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Placement overview

By joining this conservation project in Guatemala you can experience the best of Central America whilst safeguarding the future of threatened species.

Guatemala Conservation in a Central American paradise

Your Experience

Volunteers can choose to work on one of two well established projects

as animal refuge volunteers or coastal ecology volunteers.

Working at a lakeside animal refuge as an animal refuge volunteer you will be helping in feeding and caring for the parrots, macaws, howler monkeys and ocelots. Many of the animals were seized from smugglers and need considerable care, love and attention. Volunteers also help out in other areas such as helping prepare meals and although the working day is a long one, a lengthy afternoon siesta and a floating deck for afternoon swims on the lake make the adjustment easy.

Working as a coastal ecology volunteer you may be involved in many different areas from assisting turtle hatchlings to be released, construction of facilities at this new research station, environmental education to local school children, mangrove reforestation, caiman and iguana breeding programme and community projects to improve living conditions of local disadvantaged communities. Here for those interested there will be many opportunities to gain valuable skills in research, improve your Spanish and implement your own ideas.

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18yrs+

Basic Spanish needed for coastal ecology project

No Spanish required for animal refuge project

Rural

Lakeside animal refuge: spacious volunteer house on site

Coastal ecology project: basic volunteer accommodation or homestay

Provided (animal refuge only)

Variable depending on need

English widely spoken by project staff and volunteers although some basic Spanish will enhance individual experience

2-12

2 weeks

3-12 weeks, longer stays possible

All year round. Turtle season June-December.

3-4 weeks before intended arrival

£63 pw (animal refuge volunteer) Summer places now full

£35 pw (coastal ecology volunteer) Summer places still available

This project is ideal if one or more of the following apply to you

•are thinking about a long stay but are unsure about committing at this stage

•want to learn Spanish in a friendly and supportive atmosphere

•would like a comfortable introduction to living and working in Latin America

are travelling alone

What’s included in this programme

Induction and training on arrival

Accommodation and meals: animal refuge

Accommodation basis only :coastal ecology project

On site 24/7 support

Please note: Pick-up and transfer is not included for either project although this can be arranged by a local tour company. There is an additional charge for this service. Most volunteers make their own way to the projects after arriving in Guatemala City.

Guatemala at a glance...

Volcanoes, mountain lakes, jungles, tropical beaches and with a population that is mostly of Indian descent combine to make Guatemala a unique destination. The main attractions are the ruined Mayan cities overgrown by jungle, laid back Livingstone on the Caribbean coast, smoking volcanoes, isolated lakes, the white sands of the Atlantic coast, the dark volcanic beaches of the Pacific, the spectacular little-known ravines which crisscross the country such as the Rio Dulce among a long list of other attractions.

animal refuge volunteer

The setting for your placement in the interior is a 45 hectare lake side forest only 45 kilometres from the world famous Mayan ruins of Tikal. Long, thin dug out canoes still glide back and forth between the villages ferrying locals .

coastal ecology volunteer

This project’s coastal placement is based on the pacific coast known as the the ‘Costa Sur’. This coastal region does not have the typical honky tonk feel of Central America but more a kind of south sea paradise where you can string up a hammock and spend a lazy afternoon doing nothing except taking it all in.

Usual commitment:

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3-12weeks