JEKYLL ISLAND

SEA TURTLE ADVENTURE

[TRIP LENGTH: 4 DAYS]

Itinerary can be customized to fit within your time frame or budgetary needs.

On this school trip to Jekyll Island students will learn about the ecology of this unique habitat while volunteering with conservation programs. The natural environment of Jekyll Island is a magnolia–live oak forest canopy with a forest floor dominated by palmetto and scrub oak. The tidal creeks and streams of the salt marsh provide a variety of resources, including seasonal fish and shellfish. Explore the Georgia Sea Turtle Center where each program explores the adaptations, behavior, and threats for endangered sea turtles that inhabit Georgia’s coast, opening student’s eyes to the fascinating world of coastal ecosystems.

Trip Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrive in Jekyll Island, Georgia

You will meet your Appleseed Expeditions guide at the Georgia Turtle Center. Here the group will learn about current sea turtle research and rehabilitation programs. Later that afternoon the group will participate in shallow bay studies and conduct net pulls to analyze the inhabitants of the area’s marine habitats. Students will have the chance to collect small marine life to discuss and analyze before releasing. From here, your school group will head to your accommodations and get checked in before heading to dinner. This evening your group will participate in a night wade to observe the area’s nocturnal marine life.

Day 2 – Tidelands Nature Center and Eco Boat Tour

Following breakfast, visit the Jekyll Island Tidelands Nature Center for quick hands-on educational experience and see first-hand the many types of aquatic life that make their homes there. Following lunch the group will head out on the water for a shrimp boat tour. Student Groups are taken out into the coastal marshlands and rivers where it’s calm and safe. Trawl nets are placed in the water and pulled along the bottom with the boat. Then after a brief instruction, the group becomes participants in the experience by pulling the trawl net into the boat. A bounty of species is generally pulled up with the net and placed into containers. Our staff will give a complete presentation of the species caught, and then an opportunity is given to the group to personally examine the catch before carefully returning it to the water. A time of reflection will wrap up the night.

 Day 3 – Service Project and Head Home

After breakfast the school group will participate in a service project. This afternoon the group will spend time volunteering to help preserve the area’s natural habitat. In the afternoon the group will head out on a nature walk that will include visiting boneyard beach and a maritime forest.  Later in the day you will head home.

Add a day and explore the Gullah Culture in Sapelo Island or Explore Fort King George.

Itinerary subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control including availability with vendors, weather conditions and flight schedules.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center
  • Kayak and learn about marsh ecology
  • Take a tour on a working shrimp boat

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Qualified trip leader – Accompanying each expedition is a diverse team of experts from naturalists to regional specialists who will share their knowledge and insights on the wildlife, landscapes and local culture. Your guide is with the group 24/7 and also staying with you at the same hotel
Daily reflections lead by your tour leader
Overnight stays are in hotels with private bathrooms rated 4 star or more on Trip Advisor
All Meals are included but please note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
Tour Journal, T-shirt and Luggage tag
Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa.