San Miguel
San Miguel is a small beach town located on the southern Pacific side of the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica. PRETOMA has been investigating the nesting activity of Marine turtles on this beach since 1998 after the town’s local community asked PRETOMA for help to monitor and protect the marine turtles which nest on the 4km stretch of beach between July and December. We now employ 2 locals who help us to monitor the nesting activity on this beach. There are 4 species of turtle which use the beach for nesting, The Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), which is the most common of all the 4 species, There is also the possibility to observe the pacific Green turtle, (Chelonia mydas agassizi), Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricat) and the eastern pacific leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), all of which are in danger of extinction. To date we have protected 2618 nests and released 129,529 baby turtles.
You can participate in this project as a volunteer from July 15th until December 15th, 2011.
Site description
The small beach town of San Miguel has a population of 200 people; there are 3 local restaurants and a community park where the locals play football most afternoons. There are pubic phones located at the bus stop and one of the restaurants has wi fi internet so if you bring your own laptop you can use it there free of charge. The local area has an abundance of wildlife; you will have the chance to see howler monkeys, parrots, iguanas, squirrels and of course turtles!! There is also an abundance of activities you can do during your stay, visiting the mangroves, waterfalls, surfing or if you prefer lazing in a hammock watching the world go by. There are also local tours on offer to nearby attractions.
Accommodation
All Volunteers who choose the San Miguel project will sleep in the station house together with the project co-coordinators located 50m in front of the beach. The station house has 3 separate rooms each with a maximum of 4 beds, all have private bathrooms and fan. There is a communal area and a small kitchen where you can make coffee and snacks, and a fridge to keep your drinks cold. All volunteers eat daily at two different local restaurants where you have a mix of traditional Costa Rican food and international cuisine
