Our Turtle Conservation project in Bali is located in Nusa Penida, which is a 45-minute speedboat ride from mainland Bali. You will work alongside a local team and help protect the endangered sea turtles of Indonesia. You will contribute to rehabilitate, preserve and increase the turtle population by working at our turtle conservation center which welcomes many volunteer travelers as part of sustainable tourism. Although this is primarily a conservation and rehabilitation center, there is also research being done, workshops being organized, etc. The focus of this project is to protect the animals. It is, therefore, not a tourist activity and is not open to the public. The animals are the first priority and their welfare is of the utmost importance.
Tasks can include rehabilitating and releasing injured turtles, hatching and releasing baby turtles or helping to educate and raise awareness on turtle conservation. Depending on the time of the year since turtles do not nest all year round, you may be identifying turtle species, collecting eggs, monitoring nests or seeing hatchlings get safely to sea.
You must be prepared for a more basic standard of living on the island, with only a few shops and activities available (bearing in mind the beach is practically at your doorstep)!
Sunday
Welcome the new arrivals. You will have lunch and receive a short introduction on the beach to familiarize yourself to this new exciting setting. After that, you will get to know more about Nusa Penida, about the supermarket, ATM etc.
Monday
After having breakfast, you will see a presentation about the Turtle Conservation project and also receive a project briefing which will help you to understand the dos and don’ts at the project. After that you will engage in the typical activities you are supposed to do throughout the week such as feeding the turtles, cleaning the tanks, catching live food for turtles and also cleaning the beach. In the evening, you will then see a documentary about Turtles which will help you to widen your knowledge about these amazing creatures.
Tuesday
After having breakfast on Tuesday, you will start cleaning the tanks, feeding the turtles and collecting seaweed and live food for turtles. In addition, you willalso create turtle toys, clean the beach and provide medicine for injured turtles if there are any.
Wednesday
After having breakfast on Wednesday, you will start cleaning the tanks, feeding the turtle sand collecting sea weed and live food for turtles. In addition, you will also create turtle toys and provide medicine for injured turtles if there are any.
In the evening, you will then engage in some sports activities at the beach where you will play either volleyball, badminton or football.
Thursday
On Thursday, you will have breakfast and start cleaning tanks, feeding the turtle sand collecting seaweed. You will also create turtle toy sand provide medicine for injured turtles if there are any.
On either, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
You will visit an amazing location called the Crystal Bay which has a breathtaking view. Your local coordinators will decide the day in which you visit this exotic location. Thursday night will be as special one for you to enjoy the welcome and farewell dinner by a Bonfire at the beach. This would be a great opportunity to get to know the new comers and say goodbye for those who are leaving.
Friday
On Friday, after having breakfast, you will feed the turtle sand get an amazing opportunity to release turtles into the sea. But please do understand that this opportunity is only if you are leaving the program this week. If you continue another week at the project, you will engage in the regular activities at the turtle conservation center. For those who are leaving the program, there would also be a feed back session regarding the program. After having lunch, you all can engage in activities such as feeding the turtles, cleaning tank sand measuring the turtle growth.
Every Sunday
Duration during the week | Budget total mission |
|---|---|
2 weeks | 1190 € |
3 weeks | 1550 € |
4 weeks | 1950 € |
5 weeks | 2400 € |
6 weeks | 2750 € |
8 weeks | 3650 € |
10 weeks | 4500 € |
12 weeks | 5400 € |
A supplement of €200 applies to participants aged under 18. For more information, meet on the youth area.
Nusa Penida is an island located in the southeast of Bali. Nusa Penida is popular as a bird sanctuary along with other neighboring islands, namely Lembongan and Ceningan. This island is also considered ideal for diving as it has many dive sites such as Penida Bay, Batu Lumbung, Batu Meling, Toya Pakeh, etc.
Volunteers are accommodated in the volunteer house, in shared rooms between 4 and 6 people single sex. The house has a wifi connection and secure lockers.
Volunteering with a family
The volunteer house does not have private rooms for families. They are accommodated in one of the partner hotels close to the host center.
The price for a family (2 parents and 2 children under 12) is 2600 euros per week.
Meals
Meals prepared on site by the team. Local food only. Indonesian food is tasty and varied. Typical dishes include Mie Goreng (fried noodles and vegetables), Nasi Goreng (fried rice and vegetables) or Gado Gado (vegetables mixed with satay sauce).
For those who do not eat meat, Indonesian cuisine uses a lot of tofu and tempeh (soy), some western dishes would also be available. Breakfast includes pancakes, fresh fruit, toast, etc. Tea, coffee and purified water are available in the house. We do not recommend drinking tap water. Vegetarian meals available upon request. Halal meals are not available as Balinese culture is predominantly Hindu.
Family volunteering
The turtle protection program in Nusa Penida can accommodate families with children. The schedule and tasks assigned are the same as for the rest of the volunteers, but the families will be accommodated in one of the hotels close to the project (family rooms).
In the rates tab, you will find the rate for 2 weeks for a family of 2 adults and 2 children under 12 years old as an indication. We invite you to contact us directly at info@freepackers.com for any request for a personalized quote.
To participate in the turtle project:
– Minimum age: 18
– Minimum English level: Basic
– Passport copy
