Volunteer Programme

Volunteer Program

How to Prepare for JTP

What You Should Know Before Coming

• The Sea turtle nesting season here starts in March/April, peaking in June, July & August, and then finishes by November. The monsoon season typically starts in late December and finishes in February, and it varies slightly every year in recent times partly due to rapid climate change that is occurring all over the word.
• Pulau Tioman is a semi-remote island that lies off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, in the South China Sea. It is a nature reserve, ringed by beaches. The island is covered in tropical rainforests, home to butterflies, lizards, snakes and monkeys. On the east coast is Juara Turtle Project which is located in the Juara village.
• JTP is a people’s project! It operates an information centre for visitors to come visit and get an educational tour to learn about the work that is being done to help the sea turtle population. Throughout the year, volunteers come in to support and contribute to the sustainability of the project.
• We want you to do some reading or research about sea turtle conservation and Tioman Island before you come here so you can be familiar with the conservation issues sea turtles are facing on Tioman and other parts of the world. It will help put your trip here in context. If you are coming from another country with different culture, it is common to experience some “culture shock” when just arrive. It happens because life here is different from where you are living or working and it is normal to take some time to adjust and acclimate.
• JTP is different from hotels, guesthouses and some other, as we have activities and work which we expect you want to get involved in. However JTP is different from an all-inclusive program, as we do not plan activities for your entire day. During the day, you will help out at the project for anywhere between 3-4 hours and you will get to do your own thing for the other half day. The project facility and volunteering program is very free and open. There is a list of work to do, but take do your time to get comfortable with the location, materials and methods.
• We have a minimum stay requirement of 7 days 6 nights. Otherwise the time is too short for volunteers to learn and be train up to speed.
• All new volunteers will arrive on Sunday (starting from 2024) because of the volunteer program structure. This will allow JTP staff to prepare and properly orientate all volunteers

  

Requirements

General *

• Age 18 & above
• Good physical fitness & health

Coral Rehabilitation Project

• Valid SCUBA diving certification (Advanced or higher)
• Minimum 40 verified logged dives, with last dive done within last 6 months

* If you are under the age of 18, you are required to come with at least another friend and must print out a copy of the “JTP Memorandum of Understanding” form which will need to be signed by your parent or guardian, then brought to JTP and submit to JTP staff upon arriving at the centre.

  

What to bring

• Extra cash (Malaysian ringgit RM) to spend on dinner or buy items at the local convenience store.
• Please take note and plan ahead! Tioman island has only one ATM (money withdrawal machine) which is in Tekek village (30 minutes drive).
• Pack your clothes as if you are going camping for an extended period. Please also bring your own towel as we do not provide any. If you bring nice clothes, please remember to bring clothes for working that can get dirty/ wet because you will be involve in some manual/ outdoor work at some point.
• Strap-on sandals, or tennis shoes that you don’t mind getting wet are very useful. Sometimes we have to walk over incredibly slippery and wet rocks to reach certain beaches and other areas during boat patrol. Trekking/ sport shoes is important if you want to do some trekking while you are here.
• Bring torch-lights or head lamps that has red light function for beach patrol at night, but if you cannot we can provide you with one.
• Insect repellant, mosquito net, sun-protection cream/ spray, a hat or cap, personal medication if any.
• If you are feeling generous, you are welcome to bring working equipment/ items/ tools for the outdoors, kitchen, garden, rooms etc and donate to the project.
• Feel free to bring anything that you can share around.
• For example; food, candy, coffee/ tea and books too. Any type of books within a range of subjects are appreciated sea turtles, biology, novels, how-to, field guides , education etc. *If you are unsure about something that you are bringing, please communicate with us prior to coming so that we are able to advise you accordingly.

  

What to know Upon Arriving

• When you arrive to Tioman via ferry, get off at the Tekek village stop. To get across the island from Tekek to Juara, we encourage you to take a taxi car. On the street it will cost around RM50-60/ person or RM30/ person if sharing with more people.
• When you arrive, you will be showed to your accommodation and then a JTP staff will give a short orientation.
• Lastly, you will be brought around and get introduce to the project canter area/ facilities.
• Depending on your arrival time, your initial volunteer activities may differ. Do not worry because we do not expect you to know how to do everything and we will do our best to get you up to speed over time.
• The project canter will have volunteers and staff from many different countries. Take your time to get to know everyone and have an open mind to the new environment.

* The orientation will explain about the project and your time here, during that time we will also go over our liability papers and operating procedures. During the orientation, volunteers will be briefed on the currently on-going activities which can be anything related to research, community work, outreach programs etc.

  

Volunteer Activities

  

What else

• We “cannot guarantee sea turtles!” We do not keep any sea turtles because they belong in the ocean which is their natural habitat and there they are able to fulfil their roles & responsibilities in maintaining a balance ecosystem.
• If you only want to see and photograph sea turtles, we advise you to go on a snorkelling trip or scuba diving and you may have a better chance to see them.
• Volunteering and helping at JTP is contributing towards all the hard work that is being done in order for the natural population of sea turtles to rejuvenate. Then we can all go stand on the beach and be able to see nesting sea turtles all summer long.

  

Example of weekly schedule

  

Costs and Fees

“Staying with JTP costs more than a usual hotel or hostel, but it is less than an average volunteer program.”

*The Sea turtle nesting season here starts in March/April, peaking in June, July & August, and then finishes by November. The monsoon season typically starts in late December and finishes in February, and it varies slightly every year in recent times partly due to rapid climate change that is occurring all over the word.

Payment can be made upon arrival at the project and during orientation. We prefer to receive cash (RM), unless necessary we can discuss online bank transfers.

Your stay here includes:

• Volunteer programme activities, accommodation, facilities on site, breakfast and lunch, drinks (coffee, tea), drinking water, refrigerator, plenty of work to do, internet WiFi.
• Recreation equipment like kayaks, snorkeling mask, snorkel, fins, volleyball, frisbee, board games.
• Dinner is NOT included. There are a plenty of local restaurants nearby and we encourage our volunteers to support local restaurants/ café/ business in the village. The average cost of dinner is RM20-25.

  

Rooms

• • The dormitory style rooms has 6 single beds with two western-style bathrooms each. It can accommodates up to 6 people in each dormitories. Unless necessary or for group programmes, we can only accommodate 10 volunteers or less at a time.
  • Volunteer will be allocated to a room with the same gender volunteers.

• The couple rooms and the family room with private bathroom equipped with water heater.

  

How to get here

• Tioman Island is located around 32km off the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, on the border between the Johor and Pahang states of Malaysia.
• You can reach Tioman easily;
• By Bus/Car/Taxi and then a ferry from Mersing (Johor state) or Tanjung Gemok (Pahang state) ferry terminals
• or
• By Plane from Kuala Lumpur’s Subang Airport (This service is temporarily suspended) Important Note If you are travelling to Tioman by ferry, it is important to know that the ferry timetable with BlueWater Ferries from Mersing, changes daily, due to the tides. The ferry timetable for a particular month is only released around the 15th of the previous month, so it is therefore difficult to plan too far in advance. Another option would be travelling from TANJUNG GEMOK Ferry Terminal, which is a 40-minute drive north from Mersing.
• Below are the links for the bus, ferry and flight booking website:
  Bus: www.redbus.my
  Ferry: ww.cataferry.com | www.juaramutiararesort.com | bluewater.my
  Flight: www.sksairways.com