Join the sea turtle conservation program in Ghana to protect endangered olive ridley, green and leatherback sea turtles along the Ghanaian coast. Working on beach patrols, nesting sites, hatchery supervision and rescuing caught Sea Turtles.
| Location: | Cape Three Points, Western Region, Ghana |
| Availability: | September to March |
| Price: | Average $157 per week Starting from $189 |
| Duration: |
1 – 30 weeks |
| Start Day: |
Sunday (Every week) |
Directly assist on conservation tasks to help endangered sea turtles such as the; Olive Ridley, Leatherback and Green Turtle. Ensuring as many eggs and hatchlings survive their time on land.
Experience the rural Ghanaian way of life and it’s laid back, friendly atmosphere. Perfect stepping stone for travel abroad, Ghana is often classed as Africa for beginners!
Beatiful beaches, tropical weather and cooling coastal breezes await you on our beach conservation project.
Make unforgettable memories travelling with your fellow volunteers at weekends to places such as Mole Safari Park, Cape Coast Castle & Boti Waterfall
Work alongside fellow international volunteers in a close group and make friends for life whilst having a direct impact on sea turtle populations.
Sea turtles are a key stone species which means they have a crucial influence on their environment and surrounding species. Unfortunately as globally experienced, sea turtle numbers declined due to accidental capture in fishing gear, hunted for their meat and habitat destruction due to climate change and human impact. Sadly this is common here in Ghana and our efforts will instantly have an impact on helping to protect egg and hatchling populations.
By assisting in data collection and conservation tasks we aim to play our part in the protection of eggs and hatchlings to protect population numbers as part of the global effort – starting on the ground here in Ghana.
The core pillars of the conservation project at this time are; Beach Patrols, Hatchery Supervision & Data Collection.
Beach Patrols – Through the night you will be allocated a shift and beach stretch where you will monitor the beach looking for signs of nesting, during this shift you will log your miles and stretch of beach patrolled. Upon finding a nest, depending on location we would aim to transport these safely to the dedicated hatchery to increase their chance of survival and protect them from outside threats. Upon spotting sea turtles you will be responsible for logging the details for ongoing monitoring such as photograph, verifying species, approximate size, location etc.
Hatchery Supervision – When assigned on hatchery duties you will be supervising the location to ensure a safe environment away from any threats such as dogs or birds etc and making any necessary fence repairs or fixes.
Data Collection – Processing the data collected by the beach patrol teams or from your previous night shift, ensuring this is processed in a clear and accurate manner to share with our conservation partners both in Ghana and overseas.
Depending on volunteer team numbers and workload we also aim to run community awareness schemes to highlight the importance of sea turtles and their impact, tagging of adult sea turtles caught by fishermen and ensuring their safe return to the ocean and then providing this tagging information to worldwide organisations to assist in the tracking and monitoring of adult populations and establishing a fishing exchange where fishermen who have caught sea turtles as by catch can turn over the sea turtle to us for a fixed fee or item to prevent it being sold to traders for meat etc.
Our volunteer camp is based right on the beach so there is no transport needed to get to your regular daily work site.
Depending on your volunteer numbers and current workloads, we may expand to further afield where you may be assigned a little further that may require the option to walk, cycle or take a short shared taxi ride depending on the distance.
For the further communities where we run bycatch monitoring to rescue and protect sea turtles caught in fishing nets then this would be in the communities of Akwidaa and Dixcove and can cost approximately $5 for a return trip in a shared taxi.
The working day starts at 6:30am, volunteers will normally finish work around 17:00pm, with several breaks throughout the day for breakfast, lunch and water and toilet breaks.
Volunteers will usually be based at our main beach camp in Cape 3 Points. Here you have views of the ocean and beach directly from your kitchen and seating area.
Our whole camp is ran off grid and constructed using locally sourced materials. With running a solar system we ask for your to be mindful with your water and electric useage throughout your stay.
Our camp contains;
Sometimes it may be necessary to be assigned into camping facilities on the beach due to the distance of the hatcheries and beaches to be patrolled depending on the assignments and times of year. In this case we will aim to provide similar living facilities as the housing however you may need to be willing for an adventure and strip down to basics.
From application to arrival, you will receive friendly and helpful advice along the way. Starting from connecting to our international team online once we receive your application to our in country team on site at the project that will be available to you on a daily basis to help you settle in.
You will be responsible for arranging to your own flights to country. The main international airports are Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Don Mueang Airport (DMK)
Your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months upon arrival to Thailand. If your stay in Thailand is shorter than 30 days, then the free VOA (Visa on arrival) should cover you if arriving by air (Please check your countries current visa arrangements with Thailand). If you are crossing by land or sea, you will only be granted a 15 day VOA. If you plan to stay longer than 30 days but not over 60 days, a 60-day tourist visa would be sufficient. For longer than 60 days, you need to apply for a Non-Immigrant visa (90 days).
You can find the addresses of consulates in most countries on www.thaiembassy.org
We require that all volunteers have their vaccinations for DTP (Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio) up-to-date. This is mandatory at this project site.
For current vaccination advice you can visit the MASTA site by clicking here.
For travel insurance quotes you can visit the experts at World Nomads by clicking here.
We also have Atlas branded tshirts and clothing available so you can look the part at the placement site. Further details are provided once you are confirmed onto our team and these are available to preorder so we can have it ready for you upon arrival.
Starting from $189
Click here to view detailed program fees details
1 week minimum to 30 weeks maximum
– Sea turtle nesting season in Ghana is between September – March so the project is only available within these months.
~ Chiara / Ghana Sea Turtle Conservation Volunteer – 2024
The trip was a unique experience for me! My expectations were exceeded by far and I am glad to have found the project. If you don’t mind getting up at night on patrols to find turtles and eggs, this project is great. In addition to working at school, on the farm and collecting and recycling plastic waste on the beach, this project is very versatile and never gets boring. I can only recommend this project!
– Lara S / Sea Turtle Conservation Volunteer
Discount applicable when applying to volunteer during January 2025.
Visit program listing by clicking here.
Offer Code: ST0125
