One of the most important projects in the area is the monitoring of sea turtle nests found on the beaches of Las Tunas, Puerto Rico and Ayampe. There are 4 different species of turtles, however, nature is unpredictable, sometimes there are a lot of nests and others are a bit difficult to find them. The reason may be that the same turtles that where seen one year won´t go back the next as they nest every 2 years; therefore, there is a different population of turtles every year.  In general, the peak months the turtles nest is from July to February, the lower season is from March to June, however, they may be seen.

The projects are managed by the community with some external programs support, such as governmental, non-governmental and volunteers.

Upon your arrival in Las Tunas (Sunday) the Project Coordinator will be waiting for you to give you an orientation about your accommodation and explore the village. You will also have a 30 minutes’ presentation about the program schedule and turtle´s ecology and environmental programs. On the evening, a welcome dinner will be organized for you.

Sunday evenings the Project Coordinator will make together with you the work schedule for the week and note this on a whiteboard. Monday the project coordinator will give you an orientation in situ, the activities are: Turtle nesting monitoring, beach cleaning, reforestation, community empowerment, making handcrafts of recycling and natural materials.

You will be working each day between 4 and 5 hours in the project. In the afternoon, you are free to enjoy the beach, surf, play volley or soccer with locals or relax. It is possible to book optional Spanish classes, surf classes and salsa dance classes for the afternoon.

On Thursday evening, a cocktail is organized for the volunteers. During the weekend, you’ll enjoy some free time to discover the magical places around Las Tunas.

Sunday evening the Project Coordinator will plan with you the work for the new week & their expectation. A welcome dinner for the new volunteers will be organized; you are more than welcome to join it.

Las Tunas is a beach located south of Manabí, 190 km north of Guayaquil, and close to the popular beach villages; Montanita, Ayampe and Puerto Lopez. It is a small village with around 1600 inhabitants. Las Tunas beach is known for its natural beauty, its crystal-clear sea waters, its gastronomy and for its community of friendly farmers and fishermen. Manabí province, in Ecuador, considered to be one of the most interesting areas to know in the country. Rich and proud in their culture, you can enjoy delicious typical food, as well as learn about the history of the different places around Las Tunas.

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