"5 y media de la mañana y suena el despertador, me visto aún durmiendo, ropa de campo olor a guano, botas y abrigo, salgo fuera, miro el cielo y el mar... 6 playas que censar. Desde arriba de cada una me acerco despacio, empieza sonando tic tic tic tic tic…. 253 lobos finos, 2 parejas de lobos chuscos, un macho arma su escandalo, y 3 pingüinos de Humboldt llegando del agua. Esa perspectiva de la punta, todo un desierto amarillo, una mancha de guanayes al fondo, hombres trabajando, un camión que va y viene cargado de sacos de guano. Luego pasar y discutir los datos de campo recogidos... compañer@s que llegan o se van, cada uno con su tarea y tod@s con esa sonrisa de trabajar con gusto, di que con lo que uno se ve en PSJ no es para menos. Guardo estas y otras memorias de esas dos semanas como voluntaria en PSJ, bonita experiencia."

"Punta San Juan will always hold a special place in my heart. I came to help penguins and left with a greater appreciation of marine ecosystems. The researchers, volunteers and guards are amazing people who are passionate about the reserve and the animals that live there, I feel very privileged to have met and worked with them."

"My experience at PSJ: Being able to help out with the Guano Harvest Project at Punta San Juan was a wonderful experience! I really enjoyed getting out into the field to help make a difference in the conservation efforts. The Staff at PSJ were all so nice and gave us chances to experience things most people only dream about. Seeing all of the wildlife in person is something I will forever be grateful for, and will never forget!"

"I volunteered with the project Aug.-Sept. 2012 and worked mainly on doing “tag checks” on the fur seals. It was an amazing experience in an out-of-this-world location. Having worked with Humboldt penguins, Inca terns, pelicans, and turkey vultures at the zoo, it was really special to be able to see them in the wild, and even better to be able to help protect them."

"Punta San Juan Reserve is an amazing place and I will be back. As a seasoned zoo professional, I work everyday to educate our public about the global conservation efforts done by field researchers and academia. At PSJ, I became friends with a great group of people and left having a greater respect for the work being done inPeru. It was great to see the Humboldt penguins in their natural habitat as well as the other animals which inhabit the region. My experiences have fueled the need to promote PSJ throughout the zoos and aquarium community and support the work being done at PSJ. I look forward to my next trip. Hopefully it will be soon."

"Traveling to PSJ was a once in a lifetime experience that I will always hold dear to me. Working with Humboldt penguins at the Santa Barbara Zoo I was able to give keeper talks twice every day to our guests and share their struggles and conservation efforts going on in Peru to help protect the species. Being able to go to Peru and see first hand and be a part of the conservation efforts was an extraordinary experience I was able to share with our guests and not only tell them what they could do to help protect the species but feel good that I am a part of that work."

"It is very hard to put into words the experiences that I had at PSJ. Being involved in such an amazing conservation project is truly rewarding. Being able to see the penguins, sea lions and other animals thriving in their natural habitat was an overwhelming experience. I can’t wait to go back and continue helping those remarkable animals!"

"Punta San Juan felt like a once in a lifetime experience. I hope it's not. It was a great adventure for me dealing with a little cold water, a few hours electricity, sometimes very cold but surrounded by very nice people in a beautiful piece of nature! I would like to come back one day to help doing counts or get some lobo experience."

"Fue una gran experiencia pasar tiempo en Punta San Juan, compartiendo con gente de diferentes lugares y viviendo el día a día de una punta guanera. Es un lugar donde es más que seguro que volveré."

"Proyecto Punta San Juan, un excelente espacio donde poder apreciar la vida silvestre y comprender sus relaciones, viví una experiencia inolvidable donde aprendí muchísimo en la mejor aula que se pueda tener: el aire libre!... con excelentes personas y profesionales. Espero volver pronto."

"The site is extraordinary. Every day was like the first day. I had this feeling of discovering each time PSJ. I spent a lot of time looking around me with binoculars. I have this amazing chance to see Humboldt penguins in their natural habitat, sea lions, fur seals, sea otter, dolphins, lizards ... and all the other birds. I was also able to realize the incredible work of workers who harvest the guano. I have a deep respect for those men who work very hard and are very careful as to animals. I felt small in relation to nature and men. This experience was very good thanks to those present. I would also like to once again participate, help, return to PSJ and I know I would."

"Punta San Juan was a location that I had spoken about with so many guests when speaking about penguin conservation that I felt as if I knew everything about it. When finally reaching Punta San Juan myself, I was shocked by not only the quantity of life on the small peninsula, but the amount of different conservation projects that occur. The way that people from all over the world and the many different conservation aspects work together and all benefit is truly inspiring."