Zulu Five - Camaronal environmental project

The Nicoya coastline, in north-west Costa Rica is somewhat of a paradise: picture-postcard beaches are lapped by azure waves and backed by tropical coastal forests. There’s little wonder our latest team were in such a hurry to ‘get out there’. In fact the destination for their environmental project, Camaronal wildlife reserve, is one of the newest protected areas in the country. Tucked away in a remote part of the Nicoya Peninsula between Carrillo and Islita, Camaronal encompasses dry tropical forest, mangroves, a series of beaches and a rich marine environment. It’s home to four different species of endangered turtles – Olive Ridley, Leatherback, Black and Hawksbill – and, for the next 2.5 weeks, our Raleigh beach brigade.

Turtles lay eggs on the beach all through the year. In 2008, over 5,000 turtle nests were identified during the period of June to November on this 3km long beach. The team will be helping with the turtle egg collection, hatching and releasing, preparing nurseries and helping removing debris and driftwood from the beach so pregnant mums can access the nicest nesting spots. They’ll also be taking shifts for nocturnal beach patrols – turtle eggs are highly prized for their aphrodisiac properties and are frequently poached from unpatrolled beaches. Happily though, the cool sea breezes and blanket of stars above should make those late-night sessions almost bearable…

But that's only half the story. Camaronal has only just starting developing the infrastructure necessary for conserving and protecting this beautiful area, but there’s plenty to get stuck into already. Under the guidance of Nelson, the administrator of the park, Raleigh is undertaking an ambitious project to create a path to a stunning mirador on a hill above the beach. Last year, Raleigh expedition 9L constructed the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ – a set of steps up to the mirador platform. This time, the team will be hard at work cutting, clearing and paving a 2.5km trail behind the beach, to connect to the stairway without disturbing the nesting turtles on the beach below.

Highlights including a bridge built entirely from driftwood, the construction of a castaway camp in the dry scrubland behind the beach. and possibly some land art will provide lots of creative opportunities for this lucky team, if they can tear themselves away from the sunrises, sunsets and baby turtles.