Trip Highlights
Volunteer with sea turtles in Trinidad, home to the world’s densest population of nesting leatherback turtles, with roughly 20,000 nests laid annually.
Help local researchers measure, tag, and monitor nesting leatherback sea turtles each night.
Visit beautiful Caroni Swamp, a 12,000 acre wetland that hosts mangrove forests, Scarlet Ibis, American Flamingos, silky anteaters and more.
About This Trip
With roughly 20,000 nests laid per year, Trinidad hosts the world’s densest leatherback nesting rookery, and our trip coincides with the peak of their nesting season. As a sea turtle volunteer, you'll have hands-on experience tagging, measuring, and recording data on amazing leatherback turtles at one of the world’s most important nesting sites.
Our local partner, the non-profit organization Nature Seekers, will host and train you to patrol the nesting beach nightly to collect sea turtle nesting data as part of their long-term research. Throughout this volunteer vacation you will not only learn about sea turtles and witness them nesting, you will also learn about and contribute to the award-winning community-based conservation work of Nature Seekers.
Read more about the volunteer experience:
Saving Sea Turtles: Cindy and Bosley’s Volunteer Adventure to Trinidad
Beyond our nightly beach patrols, we will take part in a recycling project that empowers local artisans to create jewelry with recycled and natural materials, explore some of the local sights, and visit Caroni Swamp, a protected wetland that supports more than 100 bird species including the Scarlet Ibis, one of Trinidad’s national birds.
Note: Turtle patrols will take place at night until the early morning hours. You will be able to sleep in and relax during the day. Participants must be able to walk on uneven terrain on the beach at night with minimal light and limited assistance in order to participate in this expedition.
Notes on Trip Costs
There is a single supplement fee of $500 for solo travelers. Trip prices do not include international airfare. Click here for our full expedition terms and conditions.
Our expectations were exceeded. It was truly magical.
Conservation Impact
As America’s oldest 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to ocean conservation, Oceanic Society designs each expedition to deepen connections between people and nature while empowering travelers to play a direct role in preserving marine ecosystems. Through the Expedition Impact Program, your participation supports local ocean conservation projects in visited destinations, coral restoration, and plastic pollution offset initiatives. Your trip also supports our local partner, Nature Seekers, and their long-term research on Trinidad’s leatherback sea turtles
Dates & Prices
May 10-18, 2027
Book This TripMay 8-16, 2028
Book This TripItinerary
For a detailed itinerary, please email expeditions@oceanicsociety.org
Sample Itinerary
You will be met at the airport upon your arrival in to Port of Spain, and transferred to the small coastal town of Matura on the northeast coast. This evening we will have a welcome dinner and orientation.
Each evening we will join researchers on the nearby beach of Matura, one of the world’s most important nesting beaches for leatherback turtles. This beautiful protected beach welcomes dozens of turtles a night during the peak of the nesting season. As a volunteer on this program, you will undergo training and work side-by-side with researchers to patrol the beach in search of nesting turtles as part of long term scientific research. Duties may include measuring and tagging turtles, and more. Beyond our nightly sea turtle monitoring duties, we will have time to explore some of Trinidad’s natural wonders during the day, such as the beautiful Mermaid Pool, kayaking in the river, and an innovative community recycling program.
We will check out the guest house and bid farewell to the leatherbacks. Today we will spend the afternoon visiting Caroni Swamp Bird Sanctuary, taking a wildlife boat tour through the 12,000-acre wetland, where we can hope to see rare species including Scarlet Ibis, American Flamingos, silky anteaters, and more. The Caroni Swamp tour will end at sunset, and from there we will have a farewell dinner. Overnight at the Holiday Inn Trinidad Airport. You may fly out after 11pm on this day, or the next day.
The hotel shuttle will transfer you to the nearby Port of Spain Airport in time to catch your flight home.
Accommodations
Participants will stay in basic but comfortable accommodations at Suzan's Guesthouse in the small town of Matura, just a short distance from the main leatherback nesting beach and next door to the Nature Seekers office. The guesthouse is run by Suzan Lakhan-Baptiste, founder of Nature Seekers and a local conservation legend. Here you will enjoy family-style meals prepared in the open kitchen, where you can learn about Trinidadian cooking, and you'll have ample opportunity to connect with the local community members who lead Nature Seekers' work.
Oceanic Society guests and Nature Seekers staff in the living room of Suzan's Guesthouse.
Naturalist(s)
Your expedition will be led by one or more of the following expert naturalist guides:
Trip Extensions
Optional Post-Trip Extension to Grand Riviere
Embark on a three-day adventure to Grand Riviere, a picturesque coastal village on the north coast of Trinidad (a short drive from our base in Matura) that is home to the densest leatherback turtle nesting colony on earth. This immersive tour will introduce you to the remarkable people working in to preserve the endangered leatherback turtles and their nesting sites. Over the course of three days, you can enjoy the beach and the town at your leisure in the morning or participate in a riverwalk or waterfall tour (additional fees apply). In the evening, we will walk the beach with a local guide to observe nesting leatherback turtles and learn about the community's commitment to protecting and sharing this vital turtle habitat. Because of the large number of turtles that nest in such a small area, there is a high possibility of seeing a leatherback nesting at sunrise, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a leatherback in the daylight and an unbeatable photo opportunity.
For guests choosing to join this trip extension, your visit to Caroni Swamp (normally Day 8) will instead take place on your final day, before heading to the airport.
The extension fee includes all meals, transfers, two nights accommodations, turtle program with local researcher, and permits for access to nesting site (only permitted individuals allowed on nesting beach from 6pm-6am).
