Costa Rican Rainforest Village Volunteer Vacations

Stay and experience a volunteer vacation in a village adjacent to the Carara Biological Reserve, one of Costa Rica's most biologically-diverse National Parks. This spectacular rainforest has an enormous variety of plants, birds and animals, including Scarlet Macaws.

Volunteer Travel to Costa Rica and experience the Caribbean community

Visit the eastern, Caribbean-coast of Costa Rica. Live in a coastal community next to sandy beaches where sea turtles nest.

Volunteer Vacations in the Costa Rican Rainforest

The Road Less Traveled Rainforest Village Experience

Costa Rica is a cultural and natural paradise, but most travelers only see its impersonal and touristy side. Globe Aware's Costa Rica volunteer travel programs offer a unique opportunity to help small communities improve their well being and create a sustainable future in ecologically important areas.

Service Vacations: Volunteer Work Projects in Costa Rica

A decade ago, the government set aside land for the spectacular Carara Rainforest Reserve. The reserve borders a tiny village where volunteers are immersed. Although the villagers love their natural paradise, they have struggled to make ends meet as much of their farmland was taken over by the national park. They hope to create sustainable community-based tourism, and Globe Aware volunteers will work on community development projects to help them reach this goal. Volunteer vacation work projects are determined based on the community's needs at the time of your trip as well as prior group progress.

Projects will vary depending on the number of volunteers, which projects were finished with the prior group, what priorities have changed, weather conditions, which supplies are available, and often the interest and fitness level of the volunteers. For these reasons, specific projects are often not fixed until the week prior to your arrival and can even change upon arrival.

Some Completed Carara Rainforest Reserve Volunteer Work Projects:

• Built pedestrian bridges
• Buried and installed new PVC water pipe to bring new clean water source into community
• Painted school
• Built cabinas
• Planted hundreds of trees
• Built book shelves for school
• Built fence around school
• Set up First Aid center
• Made oil lamps to line public road
• Made and installed road signs to community
• Painted communal hall
• Built recycling stations
• Built waste receptacles
• Painted and installed identifying signs in rain forest

Projects will vary depending on the number of volunteers, which projects were finished with the prior group, what priorities have changed, weather conditions, which supplies are available, and often the interest and fitness level of the volunteers. For these reasons, specific projects are often not fixed until the week prior to your arrival and can even change upon arrival.

Globe Aware Volunteer Vacations to a Costa Rican Rainforest Village - Signup Now!

Meet some of Globe Aware's service vacation volunteer coordinators - click here.

Volunteer Holiday Food and Lodging

Volunteer vacationers do not live in squalor. Prior volunteers have constructed two darling "cabinas" in traditional Costa Rican style, furnished with fans & comfortable beds. These include Western-style bathrooms and showers, though the water is unheated - unlikely to be missed in the tropical climate. Volunteers are fed plenty of fresh, healthy, abundant, Costa Rican dishes. Electricity is available, though on a relatively limited basis.

Leisure Activities During Your Service Vacation

• Nature hikes
• Horse-back riding
• Cheese making
• Traditional sugar cane processing
• Bird-watching
• Incredible star gazing
• Coffee tasting
• Relaxing in a hammock

Click here to view a video made by one of our volunteers.

Arranging Your Volunteer Vacation Airfare

You will need to arrange to be at the meet-up point in San Jose by 12:30 on the Saturday your program begins. The program ends at 10:00 am the following Saturday and it takes approximately 4 hours to return to San Jose. The airport is one of the return drop-off stops our driver will make. Do not arrange a flight any earlier than 3:30 pm on the return trip.

For more on flight tips, click here

Globe Aware Volunteer Vacations to a Costa Rican Rainforest Village - Signup Now!

Costa Rica Caribbean Community Volunteer Vacation Experience

Service Vacations: Volunteer Work Projects in Costa Rica's Caribbean Community

Costa Rica's Caribbean community is surrounded by water on all sides and hosts a wealth of natural attractions, including sandy beaches where sea turtles nest. The local people are hoping to foster community development and pride by improving common facilities and infrastructure. They also hope to improve their livelihoods by finding alternatives to poaching endangered sea turtles and their eggs. Volunteer vacationers work with local community members to help with projects that they choose as important.

Some Caribbean community Volunteer Work Projects:

• Improve high school structure
• Create a recycling program and facility
• Build high school cafeteria
• Computer lessons
• Build butterfly, orchid, and dart frog sanctuary
• Maintenance and repair to municipal buildings
• Build playground, improve park
• Improve sports fields
• Clean beaches and build watchtowers
• Build sea turtle nurseries
• Arts and crafts with children
• Lending library

Projects will vary depending on the number of volunteers, which projects were finished with the prior group, what priorities have changed, weather conditions, which supplies are available, and often the interest and fitness level of the volunteers. For these reasons, specific projects are often not fixed until the week prior to your arrival and can even change upon arrival.

Globe Aware Volunteer Vacations in Costa Rica's Caribbean Community - Signup Now!

Volunteer Holiday Food and Lodging

Volunteer vacationers are housed in lovely "casonas", four bedroom three bathroom houses located right on the beach. Meals will be eaten with local families, and a wide variety of fresh fish, beans, rice, and fruit will be available.

Leisure Activities During Your Service Vacation

• Boat ride through canals to view wildlife
• Coconut oil and fish salting demo
• Swim at lagoon
• Play soccer
• Tour banana plantation
• Hair Braiding
• Salsa and Meringue lessons

Arranging Your Volunteer Vacation Airfare

You will need to arrange to be at the meet-up point in San Jose by 12:30 on the Saturday your program begins. The program ends at 9am the following Saturday and it takes approximately 3.5 hours to get you back to San Jose. You would not want to arrange a flight any earlier than 3:30 p.m. on the return. For more on flight tips, click here.

Safety and Security During Your Volunteer Vacation

Health and safety concerns are minimal at both program sites. As always, caution and common sense minimize risks. However, if you decide to travel independently to urban areas such as San Jose, special care should be taken to prevent pick pocketing when in crowded areas.

In 2007 there was a marked increase in the number of reported cases of dengue. San Jose and the Central Valley can be affected, which is the main airport you fly into to come to Costa Rica.

Malaria is also common in Costa Rica, especially in areas close to banana growing areas, which is where our Caribbean experience is located. To date we have not had any known incidents os volunteers who have had problems with malaria or dengue. However it is worth discussing this with a travel medicine doctor six weeks prior to arriving. More Safety and Security.

Globe Aware Volunteer Vacations in Costa Rica's Caribbean Community - Signup Now!