Review Author: Mallory

Review Date: 29 May 2026

Review Body: Had a blast, learned a ton, and got several wonderful sightings of the birds! The guide explained a lot about conservation efforts, taught us how they support the wildlife, and even gave us tips for other things to do in the area (and taught us about the other birds we might often see). I wish I had come earlier in the trip so I could have enjoyed more sightings throughout our time in Bali! Highly recommend for anyone interested in wildlife conservation, birding, or simply getting away from the crowded tourist neighborhoods.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Samanvitha

Review Date: 17 Dec 2025

Review Body: We had the best time learning about the Bali Starling and the conservation tactics. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the subject!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Tara

Review Date: 21 Sep 2026

Review Body: The conservation team is lovely and welcoming. They do a good job of teaching visitors about the Bali Starling.

Review rating: 3

Review Author: David

Review Date: 17 Jul 2026

Review Body: I was lucky enough to arrive just as a nest was hatching. We dug the hatchlings out of the sand, separated them, gave them a gentle shower to clean them, and then placed them into one of the nursery pools, where they'll stay for about a month before being released into the ocean. We also helped the volunteers by cleaning the pools, which gave us a small glimpse into the work they do every single day. I encourage everyone to join this experience. You're not just watching from the sidelines. You're actually helping the local volunteers who dedicate their time to protecting these turtles and doing everything they can to increase their population. Sadly, their natural habitats are being damaged and reduced day by day, so conservation work like this is more important than ever. My only tip is to come with an open mind and don't expect a scripted tourist activity. Every day is different depending on what the turtles need. If you're as lucky as I was and get to witness a hatching, it's something you'll never forget.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Melanie Reber

Review Date: 29 Jul 2025

Review Body: We had never done anything like this before, but it turned out to be one of the most memorable and meaningful experiences of our entire trip. Yes, the price is relatively high, but every cent goes directly into the conservation project – and it’s absolutely worth it. All of the workers are actually local fishermen who now volunteer their time to protect the turtles instead of catching them. Their passion and dedication are truly inspiring, and knowing that our contribution supports such an important cause made the experience even more special. Helping to clean the turtle pools and then releasing the turtles back into the wild was simply unforgettable. It was emotional, educational, and incredibly rewarding. We highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting the area. It’s not just a tour – it’s a real contribution to wildlife conservation and a powerful reminder of how small actions can make a big difference. Don’t miss it!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Edward Freear

Review Date: 19 Jul 2024

Review Body: I went on the turtle conservation tour with my two nephews - Ketut was an excellent host and gave us great context to sea turtles in Bali, their volunteer-driven organisation and efforts to protect the Olive Ridley sea turtle population on the east coast of Bali. The cleaning of the storage areas for newly hatched turtles and release of the stronger turtles onto the beach gave a practical experience of their efforts and brought it to life for my nephews. Here is the review by one of them, aged 10: 1. My first reason why I liked the turtle conservation centre is because that it was really cool to see the baby turtles make their way into the water. 2. Also it felt really good to take part in helping the turtles on their journey to hopefully a wonderful life in the world. 3. Finally I loved cleaning the pool to help the turtles make their home a better and happy place while they stay there.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Candice

Review Date: 27 Jul 2026

Review Body: We did the sea turtle release with our two kids — a baby and a 5-year-old — and honestly it was magical. Both of them were completely captivated from start to finish. Getting to name our turtles before releasing them made it feel so personal and special, and watching them paddle off into the ocean had all of us emotional (in the best way). My 5-year-old is still talking about it. The experience is very hands-on and well-run — great for young children. It never felt rushed, and the team was warm and knowledgeable. July is apparently peak hatching season which made the timing perfect. Bonus: it's super close to Taman Safari, so we headed straight there after and made a full day of it. Highly recommend combining the two if you're visiting with kids! We'll definitely be back when the kids are older and can appreciate it even more. 10/10, don't miss this one.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Jess

Review Date: 08 Jul 2026

Review Body: 5/5! Wow! Ketut is fabulous and makes sure to balance education and experience. This was one of my favorite experiences during my 3 weeks in Indonesia. I was able to see a few turtles hatching; clean a tank; select, name, and release a baby; and do a little beach clean up (which is needed!). The facility is small but very well organized and all of the volunteers clearly care for the local turtles. The facility is also so clean and it felt good to see the turtle tanks in such good condition. My favorite part was actually cleaning one of the tanks. I know that I took way longer and was less efficient than the full time volunteers but they were kind and patient with me. I just loved scooping up all the babies in order to clean the tank and then put them all back. SO small, SO cute, and so much hope for the future! Keep doing good things!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Richards family

Review Date: 23 Aug 2024

Review Body: Having tried to find a similar turtle conservation effort when we visited Africa and being unsuccessful, we were a little nervous about how this experience would be. We were not disappointed. We saw baby turtles that had literally hatched that morning, we learnt some fascinating info about the turtles, we cleaned two tanks (we enjoyed cleaning the first one so much we asked to do another - you lift the baby turtles out with a net and then put each one back by hand), and we released four baby turtles into the sea. It was amazing to do our little bit to support these beautiful creatures and the team who are working so hard to protect them and increase their numbers. A wonderful morning - and a highlight of our trip! (We spent just under three hours at the centre but you could definitely do it in an hour and a half if pushed for time)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Ben

Review Date: 30 Jun 2026

Review Body: We really loved this experience! The guides told us a lot about sea turtles - ideal also for children who can easily understand why turtles are important and how to save them. All the staff is involved with so much heart and passion in the rescue of the turtles and telling people about the background. The conservation is only funded by donations and help from people coming to the conservation. We also helped cleaning the water basins and the sea turtles during our tour getting in touch with the little turtles. At the end we could choose one turtle and set it free to the sea. If you seek an ecological experience besides the touristic / instagram photo spots in Bali, where you can give back something to nature, you should choose this tour.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Catherine Simpson

Review Date: 06 Sep 2025

Review Body: We had such a wonderful experience at the Turtle Conservation Centre. They were so accommodating, even when we accidentally turned up on the wrong day, and welcomed us in with a smile. It was fascinating to learn all about the different species of turtles, their life cycles, and the important conservation work being done here. The highlight of the visit was getting the chance to release a baby turtle into the sea – such a special and memorable moment. A truly meaningful experience, and I’d highly recommend a visit to anyone who cares about wildlife and wants to support a great cause.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Hayley K

Review Date: 02 Oct 2026

Review Body: The turtle rescue and conservation experience was absolutely fantastic. We had a very informative talk with the chance to ask questions about turtles. The guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and inclusive. We then got to release the baby turtles and learnt a lot more about their life journey. The baby turtles were so gorgeous and our kids absolutely loved the experience. We were then able to clean out their enclosure by picking up all the turtles, washing out their enclosure, returning the turtles and feeding them. Highly informative and definite recommendation from us!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sita K

Review Date: 23 Oct 2024

Review Body: We had a really good experience at the turtle conservation in Bali. We had the opportunity to learn all about turtle conservation programs in all the different types of turtles. Visually, the presentation was really good and the presenter spoke great English. After this we had the opportunity to clean the tanks which was a great experience and quite involving which we liked and after that we released the baby turtle into the Wild. The whole experience was very beautiful and showed the true life cycle of turtle conservation in Bali. I would highly recommend.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sam and Dan

Review Date: 22 Sep 2025

Review Body: We opted for the program where we could help clean one of the tanks, participate in releasing baby turtles in the morning (when the sun is over the sea), along with having a private talk to learn more about Bali’s turtles and Saba Asri’s conservation efforts (we were on our honeymoon so didn’t mind paying extra for this). It was clear how knowledgeable the volunteers are and how much they care about the cause; they are doing as much as they can with limited resources, and we left feeling really inspired and full of admiration.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sara M

Review Date: 08 Oct 2025

Review Body: Saba Asri Sea Turtle Conservation was great, we released probably a 100 turtles today, just our group! Tourism is their only source of funding, please consider booking this tour as they are closed and with no income during the non hatching months. Everybody was so nice, education part was great and the cleanup is optional. Nobody pushes you to buy more, no pressure. It's run by volunteers who care! You can also reach out to them individually if you want to support beyond just the tour.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Emma

Review Date: 16 Jun 2024

Review Body: It was a great experience for the family and we had alot of fun! We were given the chance to clean the tank, and move the baby turtles back to the clean tank. We could choose the baby turtle that we wished to release. The team also shared interesting informatiom about sea turtles. We also wanted to thank the team for being so accommodating, we were stuck in a massive jam and was very late and the team offered to let us come at a later timing, it was very much appreciated!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Leanne

Review Date: 15 Aug 2025

Review Body: We booked this trip as a family of 4. Girls aged 6 and 9. We had a great experience and learned a lot about turtles and the importance of conservation efforts. The educational talk at the beginning was well presented by a knowledgeable volunteer who welcomed questions. The best bit was cleaning the tanks. So glad we booked this experience at an authentic conservation place. Every time we walk down the beach now the girls spot litter and pick it up.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Carrie

Review Date: 23 Jul 2025

Review Body: This place is doing great work with very little resourcing, it's quite an eye-opener to see these threatened species surviving and breeding in what is a very populated place with pollution, dogs, cars, all the busy life of Indonesia around. Cleaning the tanks and handling the turtles is great fun for kids - my boys (11 and 9) really got stuck into in. Releasing the turtles also very exciting! Good luck to them, I hope they all survive!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sara & Sofia

Review Date: 02 Feb 2025

Review Body: 100% worthy! We were very happy to participate on the Bali Heritage Dogs Experience program. We spent a good time, learn more about the Bali Dogs, and the incredible work being done towards their protection. We also got the chance to spend some good quality time taking them for a walk in the beach. It was lovely. We super recommend since it's a win-win-win situation: you learn, you support and you have fun!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Suyan

Review Date: 15 Jun 2024

Review Body: It was a short and pleasant experience where my family learnt more about turtles and the types that can be found in Bali and what we can do to protect these animals. I liked that the programme allowed us to experience some hands-on work which gave us a glimpse of what these people do everyday. My daughter especially enjoyed holding, choosing and naming her baby turtle that she released back into the ocean.

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: You will see the endangered Bali Starling and learn about it with conservationist

Itinerary Description: 10:00 Arrive at Utu village 10:15 Presentation “Bali Starling – The Critically Endangered” 11:00 Break (mineral water & snack provided) 11:15 Keeper Talk “Bali Starling Conservation at FNPF Besikalung Wildlife Sanctuary” 11:45 Bird watching at Bali Starling ex-situ habitat 12:15 Certificate presentation 12:30 End of program