U18 Trip - Turtle and Conservation - October half term
Greece

You will be part of the Pod Volunteer Under 18 team spending 1 week getting involved in conservation in Greece! You will be supported by team leaders from the UK who will be living with you on the beautiful island of Kefalonia. It's open to all 16-17 year olds and is also an ideal trip to complete your DofE Gold Residential.

You will have exciting conservation activities every day, including a mountain national park survey, bird surveys, harbour surveys of adult turtles, drone surveys and a clean-up. These activities will be accompanied a series of educational presentations about turtles and conservation.

By October, the turtle nesting and hatching season has finished so it's not a time to see baby turtles. We will get to see adult turtles in the bay of Argostoli from the harbour front!

There is also plenty of time to relax and enjoy the island, and you can find out more about free time in our location section.

What will I be doing?

National Mountain Park Survey

We will visit Mt. Ainos, the highest point on the island at 1,628 metres. We will learn about the wildlife and endemic species and help the team from the National Park with their data collection of tree locations and dimensions to monitor growth rates. We will hike a trail while enjoying the incredible views, identifying species along the way as well as recording bird calls. 

Bird surveys

Kefalonia’s coastal areas support over 100 bird species. The aim of the bird surveys is to identify and understand the abundance of the coastal bird species using timed transects or point counts, and reporting sightings of coastal and pelagic birds using the eBird app. The data contributes to Cornell University’s eBird citizen science program as well as the Ainos National Park database. 

Harbour surveys of adult turtles

Over 300 adult and sub-adult sea turtles swim in the bay of Argostoli. Every morning, many turtles visit the town harbour, where fishing boats return with the morning's catch.

During harbour surveys, you will walk along the harbour front and observe the turtles and record information about their foraging, social behaviours and any health concerns. We will also take part in a drone survey of the harbour trying to spot turtles and any potential threats to them.

Paddleboard exploration of seagrass meadows

Seagrass meadows are a more effective carbon sink than the rainforest and play a critical role in combating climate change. They form an important ecosystem, providing habitats for many species including turtles, monk seals and several types of fish.

Weather and sea condition permitting, we will get to do a seagrass exploration session, where we sit / lie on paddleboards and at times use masks to view beneath the surface. We will move slowly across areas of seagrass in fairly shallow waters, helping to map the sea floor and seagrass. You will wear life jackets and you will be accompanied by safety supervisors, on the land and sea.

Clean-up

The island of Kefalonia is susceptible to plastic pollution and waste which affects turtles, sea birds and many other marine and terrestrial species. The team carry out regular clean-ups which you will help with.

Presentations

You will receive presentations which cover the aims of the conservation work, scientific methods you are using, sea turtle biology, turtle rescue and drone use in conservation.

Requirements

You should be able to do walks of up to 5km and should be a confident swimmer.

Other participants

There are up to 20 participants, accompanied by Pod team leaders.

If coming with friends, you may be mixed into different work groups for the volunteering shifts. You’ll be together for most of your free time and, for 2 friends of the same sex, we will accommodate you in a room together.

Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) award

This placement has been approved by the DofE as meeting the requirements for the Residential section of the Gold Award.

Local support

You will have dedicated leaders from the UK who stay at the resort with you. You will be working alongside the local conservation team, including field leaders and assistants.

Accommodation is provided in shared rooms in a lovely family run resort located on the coast between Argostoli and Lassi.

Rooms can sleep up to 3 people, on a single sex basis. Each room has an ensuite bathroom and kitchenette. The resort is right by the coast and has a great outdoor area with pool, a perfect place to relax and enjoy the sunset!

Meals

Meals are included and here are typical examples of the food you will have:

• Breakfast – items are provided for you to make your own breakfast, such as cereals, milk, yoghurt and fruit
• Lunch and dinner – meals are normally served at the resort restaurant including dishes such as baguettes, pizza, burgers, souvlaki (kebabs), chips, Greek salads!

Vegetarian options are available. Unfortunately it’s not possible to cater for vegan diets or those with nut / gluten / dairy allergies on this trip.

There is drinking water available in the rooms.

You will need to fly into Kefalonia (EFL) where you will be met on arrival by your team leaders.

Location and free time

Kefalonia is a beautiful island in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. It's a really special place to have as the backdrop to the conservation activities and there are lots of opportunities to enjoy the island as well!

The resort is located between Argostoli and Lassi and there are stunning beaches nearby as well as beautiful sunset views looking towards the peninsula of Lixouri. During the week, we will have some organised walks into the town of Argostoli, where you can spend time browsing the shops and enjoying the harbour front and town square.

Climate 

Kefalonia has a Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and dry, hot summers with long sunny days. In October, temperatures usually average around 20°C.

Kyla

“I recently had an amazing experience volunteering for the Turtle Conservation Trip in Kefalonia, Greece, organized by Pod Volunteer. The opportunity to contribute to the conservation efforts for loggerhead sea turtles was truly inspiring. The team at Pod Volunteer provided exceptional support and guidance throughout the trip, ensuring that every volunteer felt prepared and valued. 

Our days were spent learning about the turtles' behavior, and assisting with beach clean-ups, all of which provided valuable insights into marine conservation. The accommodations and facilities were comfortable, and the local cuisine was a delightful addition to the experience. 

I highly recommend this trip to anyone passionate about wildlife and conservation, as it offers a meaningful way to make a positive impact while exploring the beautiful island of Kefalonia.”

Callum

“It was a very good trip as it taught me the value turtles have on the environment and why we need to support their habitats. The researchers helped set it were very insightful about the topics of seagrass and turtles.

The food and service was great and the staff that worked there were very hospitable with the food they made being great every time”

May

“From the moment I signed up to volunteer with pod, I felt fully supported and any questions I asked were quickly answered. I joined the under 18s turtle conservation project, it was my first time travelling alone, and the experience has been amazing. 

One of our leader met us off the plane at the airport, immediately welcoming and they were all really helpful from then right to the end of the week, making sure I had managed to make it through the airport alright. Any issues we had through the week, including medical issues in the heat, the leaders did everything they could to sort. 

The whole experience, from booking to actually volunteering was straightforward and amazing. It's definitely an experience I will take with me for life.” 

Elise

"The Under 18s week in Kefalonia doing Turtle and Conservation was a fantastic once in a lifetime opportunity. The leaders were so helpful during the lead up to the trip and throughout the week to made sure everything went smoothly. I really enjoyed all the activities such as harbour surveys, beach walks and surveys. 

The team from gave educational and interesting presentations which helped us with the voluntary work but also provided us with more knowledge of marine life and conservation. 

I met so many amazing people and have been inspired to do more marine conservation in the near future!"

Elizabeth

“I had an amazing experience with pod volunteer, it was efficient and stress free making it easy to enjoy the work we did. Communication was fantastic from the moment I signed up and I wasn’t worried once about what the plans were! 

Loved the educational lectures that came along with the practical side, it taught me so much and I had a great time!”

Millie

“Offers a wide range of activities along with a healthy amount of free time. The views were beautiful and tranquil. Everything was very well organised and I would highly recommend this trip!”

Katie

"I absolutely loved going to Kefalonia to do turtle conservation as part of my Gold DofE residential. Our pod volunteer leaders were so nice and helpful. Booking this was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I went with my friend Gabby but we both made lots of new friends who we are so close with now. I also loved exploring Argostoli"

August

“Absolutely amazing, one of the most inspiring weeks of my life, would highly recommend. Very well organised, thank you to podvolunteer!”

Sophia

“All the staff were lovely, a really nice atmosphere, perfect balance between work and free time. Food was lovely. Would definitely recommend.”

Erin

“Enjoyed my time so much, that I am even considering volunteering during my gap year. The leaders were very kind and welcoming.”

Paula - parent 

“Really fabulous educational and fun opportunity for 16-17 year olds to do Gold residential for Duke of Edinburgh, or just for the experience! As a parent, I had no concerns as the communication and organisation is excellent . Staff very supportive. My daughter had such a positive experience from the week..she loved everything about Turtle conservation. Thank you to the Pod team for everything.”

Colette - parent

"My daughter Elise loved the U18s trip to the turtle and marine conservation project in Kefalonia. The organisation both in the run up to trip and during the visit was excellent with fantastic leaders. Elise has talked so much about the conservation activities and everything she has learnt. Elise is really keen to go back to the project. Such an amazing experience for a first trip abroad (without parents) which will leave lifelong memories. "

Caroline - parent

“Our 17yr old daughter is just back from Kefalonia having attended there. Turtle conservation for her Duke Of Edinburgh Gold. She had the most amazing time. There was a great balance of work and down time, she raved about the experience from start to finish. 

All of the Pod Volunteer staff were fabulous and I found the daily updates very reassuring considering this was my daughters first trip abroad without any family.

Our daughter made some great new friends and made unforgettable memories which she will treasure for a long time. A brilliant success.”

Joe - parent

“Our daughter had an amazing time and we are very grateful to pod volunteer for the opportunity. Everything was well organised and well communicated. Activities were varied and well supervised with lots of relevant education. There were also opportunities for free time which they enjoyed. She made loads of friends and enjoyed mixing with people to similar outlook to herself. Thankyou pod volunteer- we would highly recommend.”

Sharon - parent

“My daughter really enjoyed the whole experience. Any questions, issues or problems that we had before she went was dealt with quickly and efficiently by the Pod team.”

Angela - parent

"My daughter had an amazing week in Kefalonia. She visited as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. As a step towards independent travelling I would highly recommend Pod Volunteer."

Stephen - parent

“Pod Volunteer was great from start to finish for our daughter. They are very organized and responded quickly to queries. She had a lovely time in Greece and learnt a lot about the turtles and their habitats.”

May - parent

"An excellent independent experience for my 17 year old daughter - she loved every minute and I was reassured by the emails home and her rapport with the leaders - would highly recommend - she is even thinking about volunteering next year for a gap year!"

August - parent

"This has been such an amazing experience and opportunity which our daughter thoroughly enjoyed, thank you so much. A great balance of activities and free time, lots of interesting talks on elements of conservation with hands on conservation tasks too. A great group of young people to be away with and fantastic leaders. A gorgeous location, good facilities nearby to explore independently as well as trips further afield by ferry and coach. Would totally recommend to anyone considering this trip!"

Jane - parent

“Very well organised, fantastic experience which was extremely informative, fun and inspiring. The staff were supportive and friendly. The food throughout was good, variety of activities and even trips to local sights. As a parent we received some updates during the week too. Highly recommend this trip.”

August - parent

“My daughter had an amazing time with pod volunteer. I had a query whilst they were away on the conservation and emailed pod volunteer who replied to my email almost immediately. I am so glad my daughter did her turtle conservation trip through pod volunteer. They were well organised and responded to any queries really quickly. My daughter enjoyed an unforgettable experience and would go back in a heartbeat She thoroughly enjoyed all the activities.”