Horseback riding and ecotourism assistant

location
1 - 10 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Outstanding 5  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

Highlights

  • Experience a way of living where horses and people are strongly connected in Manialtepec, they call themselves "caballerangos", the whole village are horses caretakers
  • Learn from a ecotourism project based on hikking and horseback riding. The local group can teach you how to ride a horse, their daily needs in freedom and other activities in nature
  • Show your passion helping the community to learn english, to reach more people through social media for their sustainable development, give environmental workshops to the children, ...
  • Immerse with a family in the traditional way of living, buying handmade tortillas, eating eggs from happy chickens, drinking milk from free cows...
  • There are plenty places to enjoy in Manialtepec: the bioluminiscence in the lagoon, the thermal waters, the mountain with amazing views, the beach Puerto Suelo, ... And Puerto Escondido is close by!


Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+

About the program

Be part of a traditional coastal community surrounded by horses living in freedom. Support with respectful environmental activities and connect with horses and nature.

Manialtepec is a small village governed by custom and practice. They are their own authority in the village, they produce fruits, vegetables, milk, cheeses, corn, ... They are kind and warm to visitors as they like to show what they built in their community.

Most of the community were focused ...

About the program

Manialtepec is a small village governed by custom and practice. They are their own authority in the village, they produce fruits, vegetables, milk, cheeses, corn, ... They are kind and warm to visitors as they like to show what they built in their community.

Most of the community were focused on livestock farming and agriculture, but your host family, started to develop ecotourism. They were the first family who started to bring visitors to Manialtepec, showing the community that it's possible to live from the land without exploiting it. After that, many groups started to develop some activities to show the beauty of their community and landscapes, starting ecotourism as a way to live without exploiting their land. Before that, they were using horses to carry tools, harvests, or themselves, and they changed their function to do horseback riding, as a way to do ecotourism a few days per week, while horses are living ifree in nature the rest of the time.

During the tours, they talk about nature, traditions, the importance of the ecosystems, the needs to care the enviroment and their community... They show the true beauty of the planet.

This local group owns 50 ha of a forest full of wildlife, where they need hands to make reforestatons and to improve their conservation activities.

The main activities of this volunteering program are:
  • To support in ecotourism activities such as: caring horses, giving support during the tours, cleaning along the way to the beach or thermal waters, ...
  • English lessons to local guides, helping them with material for social networks, ...
  • To make environmental workshops in the school
  • To support in activities in the land: sometimes, the village and people has to do volunteering work for the community, called tequio, and you will participate in those actions.


Typical day

In the community, the day starts very early, at 7, when the sun is rising, you will hear the sounds of the rural life: birds, women making tortillas early in the morning... Let's prepare yourself for the day.

After having a small breakfast, you will cross the river to check the horses in the morning, ...

Typical day

In the community, the day starts very early, at 7, when the sun is rising, you will hear the sounds of the rural life: birds, women making tortillas early in the morning... Let's prepare yourself for the day.

After having a small breakfast, you will cross the river to check the horses in the morning, giving them some water, and preparing them for the sunset, when it's planned to walk with them to the beach. If you don't know how to ride a horse well, you sill use this time to learn it until you can help the group how to help visitors to manage their horses. Some of the guides can talk a bit in english, but sometimes, your knowledge of the place as you were a bit more than them living in Manialtepec, will help them to explain things that they have a hard time to express

Enjoy the sunset in the beach, ride with your horse, love the moment, enjoy the people, listen the Pactific Ocean, look at the crocodiles hidden into the mangroves and be amazed by the colored birds along the way. Manialtepec has a lot to offer.

Most of the days, there will be extra activities that will depend on the community work: you can support in giving some english lessons to people, environmental workshops with the children, making traditional cheese or bread, cleaning hikking routes, reforestation activities, ...


Free-time activities

There are plenty of options to enjoy your free time just inside the community. You can go to the river, to the beach, you can hike to thermal waters, there are tours to see bioluminiscence in the night in the lagoon (the water shines!)... You can enjoy living with the community, learning to do ...

Free-time activities

There are plenty of options to enjoy your free time just inside the community. You can go to the river, to the beach, you can hike to thermal waters, there are tours to see bioluminiscence in the night in the lagoon (the water shines!)... You can enjoy living with the community, learning to do mexican food.

Nearby, there is Puerto Escondido, a surfer city full of life, nice bays to swim, and nice restaurants to eat.


Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (intermediate level)

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

Any skill that you would like to share will be helpful for us :)

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

What's Included

What's Included

Services by Tartarukus

With your contribution you will be provided of:
  •  Airport pick-up
  •  Accommodation and food. If you are vegan or vegetarian, or you have any allergies, sometimes you will have to make your own food, since you will eat what your family is eating.
  •  A coordinator who lives in the community and can help you with communication issues.
  •  Horseback riding activities when there is any group to attend.

After paying the reservation through Volunteer World, the best way to make your economical contribution is Mexican pesos in your arrival date. If you would like to do the payment by bank transfer in euros, is also possible, but it will be 10% more because of currency exchange and bank commissions.

Airport Pickup at Puerto Escondido Airport

We can pick you up in Puerto Escondido airport or bus station :) from 9.00 am to 17.00

Accommodation

The place where you live will be some rooms prepared for visitors. The owners are people from the community who works for ecotourism with their horses living in a huge land in Manialtepec, You will cook and live with them.
The rooms can be shared between two or three volunteers. They have two double beds per room.

Food & Beverages

Your host family will provide you:
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner: These meals will be the same as they eat, usually they are typical oaxacan food (entomatadas, quesadillas, soups, pozole, fish, black beans, rice, eggs,...)
If you are vegetarian or vegan, you will have the possibility to cook your own food, but you will have to buy the things that you would like to prepare.

Internet Access

Good access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Puerto Escondido Airport (PXM) in Puerto Escondido. We assist you to find cheap flights to Mexico. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Mexico provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Mexico you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Mexico. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

We can pick you up from monday to saturday in Puerto Escondido airport between 10.00 to 15.00 

Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

1 week (min. stay) 522€
2 weeks 1,044€
10 weeks (max. stay) 5,000€
Average fees 511€/week

Program fees

511€ per week 1 - 10 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES


Duration

1 - 10 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with Tartarukus during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


Meet your organization

Tartarukus

Outstanding 5 rating (27 reviews)

Non-profit - founded in 2021

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Beatriz

About the project

Conservation of millions of sea turtles by patrolling the beach, relocating nests and monitoring sea turtle females on the beach.

Meet your organization

Numerous local groups are developing their own projects to preserve important natural areas or endangered species in Mexico. Many of them are well focused or have an enormous potential to develop ecotourism (or sustainable tourism), raising money from visitors to continue their work. 

For this reason, Tartarukus was born to strengthen these conservation groups by offering them environmental technical consulting and promotion or their work, using digital media, social networks and developing a web platform to demonstrate the environmental work of the local groups and the services that they offer to visitors.

Our main objectives are:

  • to maintain and improve conservation activities in the groups such as vigilance and patrolling of natural areas, monitoring species, protecting nests or reproductive areas of specific species, developing an environmental education program in the communities, etc.
  • to enhance intercultural exchange in order to give a new perspective to solve environmental and social problems,
  • to raise awareness worldwide of the environmental situation in the natural areas in the South of Mexico,
  • to show the importance of the work of the local people for its conservation,
  • to demonstrate how people can fund these conservation projects through ecotourism.

Our allied local groups are:

  1. Centro Ecoturístico Escobilla. This group of 13 people from the Escobilla community in Oaxaca have been working for the conservation of sea turtles by relocating nests and monitoring the females on the beach. They have been protecting the Sanctuary Playa Escobilla for 17 years in which more than 2 million sea turtles are nesting every year, doing everything without almost no income, showing their incomparable perseverance and will for the conservation.
  2. Servicios Ecoturísticos La Ventanilla. This group is certificated as Paraíso Indígena, and they dedicated their efforts in the conservation of the american crocodyle, whitetail deer, three species of sea turtle (green, leatherback and olive Ridley sea turtle) and the mangroves of the lagoon.
  3.  El Gavilán ADVC. El Gavilán is a Donated Area to the Conservation (ADVC) in Cozoaltepec community, Oaxaca, composed of the land of more than 30 people of the community. Since 2014, they are monitoring, patrolling and reporting incidents in the jungle of El Gavilán in order to avoid poaching and deforestation.

Here, you have the possibility to join us into a wild experience, protecting thousands of sea turtles nesting at the same time, monitoring hundreds of crocodiles, in a very safety way, and walking in a jungle full of wildlife (cougars, ocelots, toucans, ...) by our hands and the hands of indigenous conservation groups. 

We are looking for people, groups or organizations who want to take actions which regenerate the environment, Always being flexible, open minded and willing to live together in a very different people and environment. It is required to have a physical condition enough to patrol the beach

27 reviews · rating5

Anna-Marie Liebeke rating5

2023 at Horseback riding and ecotourism assistant

best experience i’ve ever had! everyone was so kind and welcoming, everyday something new to see! the family was amazing. can recommend it to everyone. i would do it ...
The 15 days sea turtles and wildlife conservation trip was an awesome experience. I would like to thanks Beatriz, for all the activities were well-planned. She is also very knowledgeable in the notion of wildlife animals (learned a lot from her)... I was able to participate in holding workshops for ...
Chieh Wei Huang rating4.6

2024 at Turtle Conservation Supporter

We could only make it for a 6-day volunteering adventure in Oaxaca, Mexico. Therefore Beatriz who runs Tartarukus offered us a compressed version of what was originally a 15-day sea turtle and wildlife conservation tour. Despite not being the prime season for sea turtles to nest in June, Beatriz ...
Alicia Pannecière rating5

2023 at Sea turtle and wildlife conservation trip

Un voyage que je ne suis pas prête d'oublier ! Mon expérience a été pleine d'émotions dans un Mexique authentique et au plus proche de la nature. Béatrice s'est toujours montrée réactive, les coopératives étaient très accueillantes et toujours prêtes à conseiller et à aider pour que je ...
Une des meilleures expériences de ma vie ! Le programme est complet, très intéressant et bien organisé. Nous vivons chez les locaux au cœur des communautés et pouvons approcher et protéger différents animaux. Je recommande fortement ...
Susana Lapeña rating5

2023 at Turtle Conservation Supporter

Fuimos en familia y fue una experiencia fantástica. El trabajo muy interesante, aprendimos mucho; la estancia con las familias fue encantadora, nos involucramos con las comunidades y vivimos con ellas su día a día. Todas las personas que nos atendieron eran geniales, muy abiertas y hospitalarias. ..

Location

Americas > Central America > Mexico > Santa Maria Tonameca

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