Reserva Playa Tortuga, Costa Rica, 2024

Day 1: 8/13

The trip started off with a fun Uber from the airport to a hotel. Our driver didn’t speak any English, so we went back and forth using some Spanish we knew and a bit of Google Translate. She told us about her favorite foods (ceviche and churchill), where the best beaches were, and what our plans were for the trip. We then used the free evening to explore the city and some local restaurants. The local area was filled with colorful residential houses, fruit stands on the side of the road, and locals off on walks or running errands. 

The next morning, we began the official trip. We packed into a shuttle and traveled south to the turtle reserve, where we’ll be aiding in habitat preservation throughout the reserve.  It was a great three hours spent getting to know each other, catching up on sleep, and discussing our goals for the next week. We finally arrived at the preserve and were greeted by Sara (one of the leaders on the preserve) and Lola (the preserve’s dog). 

Once we arrived at Reserva Playa Tortuga we were immediately greeted by the staff who were extremely friendly and welcoming. After having lunch and getting settled in, Sara, a member of the Reserva, introduced us to the community and volunteer work we would be doing throughout the week. Seeing how things were done and how much she cared about nature and helping the environment/wildlife really put into perspective how important the work is that they do here. This really set a tone for the type of impact we could have during our time at the Reserva. After giving us a general overview of the volunteer work Sara took us on a tour around the Reserva to explore the different areas where we would be doing activities. 

Shortly after, we walked back to the main area, and everyone seemed excited about the volunteer work we’d be doing. We all relaxed for a bit before leaving to go get dinner. Once we came back we reflected on the day as a group. Something that stuck out was that everyone had been keeping a positive mindset all day and keeping the energy in the group high despite anything that could easily disrupt this. We also agreed that the volunteoker work was fairly unfamiliar to us and this would be a great learning experience through the activities we’d be participating in. 

We are definitely looking forward to beginning our volunteering work in the Reserva tomorrow as well as learning much more about how to effectively help the nature and wildlife.

-Alex French & Ashton Jaffar

Day 2 (Group 1): 8/14

I had a good sleep last night and felt energized for the day! The first activity of the day was an introduction to the butterfly garden here in the Reserva. We learned about the 4 species of butterfly found in their garden, their visual characteristics, how to identify their sex, metamorphosis behavior, plant preference for laying eggs and consumption, and much more! Reilly, Kiersten, Hannah, Lucas and I then split from the group to work on cleaning each butterfly larvae’s habitat. The process first required us to move the old plants and larva out of the habitat, then to collect and prepare fresh plants, and finally to move the larva back into their habitats. My favorite kind of larva were the “Caligo”, as they were soft, mild-mannered, and quite easy to handle. The data logs were then updated accordingly to keep track of how many larva of each species are currently in the habitats, and how many have passed away during the process. After a successful habitat-refurbishment process, we had our lunch of lentil stew with potatoes and carrots, served with a side of rice. Delicious and hearty-just what we needed to fuel us for the rest of the day. Our 5-person team then moved into finding eggs and larva in the garden. Some species were already at their larvae quota of 20, so these larva and eggs were disposed of unfortunately, such that the garden’s food supplies remain sufficient. After this, we enjoyed a longer break of Exploding Kittens, Ping Pong, and Puzzling. At 5, we had our Turtle Talk with CyCy, who gave us more details on our turtle patrol tasks, why turtle conservation is important, and the current progress of Reserva Playa Tortuga. The other half of our VA cohort started on making chicken fried rice for dinner, and the 5 of us got ready for crocodile watch, where we are tasked with capturing crocs and caimans, taking and logging measurements, and tagging them if they are not already! At 7, we set off into the jungle swamp with anxious anticipation, tight boots, and waterproof wear. We ended up seeing one croc briefly before it disappeared discreetly into murky waters. We saw a couple more in the center of a lagoon, however it was too deep for us to venture closer for a potential capture. Despite the lack of crocodile capture, we were able to find some red-eyed tree frogs, a tortoise, and a sea snake native to the south of Costa Rica. Tomorrow, I have a 6 AM bird watching activity, so I will be signing off now. Pura Vida.

-Felix Liu

Day 2 (Group 2): 8/14

Good morning, RPT! After an amazing breakfast (props to Hannah for cooking everyone eggs), we were ready to take on the day. While we were being introduced to the butterfly garden, we noticed half the area had been crushed by fallen branches. Sara explained that the electric company cut down branches to protect their power lines, but held no regard for her work with the butterflies. Many escaped, and an entire species has been lost from captivity. This goes to show the importance of the work RPT does as the release of these butterflies will have unforeseen effects on the ecosystem.

My half of the split, Alex, Oscar, Ashton, George and myself then went to resand the path leading to the turtle hatchery. We shoveled sand from the beach into wheelbarrows then wheeled them to the path to be spread around. Due to Costa Rica’s rainy climate, paths such as this one get muddied up very easily, making it messy and difficult to bring supplies to the hatchery. Consistent resanding soaks up rainfall, reducing muddiness. While this was tiring work under the sun, we made it through with a brief break for coconut water!

After a break for lunch and an unsuccessful bike ride in search for a nearby beach, my group went on a walk to monitor macaws. We learned macaws mate for life, so they are usually observed in pairs unless accompanied by their baby. Our goal was to record the behavior of the macaws over a 15 minute period. We found one pair of scarlet macaws flying around then disappearing into the thick forestry. This behavior is socializing when they are screeching and flying, and eating when they disappear on a treetop

After our turtle talk and dinner of chicken fried rice, Felix, Reilly, Kiersten, Hannah and Lucas set off on their crocodile watch. A bit later, Ashton, Oscar and George set off on turtle watch. Both groups were on duty from 7-10pm. This left Alex and me to check on the hatchery. We made a trip at 7, 8 and 9pm to see the progress of each turtle nest and protect against pests. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of the work assigned to us tonight. As soon as the other groups returned, Alex and I went on turtle watch from 10-1am with Cycy the marine biologist. We walked over 1km through ankle high puddles, fighting off bugs, ducking bats and moths as big as my hand! Following the trek through the forest, we made it to the beach. Turtle watch consists of walking about 20 minutes from one end of the beach, resting for 20 at that end, then walking back to the other for 20 minutes. We did this three times to fill up our 3 hours. Should we run into a turtle/nest, we have to tag the turtle, take height and width measurements, count the eggs in the nest, and mark the nest. Sadly, we did not find a turtle or a nest from 10-1am, but at least we got our steps in!

Today was an exhausting yet rewarding day at RPT. From the sanding to the macaw monitoring to the midnight turtle walk, we learned the consistent effort it takes to properly conserve animals in an ecosystem as delicate and vital as the one found in Costa Rica. Hopefully I get to see a turtle on my turtle walk on Saturday!

-Danny D'Arrigo

Day 3: 8/15

After a long evening filled with turtle patrolling and crocodile watching, we got up for Day 3 and began our work! Although no turtles or crocs were spotted, the group was eager for new volunteering opportunities that the day presented. 

Kiersten, Reilly, Felix, Lucas, and I (Hannah) woke up bright and early (6:15 a.m.) to go birdwatching Adrián, one of the reserve staff members. Armed with binoculars, we ventured out of the Reserva and into town to try to spot some of the many birds in Adrián’s guide. He was very knowledgeable about the many colorful bird species in Costa Rica and I enjoyed both learning about and spotting the great variety of birds here.

After everyone awoke, my group began working on a new part of the path to the turtle hatchery. Just like yesterday, the work involved moving sand from the beach to muddy or uneven parts of the path via wheelbarrow. Although this was certainly the most physical labor I’ve done all trip, it felt really great to complete our work as it will keep the path nice for both the volunteers and reserve staff who use it many times a day. Moving sand from the beach was also sustainable, as it came from the environment and was delivered back to the environment, another key takeaway from the work we’re doing here.

One of the student volunteers made the point during our journal session that it is important to keep things we use everyday nice. Even though the path will still require upkeep every couple of months, the difference we’ve seen even in the past 24 hours is amazing. I think there’s true value in that.

As always, coconut water makes a nice reward!

During trips to and from the beach with wheelbarrows full of sand, I spotted the other group (George, Alex, Ashton, Danny, and Oscar) enjoying their morning activity: monkey duty. All of us have been looking forward to seeing a monkey and today was finally the day! Looking up into the trees along the path, upwards of 10 monkeys could be seen swinging from tree to tree. Our (George’s group) activity consisted of tracking a monkey’s behavior every 15 seconds for 5 total minutes. This was quite a challenging task, considering how monkey behavior is very random. Our binoculars came in handy!

After the path work and monkey business was completed, we convened as a full group for lunch and a round of Exploding Kittens, which is becoming a group favorite. We even taught our new friend Ellie, another student volunteer from the UK. After this, we worked on a banner that will be walked during an Independence Day Parade in September by a local school. Our work on the banner was repainting the existing work, outlining the letters, and adding nature art such as leaves, butterflies, and turtles.

We successfully completed the banner and Sara, one of the members of the Reserva, was very pleased and excited to see it in the parade! After this, we prepared for the most exciting part of the day: freeing the newly hatched baby turtles into the water at the beach! The first step was going to the hatchery and counting up how many turtles hatched. A total of 77 turtles were hatched. With the help of the Reserva workers, each of us had the chance to measure the length and width of a turtle and weigh it. We were shocked to see that the largest of the 10 turtles weighed was only 24 grams! 

With high spirits and a bucket load of turtles, we loaded into the cars and began the journey to the beach. It was a quick 5 minute car ride followed by a 20 minute walk through lots of mud and water. Once we reached the beach, Danny had the honor of pouring out the turtles onto the shore. We watched the turtles graciously propel themselves into the water. It was quite the beautiful site to admire, especially the interesting movement choices of the turtles. Let’s just say the process was moving at a turtle’s pace!

To finish off the night, we enjoyed chicken fajitas cooked by a few of us (shoutout Kiersten, Lucas, and Felix!). This will be the fuel for another late evening of turtle patrolling and crocodile watching. Let’s hope that we see a few!

-George Nunu & Hannah Bernardi

Day 4: 8/16

Last night we had another late night of working to find crocodiles and turtles. However, we had more success as the crocodile group (Oscar, Ashton, George, Alex, and Danny) were able to capture and collect data on a Cayman. Unfortunately, the group doing turtle patrol (Lucas, Felix, Reilly, Hannah, and Kiersten) were not able to find any turtles or eggs. However, the difficult treks through the jungle, river crossings, and pouring rain left a lot of room for personal growth and reflection.

This morning, the groups had different start times to their day as the crocodile group got up to tend to the butterfly garden at 8:30. They were able to care for the larvae by cleaning out their cages and replacing the leaves, and were even able to release one siproeta. As this group was working away in the garden, the turtle group was waking up and making breakfast. 

The turtle group started off their morning with the monkey monitoring. They hiked through the paths at Reserva to find the Capuchin monkeys and monitor their behavior to track the local troop. During this our guide CyCy explained the physical boundaries of the Reserva Playa Tortuga including the history and the 4 long hiking paths throughout. Towards the end of the hike they spotted a group of 5 monkeys including a mother and its baby. 

After both groups were back from their morning activities, we settled in for our lunch hour where we ate pork, rice, and potato pancakes. After this, the turtle group had their turn in the butterfly garden where we collected eggs and also found a Caligo larva. Sara told us a little about how the garden operates including the fact that they do not mess with nature which means they do not catch from or release to nature. This means that unfortunately we had to dispose of most of the eggs we collected because the garden is at capacity. 

While the turtle group was doing this, the others went in a birdwatching walk to monitor the species in the area. 

With the conclusion of the groups scheduled volunteering for the day, we took local taxis to Playa Ventanas. At the beach we frockliced in the waves, explored a cave, and played mashup of ultimate frisbee and flag football on the beach. Towards the end of our time at the beatiful beach we became star stuck as Victor Vembanyama, the first overall NBA draft pick in 2023, arrived. To be mindful of his vacation and peace we did not ask for a photo before departing back to the Reserve for dinner, ice cream, and reflection on our activities of the day. 

-Kiersten Koning IOE 25’ and Lucas Hissong ME 26’ 

Day 5: 8/17 

On our final day of volunteering, we got up early to clean the beach during low tide. It was a meaningful way to close out the week, knowing that our work directly supported the animals we had been caring for. We also had the chance to connect with local volunteers who joined us for the cleanup. Working in pairs allowed us to bond with fellow EGL members while tackling different sections of the beach. We were all taken aback by how much trash we found, but the most impactful moment came when we realized that the area with the most debris was the same spot where we had released baby turtles earlier in the week. That connection made the experience even more profound.

After collecting the trash, we walked over to a shady spot under some coconut trees to begin sorting and counting the trash. Certain groups, clean plastic bottles and bottle caps, could be recycled while others, nets and larger plastics such as shoes, needed to be thrown away. Counting the trash helped Sara and the reserve staff better understand patterns of waste that washes up on the beach and the sorting was integral to recycling efforts. At the end of our efforts, we had 256 plastic bottles, 321 small plastics, 49 foam pieces, and 155 large plastics. We were all very impacted by how much waste we were able to collect in just a few short hours and it opened our eyes to our own recycling efforts. We discussed how prevention is easier than reaction which has motivated us to ensure we clean up after ourselves and leave the areas we explore better than we found them.

Following the beach cleanup, we made lunch together as a group and played a few rounds of Exploding Kittens. Over the past week we have truly enjoyed these moments as we get to learn more about each other and build lifelong connections. Throughout the lunchtime hours, groups of two monitored the turtle hatchery each time checking the nests for signs of a new batch of turtles hatching. This task has been a staple of our volunteering and has allowed us to see a constant impact in our work as we protect the nests from threats such as insects and weather. 

After lunch, a group of us headed to the butterfly garden to collect eggs. Sara had explained earlier in the week which leaves to check, as different butterfly species have their favorite spots to nest. While we had to discard the eggs to prevent overpopulation in the garden, the experience stood out because of its calming effect, a nice change of pace from the more intense activities we'd been doing. It also gave us a chance to see the butterflies’ nesting habits up close and really connect with what Sara had taught us earlier.

After we all wrapped up our volunteering activities, we visited Cacaratas Uvitas, which is a waterfall that doubles as a natural slide. While scary, this activity was a great way to bond with everyone and gave us a chance to encourage each other to take on a challenge. We then went to a 15-foot platform that we could jump off of into a portion of deeper water supplied by the waterfall. After taking a few pictures, we all went up and had refreshing iced coffee and banana milkshakes before taking a taxi back to the reserve. 

To wrap up our final day, we made a group dinner and shared cookies while we reflected on our day. We all feel extremely grateful that we got the opportunity to spend a few days at Reserva Playa Tortuga learning from enthusiastic leaders and making efforts to preserve species and the general environment for future generations. We will carry these moments with us throughout the rest of our lives as we continue to grow as leaders and spread recycling practices. 

-Reilly Hanson IOE ‘25 and Oscar Roden ME ‘25