Greece

If you're interested in conservation, either as a career path or a break from routine, this is very worth it. The area is beautiful (full of wildlife quite aside from the turtles!) and as with anywhere in Greece not far from a bunch of historic sites. The work is not overly difficult (early mornings are the worst you'll deal with) and indeed very rewarding; seeing hatchlings emerge onto the beaches you've spent time cleaning, monitoring and protecting is a unique experience. The staff are kind and passionate about the work they do, and you get to work with the local group who are a little more specialised as well as interacting with tourists and locals to raise awareness. The living conditions are fine (very enjoyable if you enjoy camping and cooking) and if I could have stayed more than the four weeks I was there I would have - can certainly recommend signing up for at least four weeks so long as you're confident that camping won't get you down. The internships offered are probably an even wiser choice than that, too.

I had a pleasant and informative placement in Greece on the turtle conservation project. It's well organised and i left feeling that i had learned a lot and was in a good position to decide if this is a field i want to pursue further in the future. Thanks.

I was apart of the Sea turtle conservation project in Greece for two weeks. I have previously been on two other Frontier projects so I already had great expectations for the experience. I was keen to take part in the turtle conservation project as I was eager to learn more about turtles and the protection they needed, which I did to a great extent. I arrived on the project at the beginning of September 2014 so the start of the hatching period. I was able to get involved straight away the next morning after settling in. The very first morning i was up at 6am to go onto a morning survey where i saw my very first baby sea turtle. We patrolled the beaches each morning to see if there were any signs of hatching's over night , most mornings we would see many hatchling tracks and occasionally some baby turtles which hatched late.Seeing a turtle hatchling make it to the see for the first time was the greatest experience of the whole trip! In the evenings we would do nest excavations which is where we would dig up a nest which had been hatched for 10 days. All the eggs inside would be counted and separated into hatched eggs and unhatched eggs, the unhatched ones would be opened up to see what was the cause of the egg not to hatch. You soon learn that turtle eggs have a very distinct smell and it's not a pleasant one, though you do get used to it eventually. when we weren't doing surveys or excavations we spent our free time catching up on sleep or eating endless kinda Buenos and other chocolate. Once i had gained a bit more experience i was able to get hands on with the excavations. Occasionally during excavations we would find live hatchlings which we would gather up in a bucket and release after we had finished. The largest batch of live turtles we had was 47 from one nest , all the turtles couldn't fit inside the bucket so an improvised play pen was constructed to house them till we were ready to release them. To help them on their way we would build a trench to the ocean to keep all the turtles on the right track and to stop them from being disorientated. On camp we had a little competition to see who could get the best baby turtle selfie , with so many turltes there i took my chance and took endless photos. No matter how many times you see it when you get to watch the turtles swim off into the distance it always makes you smile.

I got to see so many turtles and meet a great group of people while i was on the Frontier Greece project I wish i had been able to stay longer. I would 100% recommend this project to others to take part in , it is a conservation project that you are hands on making a difference and it is clear to see ! My experience was great and that was down to the amazing Frontier staff , the other volunteers , the beautiful beaches and of course the baby turtles.

Firstly I am stuck for words as it is not possible to put everything I have experienced in this small paragraph. I’ve spent 4 weeks in Greece with some amazing people and developed life-long friendships. This project has taught me so much about the loggerhead sea turtle and why it is important to try and conserve these endangered animals. The turtle project is one of the most hands on volunteering work I have done and has been beneficial in relation to my degree. There is a lot of walking and getting up early however, seeing a baby hatchling for the first time makes it all worth it. I would definitely recommend this project to anyone who loves animals and traveling is willing to work hard and wants to meet new people from all around the world.

I was looking for an adventure I could get immersed in for the summer and make myself useful at the same time. Turtles have always been my favorite animal so I was really keen to spend some time being with them and learning more about them. I found out that Frontier offered the chance to study for a BTEC in conservation if you stay for 10 weeks or more which seemed perfect. I am so glad that I did a long stunt because of the massive sense of achievement from seeing a project through, and the knowledge you gain about real conservation issues. I have spent the whole summer on the beach, and it’s been brilliant to see hatchlings from nests that I found and protected. This is a massively hands on project where you feel like you are really needed and are making a difference every day. Loved it!

It was two amazing weeks. I learn so much in a really short time; how protect the turtles (nest and hatchlings), why we doing all that and how to work and live with your team. The life in camp is really good, everybody is nice; we enjoyed together the work we do but also I have the feeling that we made a difference when I saw my first hatchling going back to the sea. I left behind me an amazing team but I am full of unforgettable memories.

I learned a lot about sea turtle conservation and had more passion for volunteer work. The Frontier team was amazing and I really enjoyed my two weeks here. The daily work was intense, but it's worth it. The camp site is nice place and I believe whoever comes to the project will enjoy it as I did.

Dany's A+ Turtle Review!!!

I really enjoyed so much about being here, even if it didnt seem like it when i was in the sun. Night Survey was super interesting, working so close to turtles in the wild. Morning survey too, especially when i relocated a nest. The environment here is amazing, how the only things that matter are the turtles and what im going to do in my hammock is in the sun. The evenings were so fun, with the games and parties that were thrown. Every staff member and volunteer has been so nice and helpful and awesome to be around.

Even though I was only on this project (Greece Turtle Conservation) for two weeks I feel like it has made me grow into a more independent person. The project has allowed me to experience and learn new things, such as relocating nests which are too close to the sea (under 18m) and experience a night survey, when the turtles come out to lay their eggs. I have met great new people which I probably wouldn’t have met back home but that’s part of it. It’s a nice change.

My favourite part of the experience is a tough one; I can’t say I have actually disliked any of the things I have got involved in, but as I have said before the night survey was a great opportunity to help with the tagging of any turtles which have laid their eggs.

We may have had to walk a few miles along the beach every morning to check if there was any new nests laid the night before but to be quite honest I really enjoyed it, what’s wrong with walking along the beach and watching the sun rise every morning. Oh and ofcourse the daydreaming while you walk is great too, just watch where you are walking.

The best advice I could give a new volunteer would be to be prepared for walking along the beach for a varied amount of time and possibly in the heat. Also to bring lots of plasters, you will cut yourself at some point! And lastly work hard.