HOW CAN YOU HELP?
“WE CANNOT PROTECT THE WORLD’S WILDLIFE UNLESS WE ALSO PROTECT THE NEEDS OF THE HUMANS THAT RELY ON IT.”
—GAIA VINCE, "RESCUE OF THE OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLE"
SCIENCE
Scientific research allows us to make informed and strategic management decisions
for the conservation of the environment.
COMMUNITY
Engaging with our community ensures a healthy balance between social, environmental, and economic interests ensures successful conservation and a sustainable future.
EDUCATION
Building a better understanding of our environment and how we interact with it inspires a new generation of change makers.
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THOUSANDS OF
TURTLES TOURS
Duration: 2 hrs (tour times vary, start times typically 5–7 am or 3–8 pm)
Meeting Point: your hotel or vacation rental
Price: $150 base fee + $35 per person (8 max)
Join us on an awe-inspiring educational experience to witness thousands of turtles nesting at Ostional. Local guide, community fund donation, taxes and fees are included. Book now and we'll take care of the rest.
BLUE SEAS TOURS:
HALF-DAY BOAT EXPEDITIONS
Duration: 4 hrs (8 am–12 pm or 2–6 pm)
Meeting Point: Pilos Bar, Playa Garza
Price: $550 flat fee (up to 10 people)
Go on a boat expedition with National Geographic explorer and marine biologist Dr. Vanessa Bezy. Have the opportunity to observe sea turtles mating and swimming in the open ocean, as well as other marine life such as dolphins and rays, stop at a sunken ship to snorkel and learn about coral reef ecosystems.
DIVE DEEPER EXPEDITION:
CUSTOM MULTI-DAY PACKAGE
Duration: 3 days
Meeting Point: your hotel or vacation rental
Price: starting from $245 per person for a group of 10 people
Dive deeper with our immersive 3 day Dive Deeper Expedition at The Ostional National Wildlife Refuge. Head out on a boat excursion to observe sea turtles and marine life in the ocean. Snorkel and learn about coral reef ecosystems. Visit a sea turtle hatchery. Witness the arribadas—a year-round simultaneous sea turtle nesting event. Experience pura vida (pure life) with Costa Rican lunch and dinner. Plus more!
THOUSANDS OF TURTLES
The Ostional Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica to protects one of the world’s most important nesting sites of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. Thousands of sea turtles come to one specific mile of beach at Ostional to dig their eggs into the black, volcanic sand. These mass nesting emergences are called "arribadas", the Spanish word for arrivals. Watch the video and marvel at this rarely-seen biological wonder.
WCA TOURS
OUR PROGRAMS
Immerse yourself in our educational tours and activities. Take an adventure and dip your toes into our one day tours and activities. Dive into our Dive Deeper Expeditions. Book a tour that fits your area of interests. From sea turtle tours to wildlife photography to nature tours, we have a wide range of tour packages. Learn more about the Wildlife Conservation Association's tours and activities.
OUR EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS
Be ocean minded and reduce your carbon footprint with WCA sustainable apparel and merchandise. Say goodbye to the fast fashion industry and its unsustainable business practices and production processes. Be a knowledgeable consumer about a product's lifecycle and its impact on wildlife and the environment. Check out our sustainable and fashionable apparel and merchandise.
OUR MISSION
The Wildlife Conservation Association was established in 2018 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of sea turtles and other wildlife at the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica.
The Ostional Refuge is renowned for hosting large mass-nesting events and featuring the densest concentrations of sea turtles on Earth. The area’s burgeoning tourism-driven development threatens local wildlife, human health, and the economy. Our organization is protecting this important habitat by leading scientific research, community participation, and educational programs to enact comprehensive solutions to conservation challenges.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to be a guiding model in wildlife conservation by demonstrating community, economic and environmental benefits. We have achieved a lot so far, but our ambition goes further.
Our goal is to establish a campus which focuses on sustainability and protecting the environment. The Ostional Nosara Sustainability Campus represents an effort to fulfill the social, economic, and environmental needs of the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge and the communities that depend on it. This initiative will enable and strengthen the existing participatory conservation model by promoting collaborative initiatives for sustainable development in the area. The Campus will bring the local, expat and tourist communities and initiatives together to protect the environment and improve the quality of life in the area.
WCA SUSTAINABLE STORE
