General Information: Cabo Blanco National Wildlife Refuge was declared a Protected Natural Area in 1963.  It was  one of the first protected areas in Costa Rica and was established by two Swedish citizens, Nicholas Wessberg and his wife Karen Mogensen.  Cabo Blanco is particularly important for seabird conservation and represents one of the most dramatic and important marine habitats on the entire of Pacific coast of Costa Rica.  Cabo Blanco is characterized by a deep blue sea, intense vegetation extending to the edge of the coast, interesting geological formations, varied wildlife, and lots of low tidal lagoons which are home to several species of marine organisms. The reserve has a dry tropical forest in transition to rainforest mostly secondary (regenerated).

Location: The reserve is located at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in Puntarenas province.  It is in the same general area as Montezuma, Santa Teresa, Cóbano and other protected areas such as Romelias’ National Wildlife Refuge and Karen Mogensen Wildlife Refuge.

Volunteer Work:, Volunteer tasks vary from day to day and the volunteer coordinator assign tasks based on a variety of factors.The work can vary in duration and physical effort.

• Facilities repair and cleaning.

• Trail Maintenance and construction.

• Assistance in Eco Tourism Programing.

Specific Projects:

• Support for the Environmental Education Program (Environmental Educator Assistant).  In collaboration  with teachers in local schools, this program focuses on the preparation of academic materials for the purposes of conservation and environmental education of local school children.

• Free project for students or professionals. Sea Turtle monitoring and nest management is available on a seasonal basis.

Minimum participation: 15 days.

Food, accommodation and other specifications:
The food is typical homestyle Costa Rican cooking that consists basically of rice, beans, fresh vegetables and fruit.  Typical salads are made of lettuce, tomato, sweet pepper, onion, mushrooms, corn, cilantro, celery, cucumbers, beet.  Pastas and meats are also common with homestyle Costa Rican Food. Volunteers will be staying in the volunteers quarters, which is separated from the ranger’s house. The volunteer quarters are dormitory style basic conditions, that provide a comfortable place to relax in an extraordinary natural oceanside landscape. There is electricity, water, telephone and wireless internet. There is also a washing machine available for volunteers. Additionally, a bus departs from Cabo Blanco to Montezuma twice a day.  Our program gives each volunteer an itinerary at  arrival with all information for the projects and other needed information. Volunteers have one free day per week.