Bali - Turtle Project

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 will also 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 turtles and collecting seaweed 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 turtles and collecting seaweed. you will also create turtle toys and 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 a 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 newcomers and say goodbye for those who are leaving.

Friday
On Friday, after having breakfast, you will feed the turtles and 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 feedback session regarding the program. After having lunch, you all can engage in activities such as feeding the turtles, cleaning tanks and measuring the turtle growth.

Other activities you would engage are as below:
Cleaning the beach
Making garbage bins for the local area
Creating a Turtles/Environment campaign for the local area
Releasing injured turtles after treatment and clean private beach
Turtles site construction work: such as extra turtle tank or wall, painting the walls etc.
Collecting turtle information such as length of carapace, size of flippers, checking its weight etc.

Please note that the volunteer activities and schedule can change at any time based on the needs of the project, local conditions, the weather and unforeseen circumstances. In Bali, nesting season for sea turtles will be from May until October, year after year.

Normally, if the participants attend the program out of the nesting season , they will join the activities below:

The participants are required to clean the turtle tanks, scrub turtles, fillet and cut fish for turtle, feed turtles, collect crabs, clean the community area (beach, village), create awareness signboards to save the environment and turtles, make turtle toys, collect turtle information such as length of carapace, size of flippers, check its weight, etc. and release the turtles.

We treat them until they are strong enough to survive in the ocean and release it afterward. Because if we release them when they are very young, once they make it to the ocean, many of these young sea turtles rely on floating seaweed mats, called Sargassum, to hide from predators. It means the ocean is unsafe for them when they are too young. Moreover, we can not release them as soon as they hatch because they can not dive in the deep ocean and they can not find food for themselves. They have to eat whatever food is floating in the ocean. The sea turtles' favorite food is jellyfish. But a floating, clear plastic bag can look an awful lot like a jellyfish dinner. When sea turtles consume marine debris by mistake, it can get stuck in their stomachs and cause major damage.

All sea turtles are affected by ocean trash, by mistaking the trash for food, getting a flipper caught in a discarded six-pack ring or being unable to surface for air while accidentally stuck in a fishing net. For every sea turtle that hatches, only one out of 100 will survive to adulthood.

Furthermore, not only is a hatchery maintained in the center, but we also rescue turtles which are stuck in the fishnets or elsewhere. We treat them until they recover and then we release them.

Nesting Season is from May - October.

Hatching Season - The time period for the hatching or the incubation time is generally 60 days. However, depending on the weather conditions, the temperature of the sand the process time period can vary. Usually according to our experience, it will be between 45 to 75 days. However we cannot guarantee the time the eggs will hatch.Then, we need to feed and treat them until they are strong enough (up to 8-12 months) and we will release them to survive in the ocean.

Social Activities
On Monday evening we'll show you a documentary about turtles which will help you to widen your knowledge about these amazing creatures. On either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday you will visit an amazing location called the Crystal Bay with breathtaking views. Your local coordinators will decide the day. Thursday night will also be a special one because we enjoy a welcome and farewell dinner by a bonfire at the beach. This is a great opportunity to get to know the newcomers better and say goodbye to those who are leaving.

Evenings & Weekends
During the evenings the volunteers are generally free, and there are no program activities scheduled unless otherwise mentioned. Weekends are always free.

This program can also include a Culture Week which is highly recommended but not mandatory - just inform your travel advisor if you wish to include it. Indonesia is one of the most interesting countries in the world for cultural learning and experiences, which means that this week is packed full of exciting adventures, cultural excursions and interactions.

During the Culture Week you will be participating in various activities to get you acquainted with the Balinese culture. You will study the Balinese language, and explore Ubud including the famous Monkey Street as well as the beautiful surrounding areas. Bali is renowned for its diverse and sophisticated art forms, such as painting, sculpture, wood carving, handicrafts and performing arts, so we'll have you challenge your artistic and creative side with traditional Batik painting. Another fun thing to try out is a Balinese cooking class. Finally, you will make a traditional flower offering and offer your creation at one of the most impressive Balinese temples: The Holy Tirta Empul Temple. We take a short spiritual tour around this famous temple, bathe in holy waters and pray for good luck. Evenings during the Culture Week and the weekend after are free unless otherwise mentioned.

** Day of Silence (Nyepi) is a Hindu ceremony reserved for self-reflection. This takes place from 06:00 on 29 March until 06:00 on 30 March 2025. On Nyepi Day, the project as well as the airport, shops and businesses are closed, and everyone must stay at home. The day before Nyepi you will take part in the preparations and the day after there is a ceremony in the morning. If participants will arrive to Bali on 29 March 2025, we recommend them to arrive before 15:00 or after 23:00 because everywhere on the island, there will be Ogoh Ogoh parades and ceremonies from 15:00-23:00. There will be heavy traffic and closed roads.

Social Visa C6B
Minimum age of 18
Basic level of competency in English
Original Police clearance certificate on arrival - issued no more than 6 months before arrival
Passport copy required on arrival
Copy of Travel & medical insurance on arrival
Agree to house center rules and rules of conduct (sign on arrival)
Using sunscreen, or any kind of lotions and mosquito repellents are not allowed to be used during all our turtle conservation projects.

Volunteers need to be flexible and keep an open mind concerning their placements as situations can arise beyond our control which could require you to be placed at a different project than the one you have initially chosen. We will of course always do our utmost to fulfill your initial wishes but do remember that where you are going is quite different from where you are coming and as such one should be prepared for things not always going according to plan.

Volunteering and intercultural travel share a common trait: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. This program is designed for proactive individuals and groups that are prepared to adapt to the local environment and its current needs. Naturally, the scheduling and activities of our program are subject to change. Alterations in activities are mainly due to changes in local conditions, which we believe is part of what makes overseas programs the interesting adventure and incredible learning experience that they are.

Our projects range from 1 week up to approx. 30 weeks. Projects have a specified minimum stay, then it’s up to you how long you can commit. In our experience the longer you stay the more you will gain, as your understanding of the project broadens and you take on more responsibilities. Every volunteer will be given a certificate of appreciation at the end of their stay as a symbol of volunteering stay.