Have you ever watched a National Geographic special showing hundreds of baby sea turtles fighting their way to the ocean amongst hordes of swarming seagulls and voracious crabs and thought, “why doesn’t the camera man do something to help them?!”  Well, volunteering on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast with PRETOMA allows you to take action to help protect and preserve endangered sea turtles and their precious habitat.

Project Participant Program

For the average volunteer, PRETOMA’s Participant Program offers a hands-on glimpse at real, on-the-ground, community-based conservation through stays of one week to five months.  Project Participants are able to elect their dates of arrival and this program ensures placement in the conservation program of your choice (Projects open to participants include Punta Banco, Playa Ostional, Playa San Miguel, and Playa Costa de Oro).  Prospective participants simply need to fill out a Participant Information Form and send it back to us via email (voluntarios@tortugamarina.org) in order to be placed with a project. 

The turtle monitoring and conservation season at these sites runs from June through December (visit individual links above for specific dates and descriptions) of each year. Participants become immersed in the conservation project and the local culture, and speaking Spanish, while helpful, is certainly not a necessity (though you’ll have plenty of opportunity to practice!).

The funds generated through these programs help provide an income for local community members and serve to sustain PRETOMA's various sea turtle conservation projects along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

TheTeam

Two Field Coordinators, who are usually advanced students or graduates in a related field, manage research activities. In many projects, community members, who probably know the beaches and the turtles better than anyone, are trained as "local monitors" and help with night patrols and data collection. The local monitors and participants provide sufficient personnel to patrol the beach and ensure protection for the greatest number of nests possible.

Participants and coordinators come from all over the world to assist with PRETOMA´s conservation efforts. For most projects, we recommend a minimum stay of 2 weeks to really get to know the project and local community.  However, in order to increase your chance of viewing an arribada in Ostional, we recommend a one month stay for that project.  Working in such a tight knit and unique situation, team members often forge strong bonds with one another, leading to friendships that last a lifetime!

Accommodations

We offer several different accommodation options in our projects, depending on site.  The majority of volunteers stay in each project’s Field Station or local cabins.  In other projects, homestays and hotel stays are available – please see each project’s website to view housing options.  It is important to remember that people living in coastal communities live and eat simply, and participants will do the same. Wherever you choose to participate, you will be part of the PRETOMA team and work with other participants from around the world and the local community to protect and monitor the eastern Pacific population of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea).

Prices & Payment

PRETOMA is a Costa Rican-registered non-profit organization. All funds generated are used to sustain PRETOMA's various sea turtle nesting beach conservation projects.
The following rates are per person for the station house and homestay options only:

• 1 week - $330
• 2 weeks - $550
• 3 weeks - $760
• 4 weeks - $970
• 5 weeks - $1180
• 6 weeks - $1390
• 7 weeks - $1600
• 8 weeks - $1810

$210 for each additional week.

Tiskita Lodge (Punta Banco only):

Those who would like a more luxurious set up (private room with hot water, room service, etc.) should consider staying at the Tiskita Lodge in Punta Banco, 1.5 km from the center of town. Tiskita Lodge is a magnificent rain forest hotel, with rustic bungalows imbedded in a 500+ acre rain forest reserve. From the hotel, one can enjoy panoramic views of Punta Banco and its beaches. Volunteers that choose this option should be aware that Tiskita Lodge is located at the top of a hill behind the town of Punta Banco, requiring a bit of a hike to and from the beach, town and station house. The following rates include 3 meals a day, buffet style, private rain forest trails through primary growth forests, guided visits by professional naturalists and a swimming pool, all in an peaceful environment, luxurious yet rustic.

2008 pricing for Tiskita Lodge TBD.

NOTE: Tiskita closes for renovations each year from Sept. 7 thru Oct. 15.

Travel Assistance Program

If you would like, PRETOMA can handle all your travel and accommodations in Costa Rica such as your hotel for the first and last night in San Jose, airport pick-ups and deliveries, and tickets to and from your project site.  When using our travel assistance, all flights should be booked to arrive and depart from Juan Santa Maria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose, Costa Rica.
There are two options available:

Option A includes:

• Airport pick-up
• 1st night accommodations in Hotel Rincón de San Jose
• Delivery to airport for flight to Golfito
• Flight fare to and from San Jose to Golfito
• Pick-up at Golfito and delivery to Punta Banco
• Pick-up from Punta Banco to Golfito
• Flight from Golfito to San Jose,
• Pick-up at San Jose airport and delivery to hotel
• Last night accommodations in Hotel Rincon de San Jose
• Delivery to airport o­n day of departure

Cost: US$570 per person

Option B includes:

• Airport pick-up
• 1st night accommodations in Hotel Rincon de San Jose
• Delivery from hotel to bus station in San Jose for bus to Punta Banco
• Bus fare to and from Punta Banco
• Pick-up at bus station upon return to San Jose from Punta Banco and delivery to hotel
• Last night accommodations in Hotel Rincon de San Jose
• Delivery to airport o­n day of departure.

Cost: US$280 per person

Note: per person rates for the above options A and B are lower when traveling in a group of 2 or more.

Payment Methods

We accept personal checks, money orders, banker's drafts and international bank wires (click link above for more information) as payment. You can also pay with cash or travelers cheques upon arrival, but unless we are picking you up at the airport you will need to make you way to our office in Tibás (northern San José) to drop off your payment.  Please note that any checks, money orders or banker’s drafts should be received by PRETOMA no less than 6 weeks before your scheduled arrival, due to lengthy clearance times in Costa Rican banks.

Personal Checks and Money Orders:

You can send project participation payments or donations by means of a personal check or money order. Checks and money orders should be made out to “PRETOMA”, and mailed to:

PRETOMA
Apdo. 1203-1100 Tibás
Costa Rica

Note: All checks must be in US Dollars.

Bankers Draft:

If you do not have a bank account with USD you can go to your bank and ask them to issue a banker's draft in USD to PRETOMA. Bankers Drafts should also be sent to the address above.

Note: There is usually a charge involved when banks issue a draft.

Bank Wire Transfer Funds:

Bank wires are much faster, but please be aware that you will need to include an additional $35 to cover the bank fees charged by each bank.  To make a wire transfer, you can go to you local bank and provide the following information:

TRANSFER FUNDS TO: Wachovia Bank, NA(New York International Branch), New York, NY, USA

SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC

ABA: 026005092

ACCOUNT BETWEEN BANKS: 2000192000042

BENEFICIARY BANK: Banco San José, S.A. San José, Costa Rica

SWIFT Code: BSNJCRSJ

BENEFICIARY NAME: Asoc. Programa Rest de Tortugas Marinas

BENEFICIARY ACCOUNT NUMBER: 903254928 US$

Do not forget to put your full name in the details section!

Whichever form of payment you decide o­n, send us an email message (playas@tortugamarina.org) or FAX +(506) 236-6017, so we can keep an eye out and inform you when the transaction has been completed.

What to Bring

• Good-quality poncho or rain jacket
• Alarm clock (battery powered).
• Waterproof wristwatch.
• Flashlight, LED head lamps are ideal, with rechargeable batteries (we have chargers).
• Quick drying clothing for a warm tropical climate (cotton takes a long time to dry) that you are not worried about ruining.
• Sturdy shoes for walking the beach at night (water shoes/booties work great for the beach walks) and hiking in the area (bulky hiking boots are not necessary).
• Sandals.
• Swimsuit.
• First-aid kit.
• Insect repellant.
• Mosquito netting is recommended.
• Bath towel
• Easy-to-pack hammock.
• waterproof sunscreen (the rays are powerful).
• Sunglasses.
• Camera.
• Things to share with local kids are welcomed.
• International calling card.
• Photo copy of passport.
• Forms of entertainment: books, games, music, guitar, paints, surfing equipment, etc

Wish List
Many items utilized within our projects, both for work and play, are expensive and hard to get in Costa Rica. Participants that are willing to bring and donate any of the below items would be assisting our efforts significantly:

• Latex Gloves
• First-aid Kits / Items
• Waterproof Headlamps and Flashlights
• Rechargeable Batteries
• Waterproof (write in the rain) Notebooks
• Rain Gear
• Mosquito Netting
• Backpacks (small with lots of pockets)
• Insect Repellant
• hammocks
• GPS
• Cameras
• Anything Else You Think Would Help

Field Coordinators and Assistants

For those looking for a more long-term and in-depth commitment to PRETOMA’s sea turtle conservation programs, each year we select several Coordinators (FCs) and Field Assistants (FAs) that manage and coordinate the day-to-day running of each project.  Positions are unpaid, volunteer positions, but FCs and FAs have their food and housing costs covered by PRETOMA.  These positions require a commitment of two to five months, and are subject to a competitive application process.  Successful applicants are most often career-minded in the field of conservation and are advanced students or recent graduates in a related field. Additional details about PRETOMA’s Field Coordinator and Field Assistant positions can be found here.

If you still have questions after carefully reviewing these options, don’t hesitate to write Program Directors Alec Hutchinson (ahutchinson@tortugamarina.org) and Stephanny Arroyo (playas@tortugamarina.org) with any questions.