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Volunteer Abroad Greece: Sea Turtle Conservation for families

Greece 6 days From 525 € Enquire now

You and your family are fascinated by the natural beauty of Greek islands and are looking for a way together to spend your family holiday contributing to the protection of endangered marine life? Then take part in our research-based sea turtle conservation project on the island of Kefalonia - an experience you won't soon forget.

Start your day with a short presentation about marine life and let the first impressions sink in during a first observatory walk at the beach. Then explore the turtle nests and document their behaviour. In the afternoon, a great snorkelling experience awaits you, during which you will also explore the underwater world and note down important findings. End the evening with a beach survey, a "trivia" round with other volunteers or a night on the beach. On night patrols, you will wait for female turtles to come ashore and lay their eggs. The activities are designed to allow you to experience as many different elements of sea turtle conservation as possible together as a family - all against the beautiful backdrop of the Kefalonia coast.

Your trip at a glance

Highlights

As a family, support local and international experts in the field of sea turtle conservation
Learn hands-on research and analysis skills from conservation specialists
Encourage community awareness of the threatened loggerhead and green turtles
Experience a night under the stars protecting turtle nests
Contribute to a growing body of research helping to save the loggerhead from extinction

Locations

Kefalonia

Plan your trip

Included in the programme fee
- Assistance with travel arrangements
- Assistance with selecting travel insurance
- Assistance with booking flights
- Placement in the programme
- Risk coverage certificate
- Pre-departure information pack
- Drinking water
- T-shirt with logo
- Training during the programme
- English-speaking support by long-term experienced staff
- 24/7 support throughout the programme
- Programme-related transfers
- Programme-related equipment

- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Visa fees
- Food items for cooking daily meals
- Accommodation outside programme hours
- Personal expenses and optional excursions
- Accommodation during the programme incl. off days
- Transport outside programme hours

Write An Email

Meghan, your travel expert for Greece

Don't hesitate to contact me if you would like to learn more about this journey! I answer all of your questions and assist you before, during and after your adventure abroad.

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Beim Schnorcheln im Freiwilligenprojekt in Griechenland auf Kefalonia wurde eine Meeresschildkröte unter Wasser entdeckt.

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Train and work in threatened species conservation in Greece as a family

Join forces to support those people who have made it their life's work to research and protect loggerhead and green sea turtles. The research you will do together not only raises awareness among the local population, but also contributes to a growing body of knowledge that helps to better understand and protect these endangered species.

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Planning and arrival on Kefalonia island

The first option is to fly directly to Kefalonia Airport (EFL). From there, the journey goes by bus directly to the bus station in Argostoli or Lixouri. Alternatively, you can travel via the international airport in Athens, from where you continue your journey to Kefalonia by bus and ferry.

The project always starts on Thursday morning and departs from the bridge in Argostoli.

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Your marine conservation activities

During your time on the island of Kefalonia, you will participate together as a family in various practical activities to protect the sea turtles and their habitat: you will contribute to basic research, observe the turtle nests and their behaviour, and at the same time gain valuable knowledge about the marine world. Depending on the season, the focus of the work varies - from the mating season (April to mid-May) to the breeding season (mid-May to the end of July) to the hatching season (end of July to the end of October).

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In the morning hours, you patrol the beach looking for turtle nests and fresh turtle tracks. At night, you work together on the beach to look for and document adult turtles coming ashore to nest - an exciting experience for the whole family. Once the turtles have hatched, all volunteers play an important role in ensuring that the baby turtles make it safely to the sea.

Beach clean-ups, tagging sea turtles (especially in Argostoli in April, May, and October), rescuing injured sea turtles, researching turtle behaviour, and monitoring by drone and port checks are all part of your marine conservation duties.

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Your two locations: Lixouri and Argostoli

This project has two different research centres: one in Lixouri and one in Argostoli. You organise your own accommodation and meals as a family. Of course, we are happy to help you find accommodation; there is also the rather adventurous option of spending the nights on a campsite.

In Lixouri, you have more possibilities to eat out because of the proximity to the city centre, while in Argostoli, for example, you are mainly dependent on your food.

Your leisure time in Greece

You will have plenty of free time to relax and explore Kefalonia. Visit historical sites, relax on the beach, discover picturesque villages, and experience the local culture.

Every week, our project partner organises optional leisure activities for all volunteers. At campfires, volleyball tournaments, and barbecue or pizza evenings, you are welcome to participate as a family and exchange ideas with the other volunteers.

Arrival

This is how you get to Argostoli or Lixouri

You have two options to get to the placement sites in Lixouri or Argostoli: The first option is to fly to Kefalonia International Airport (EFL). The second option would be to fly to Athens International Airport (ATH) and take the bus (X93) from the airport to Kifisou bus station. From there you take the bus for 6-7 hours to Argostoli or Lixouri. The journey costs about €45 each way and includes the ticket for the ferry to Argostoli.
First day

Start your training in nature conservation

The first day starts at 09:30 with a general introduction to Argostoli, which is combined with a first exploratory walk. Afterward, you will learn your first useful knowledge about biology, fish, and sea turtles. At lunchtime, a presentation on safe snorkeling awaits you so that you can then go snorkeling for the first time. In the evening, another presentation on harbour activities awaits you.

The following days will include various beach patrols, turtle watching, snorkeling sessions, rubbish collection on the beach, and presentations on climate change, fish species, drone use, and other conservation topics.

All transfers between the programme points, for example to the various beaches, are included in the price. All other transfers, such as to the port or on arrival, must be organised by the participants themselves.
Project

Your stay on Kefalonia: various activities

Most of your time will be spent on the morning beach patrols and filled with your snorkel surveys. A good number of presentations will allow you to gain new knowledge about marine conservation and turtles and put it into practice in the field. If you like, you can also take part in a night patrol together as a family, which is a truly unique experience.

These activities involve checking the beach for turtle tracks, finding and protecting turtle nests, and looking for nesting turtles to measure and mark. Other shifts involve monitoring the harbour and beach to record where turtles are sighted and where they stay. Other shifts include monitoring the condition of the beaches, beach clean-ups, assessing plastic pollution on the beaches, and monitoring fishing gear that could pose a threat to the sea turtles. In the second half of the season (July - October), the nests need to be protected from light pollution. Three to four times a week there are optional team events in the evenings.
Departure

Time for you to head home?

Your volunteering project ends on Tuesday evening. From there, you are free to decide when and how you travel back. Our recommendations are as follows:

From Lixouri:
To travel back, you should take the ferry back to Argostoli or go to the bus station in Lixouri to take the bus back to Athens airport for your return flight.

From Argostoli:
If you have done your project in Argostoli, you can arrange your transfer directly to Kefalonia airport or go to the bus station to take the bus back to Athens International Airport.

Or stay longer:
Of course you can also stay longer on the island of Kefalonia and explore it. The team in Kefalonia will be happy to give you tips on how to enjoy the beautiful island afterwards - the crew always has child-friendly tips in particular.

FAQ – Learn more about this trip

Before departing to Greece

You should be generally open and curious about turtles and environmental issues. It is also useful if you have good basic fitness to complete the shifts on the beach and in the water. Basic swimming skills are also important. No participant should be younger than 6 years old and there should be a maximum of two underage children per adult.
From the get-go, we will be assisting you by reserving your placement in the project, helping you to make your travel arrangements and coordinate your arrival, helping you with travel insurance, supplying you with a packing list, and offering regular support before, during and after your time abroad.

You have to organise your arrival, transfer, accommodation and food yourself - but we are happy to support you and have useful tips for you.
Every volunteer project with Natucate requires travel insurance. We can help you with this. It is important that you all feel fit and healthy, but certain illnesses do not necessarily prevent you from participating. We ask you to let us know what health restrictions you have so that we and our project partners can take your needs into account and support your family as best we can.
Great question! Turtle conservation work is all about time. The project in Argostoli is open from April to October, so here volunteers will work with the sea turtles at various life stages from mating (April - mid-May) to nesting (mid-May – late July) to hatching (late July – late October). The work activities vary from season to season to optimally support and protect the sea turtles in relation to the specific reproductive stage. The project in Lixouri runs from June to October and will focus primarily on activities related to nesting and hatching turtles.

Your journey to Greece

You can either fly to the international airport of Kefalonia or to the international airport of Athens. All participants must organise and pay for their own flights. If you fly to Athens, you will take an airport bus from Athens to the main bus station and then a second bus for 6-7 hours to Argostoli.

If you arrive at Kefalonia airport, you can travel directly to your accommodation. We will help you coordinate your journey so that you arrive at the meeting point on time and can start your volunteering adventure smoothly.
The project site Lixouri is located in the centre of a small, charming harbour town. One has direct access to all amenities such as a grocery shop, ATMs, cafés and restaurants. The ferry port is just a few minutes' walk away and the centre of Argostoli can be reached by boat in 30 minutes (€3 each way). The Lixouri site operates during the nesting season (mid-May to mid-September) and conducts night shifts from May to July to observe and tag nesting adult turtles.

Although Argostoli is a much larger town than Lixouri, the Argostoli project site is in a rural location close to the airport. Argostoli is open for an extended period, from the mating season to the breeding season, from April to October. Night shifts take place in Argostoli only during the breeding season (mid-August to October) and serve to "save the young".

There are also port shifts at both project sites - this is a good opportunity for the volunteers in Argostoli to take advantage of the city's amenities if needed.

During your project in Greece

A typical week in turtle conservation starts Thursday morning and ends Tuesday evening. Depending on which shift you have, the day starts either at 05:45 with a beach patrol or at 08:00 with a harbour shift. Around noon you will go into the water and start your snorkelling session with an accompanying presentation before or after - depending on the weather and organisation. In the evening you will either take part in another workshop or start your night shift on the beach later in the evening at 21:00.

Please note that times may vary and you may have longer or shorter days. However, there are standard shift times that you will participate in on a rotating basis. These include the following: The beach shift is usually early in the morning (05:45 to 11:00), one in the harbour later in the morning (08:00 to 10:00), afternoon snorkelling (13:00 or 14:15), early evening workshop (17:30) or night shift (21:00 to 06:30). You will receive a detailed schedule on your first day.
Your main tasks include searching for new turtle tracks in the morning after sunrise and looking after all new nests. Volunteers will constantly monitor the nests and alert them to any possible source of danger. After hatching, all volunteers will examine the nests to conclude reproductive success. You will also do similar work in the water while snorkelling and also at the harbour while documenting your findings. Your tasks will also include collecting rubbish on the beach to protect the environment. You will also learn a lot about conservation, turtles and the science of marine life.

On site in Kefalonia

As you organise your accommodation, the budget depends very much on your wishes regarding location and comfort. You should also calculate 40-60 euros per person per week for food and more if you want to eat out. You should also factor in additional activities if you want to do something in your free time.

Learn what others say about their Natucate adventure.

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Review Volunteering Greece - Annalena

“It was a time I will never forget!”

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Review Volunteering Greece - Milena

“Once you see a turtle, you forget you're tired and it's the best thing you've ever seen.”

Eine Babyschildkröte, die gerade geschlüpft ist, befindet sich am Strand

In der Nähe des Forschungszenturm in Costa Rica findet man Kokusnusspalmen

Review Volunteering Costa Rica Turtle Conservation - Emily

“The highlight of the project for me was seeing the baby turtles making their way out to the ocean and getting pulled in by the waves.”

Die bunten, einstöckigen Häuser im Regenwald mit Nähe zum Meer dienen als Unterkunft für Volunteers wie Maria.

Die Brutstation auf dem Sandstrand im Costa Rica Meeresschildkrötenprojekt ist im Schatten und hat eine Aussicht aufs Meer.

Review Volunteering Costa Rica Turtle Conservation - Maria

“I had hoped that the work would be so much fun that it wouldn't feel like work at all, and that's exactly what happened.”

1. Kefalonia

The Greek island of Kefalonia is a sea turtle paradise at the exit of the Gulf of Patras. The predominantly mountainous island, with altitudes of up to 1,628 m, lies west of the Greek mainland in the Ionian Sea and makes the heart of hiking enthusiasts beat faster. Argostoli, the idyllic island capital, sits on a hill overlooking a small harbour. The underground lake Melissani, charming villages and extensive vineyards provide a stunning setting. The typical rugged, dry landscape is complemented by limestone cliffs along the coast and hidden bays with white sand and pebble beaches. Along the southwest coast, most of the sandy beaches are nesting sites for sea turtles. Often the beaches can only be reached on foot or via serpentines.

Learn more

The Greek island of Kefalonia is a sea turtle paradise at the exit of the Gulf of Patras. The predominantly mountainous island, with altitudes of up to 1,628 m, lies west of the Greek mainland in the Ionian Sea and makes the heart of hiking enthusiasts beat faster. Argostoli, the idyllic island capital, sits on a hill overlooking a small harbour. The underground lake Melissani, charming villages and extensive vineyards provide a stunning setting. The typical rugged, dry landscape is complemented by limestone cliffs along the coast and hidden bays with white sand and pebble beaches. Along the southwest coast, most of the sandy beaches are nesting sites for sea turtles. Often the beaches can only be reached on foot or via serpentines.

Learn more

Background of the sea turtle conservation project in Greece

Throughout the world, there are seven species of sea turtles. Six of these seven species are classified as “endangered” or “vulnerable”. There are various reasons for this: many are victims of by-catch in fishing, others lose their eggs to poachers, and increasingly, as global temperatures rise, a mismatch of the sexes occurs, resulting in more female young than male.

Although both the loggerhead sea turtle and the green sea turtle can be seen in Greek waters, only the loggerhead sea turtle comes ashore to lay its nests on the beaches. Loggerheads face the risk of extinction, and although they are protected by Greek and European law, there is still much more work to be done. Our partner is committed to protecting these long-distance swimmers and their natural habitat. Passionate volunteers who join us will have the unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience and raise public awareness of this keystone species.