Bali: Turtle Conservation & Rehabilitation Project

Intro.

This project takes place on the beautiful and charming island of Nusa Penida. Known for its incredible breath-taking landscapes, the island is an important part of the conservation of endangered Indonesian sea turtles.

You will be working alongside a local team to protect the sea turtles in a unique turtle conservation centre. Your activities will depend upon which time of year you participate as the turtles don’t nest all-year round. General duties can include identifying turtles species, monitoring nests, collecting eggs and seeing that hatchlings safely make it into the water.

As the project is still in its early stages, you get the unique opportunity to help kickstart turtle conservation in the area. You will also be preparing and developing turtle education materials, lessons and activities for local students.

The island is a 45-minute speedboat trip from mainland Bali and benefits from a remote, simplistic environment. This makes it an ideal project for those who would love to experience a more basic way of life. The beach is practically on your doorstep, giving you plenty of time to relax and soak up the sun.

Intro. Week

Your placement can start with an optional Cultural Discovery Week, which will introduce you to the Balinese way of life, and prepare you for the rest of your placement. This week is automatically included in your placement. Your schedule will look like this;

Monday
After our coordinator collects you from the airport, you’ll be taken to check in at your guest house. The day begins with a briefing to outline your program, and to tell you our house rules. You’ll be introduced to Bali on a walking tour of Monkey Street, the main commercial road in the city. There’ll be a welcome dinner, followed by a traditional Balinese dance in Ubud palace.

Tuesday
After breakfast, you’ll be given a language lesson to teach you some key phrases. After that, you’ll go on a walking tour of the village, where you’ll get to experience how Balinese families live.

Wednesday
After breakfast, you’ll be given a language lesson to teach you some key phrases. In the afternoon, you’ll go to a local batik shop, where you’ll learn how to draw, and paint your own batik designs.

Thursday
You will be given a Balinese Cooking Class. You will learn to cook Balinese food. In the after noon you’ll learn how to make an offering to God, and the spirits of the Hindu religion. There will be a flower offering class, and you’ll be taught how to make a flower basket. You can use your flower offering in the next day.

Friday
Spiritual Tour: We will bring your Flower offering to the Holy temple. We go to visit the famous temple ” Pura Tirta Empul ” the holy water temple and you can enjoy a shower with the Holy Water.
You’ll be free to enjoy your weekend however you choose, and you will start your volunteer placement on the following Monday!

Daily Life

After your optional Introduction Week, you will start your placement on the Sunday, where all new arrivals will be welcomed before lunch. After lunch, you will have a short introduction right on the beach, enabling you to become familiar with your new surroundings. You will also learn more about the local area, including essential information such as where the ATMs and supermarkets are.

On the Monday, you will have breakfast before seeing a presentation of the Turtle conservation project. There will be a briefing to establish what you should and shouldn’t do throughout the project. Once this has been completed, you will move on to the daily activities you’ll typically be carrying out during the rest of your time. This could include cleaning out tanks, catching live food for the turtles and cleaning the beach. Then, in the evening you will watch a documentary about turtles to further enhance your knowledge of this incredible species.

Your day will start a little earlier on the Tuesday now you know what the project involves. So, after having breakfast, you will make a start on daily tasks such as collecting live food and cleaning out the tanks. You will also get the opportunity to make turtle toys and if there are any injured turtles, you will also help prepare their medication.

Wednesday will consist of much of the same tasks as you carried out on Tuesday. However, in the evening you will have the opportunity to partake in beach sports such as football, volleyball and badminton.

After completing your daily tasks on Thursday, you will enjoy a special welcome and farewell dinner. This welcomes any newcomers and says goodbye to those who are leaving. It’s a great chance to socialise and let your hair down.

On Friday, if you are leaving the project, after breakfast you will feed the turtles and then have the opportunity to release some back into the sea. If you are staying on at the project for an additional week, you will carry on with your daily tasks at the centre. If you are leaving, you will also have a feedback session.

Travel and Accom.

Upon arrival, you will be welcomed and picked up from the airport, before being taken to your accommodation. If you are not taking part in the Introductory week, you need to arrive at the airport before 2pm to be able to transfer to the project on the same day

You will be staying in shared accommodation of 4-6 people per room. All bed linen, mosquito nets and a fan will be provided. There is a safety box available and free wifi in the public areas.

Indonesian food is tasty and diverse and you can expect to experience a myriad of flavors and meals during their stay. Typical dishes included mie goreng (fried noodles and vegetables), nasi goreng (fried rice and vegetables) or gado gado (mixed vegetables with a satay sauce). For those who do not eat meat, Indonesian cooking uses a lot of tofu and tempeh (soy beans), we also provide for some of western dishes. Breakfasts are varied and include pancakes, fresh fruit, toast etc.

Requirements

• Minimum age 18
• Passion and enthusiasm for sea turtle conservation
• Not afraid to get your hands dirty!
• Ability to work within a team environment
• Minimum 2 weeks commitment
• CRB Police check (or equivalent) showing that you have no previous criminal convictions
• Good English skills
• Necessary vaccinations
• Necessary flight & visas
• Full travel & medical insurance. Full assistance will be provided in getting everything you will need ready if you choose our Placement Support Package.

Costs

£550 GBP per week (optional Introduction week is £300)

* Check the latest currency conversions with xe.com
** All payments incur a 5% bank transfer fee
*** Placements are confirmed with a 1 week deposit, minimum 2 weeks booking

What’s Included:

Project Fee includes food, accommodation, airport pickup, orientation, in-country support and project activities.

What’s not included:

Flights, insurance, visas (if applicable) and vaccinations. Full assistance will be provided in getting all these arranged if you choose our Premium Support.

Premium Support Upgrade

We understand there’s a great deal to plan and organise for your trip. When booking a Placement, many of our participants choose to purchase our Premium Support Upgrade to benefit from the expertise, knowledge and experience of our Project Coordinators.

We can provide the personal advice you need to ensure your trip is organised with excellence and planned with efficiency; ensuring the very best experience possible. Read more about how we can help you.