the bunch. In just a couple days it was very easy to get along with everyone and there is a very relaxed yet hard working vibe going on. One thing I particularly enjoyed was making bonds with the community and helping out in any possible way. Not only the volunteers and assistants were amazing people, but the locals also have a lot to offer and add to the positive vibe.

The program and everything surrounding it has been amazing. Li

The program and everything surrounding it has been amazing. Life goes back to

After first being sceptical about our week in Hacienda Rio Oro due to the rustic way of life, we stepped out of our comfort zone and embraced the lack of wifi and electricity. It is fair to say life is different here, however only for the better. We have enjoyed every minute of our time on the programme, both the directors and workers welcomed us with open arms and ensured we were adequately trained before patrolling the beach at night. It has been a great week and we would highly recommend the programme to anyone interested in conservation of sea turtles and wildlife in general. We would like to thank the coordinators and assistants for making our time here relaxing and enjoyable.

Gracias.

Tom and Ollie