La Tortuga Feliz

( 7 Reviews )

Activities: Animal Volunteer Projects / Conservation Volunteer Projects
Country: Costa Rica

La Tortuga Feliz is a non-profit organization who offer affordable volunteer projects with sea turtles in Costa Rica.

La Tortuga Feliz offers a turtle conservation program based in Costa Rica, whose aim is the protection of sea turtles with the help of volunteers. The participation of volunteers contribute to the improvement of the living conditions and education of the local inhabitants.

By helping to generate an income for the locals through an affordable turtle volunteer program, we hope to take away the necessity for them to poach the turtles and their eggs.

You will need to cover accommodation which is around $25 per night.

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La Tortuga Feliz

I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up for my volunteer work. Happy to say it surpassed all my expectations. It can be hard work at times, dealing with little sleep and humidity but the still amazing. Saving turtles never gets old. You are fully back in nature with no electricity or comforts so beware. This added to my whole experience, loving having no access to the outside world. The food is lovely and you are given plenty to keep your energy up. All in all it’s a once in a life-time experience and best of all you are helping to save an endangered species!

By: Liz Lalor
Nationality: Irish
Age: 30

Best start to travel Central America

I came across la Tortuga Feliz before starting my travels through Central America and spent 2 months there.
It's been an incredible experience with nature everywhere around you, a lovely community of people living there and some meaningful work that I really enjoyed doing.
You'll experience parts of Costa Rica that are far off the beaten track and get in close contact with neighbors and people living there that can show you a very different lifestyle to even other parts of Costa Rica.

The offered Spanish course there was, even though it's just a week long, more than sufficient to prepare me for the following months traveling in Spanish speaking countries.

All in all a great place to spend your time and learn about the ocean, turtles and the environment in general.

By: Georg W
Nationality: German
Age: 26

Amazing time off the grid in Costa Rica

I had an incredible time in the wonderfully remote tortuga feliz turtle conservation camp. The program is very hands on and not for the faint hearted but a truly fulfilling experience. There are endless adventures to be had there, Whether you want to release baby turtles into the ocean or find a giant leather back turtle laying eggs on the beach in the middle of a storm. Bear in mind that you are going to one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet here and prepare accordingly! Lots of bug spray, ski socks and a very good rain could would be on the top of the essentials list. I recommend doing a week there. All the conservation staff were lovely and I would highly recommend to any adventurer.

By: Charlotte
Nationality: Irish
Age: 23

Amazing experience - but beware of Mosquitoes!!

My boyfriend and I booked La Tortuga Feliz for October last year, we didn't realise that the La Tortuga Feliz program itself was closed after September but we stayed with the LAST program instead. It really was an amazing experience, you get so much hands on work with the turtles and learn so much! It's probably better to go in the summer rather than Sept/Oct as there wasn't as much to do, but even in our free time we had so much fun swimming in the gorgeous sea and exploring the local area.

The only problem however, was the amount of Mosquitos :( They are huge and bite you relentlessly. Unfortunately we weren't warned beforehand about how extreme it was and although we originally booked for 2 weeks we had to cut it down to 1 week because it was impossible for us to sleep due to itching all the time! (And we weren't the only ones to cut our time short due to the mosquitoes). We had to wear 3 layers of clothing everyday to try and protect ourselves - but they still got through that! Also we weren't allowed to wear insect repellent while working so it's hard to stop it from happening :( Fortunately we were told that the mosquitoes aren't always so bad so maybe we just got unlucky with the time of year!

Despite having to cut our time short (and the scars on my legs from all the bites) we don't regret our experience. We met some amazing people and it really was a once in a lifetime opportunity! :)

By: Jo Hughes
Nationality: British
Age: 30

Turtle lover

For me it was a really nice experience, i was the translator between locals and other volunteers and was pretty cool. If you don't speak spanish, you can relax because even i almost never speak un spanish, just for translate. The place has really good accomodations, and you can be sure it's a clean, secure and safe place :)

By: Karina S
Nationality: Mexican
Age: 19

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Best volunteering experience

I had wanted to volunteer with turtles since I was a teenager, and my friend found this company so us two and another friend went along for 3 weeks. I had done two other animal volunteering projects before this and this one was my absolute favourite by far! The people are amazing - the staff as well as the other volunteers. I made so many friends and Rob, our host and cook was always friendly and hilarious. We also did an intense Spanish course with him which was really useful and enjoyable. The food was also delicious! It was great getting to know the locals, especially the guides, we even went round to one of their houses for a BBQ. I saw a few turtles in my time there and managed to collect some data and eggs from one which was absolutely incredible! The only thing I would change about this trip is going later in the year (I went in march time) so I could see some babies, and also making it longer. I really hope to return one day!

By: Hannah Baker
Nationality: British
Age: 27

Experience of a lifetime

On beginning my travels in Central America I was lucky enough to discover La Tortuga Feliz. I was looking for a hands on volunteer experience and an adventure which is exactly what I got. I loved it so much I continued to volunteer there on and off over a five year period. Not only did I get to observe and assist in the nesting and protection of beautiful turtles and releasing their hatchlings (leatherbacks, greens and hawksbills) in one of the most beautiful places in the world, but I also had the opportunity to meet interesting people from all over the world, many of whom are now life long friends. I miss the nights sky in Tortuga Feliz. It has a lot to offer. I highly recommend a visit. Plus the food is outstanding!

By: Sinead O Leary
Nationality: Irish
Age: 35