At a glance
- This is a volunteer opportunity with Projects Abroad. Devxchange will assist you in choosing the right fit, raising funds with your own campaign page, issuing tax receipts to donors if project meets CRA criteria as a charitable activity. Devxchange will also assist you in onboarding with Projects Abroad.
- Explore Costa Rica’s lush tropical dry forest and contribute to valuable conservation work. It’s the ideal volunteer conservation programme for wildlife enthusiasts and budding conservationists.
- You’ll work in the Barra Honda National Park. Completing bird and monkey surveys, reforestation work and many other activities which will undoubtedly set you apart as someone committed to solving global conservation issues.
- You’ll live in host family accommodation with other volunteers, giving you the opportunity to bond as a group.
Details
- Biodiversity studies
- Reforestation work
- Maintenance work
Includes/Excludes
Food and Accomodation
- Food (three meals a day)
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
- Full induction and orientation by an experienced staff member on arrival
- Transport to and from your work placement
- In-country support and 24-hour back-up from our team of full-time local staff
- Emergency assistance from our international emergency response team
- Project equipment and materials, including access to our database with thousands of resources
- Training and workshops from our experienced local staff
- Regular social events and community activities with other volunteers and interns
- Access to our local office with internet connection
- Certification of project completion
- Access to our alumni services and discounts
- Visa support and advice
- Fundraising support, including your own personalized fundraising website with DevXchange
- Tax Receipts for your donors if activity meets CRA criteria for charitable activity.
- Pre-departure preparation by your own specialist Volunteer Advisor
- Personalized MyProjectsAbroad website, with all the information you need about your project, accommodation and destination
- A free cultural awareness course
- Membership to our volunteer social media groups, to share information and to get in touch
- Support to help you complete registration or internship documents, if applicable
Not Included
- Flights
- Visa Costs (where applicable)
- 10% Admin fee for donations involving tax receipts.
Itinerary
This environmental sustainability project is ideal for thrill-seekers. Living in the forest, trekking through dense vegetation, and exploring sprawling cave networks is an adventure lover’s dream!
Animal conservation volunteering work in Costa Rica’s tropical dry forest is also perfect for you if you’re interested in environmental science, at home or abroad. You’ll gain practical skills studying plants and animals, which is great preparation for a career in botany or zoology. You’ll also be working closely with some of the top minds in conservation.
You don’t need any skills or qualifications to join. You just need to be physically fit and comfortable getting your hands dirty doing practical work. Our local staff will be there to support you 24/7.
The project runs all year round, so you can join whenever it suits your schedule. The minimum duration is one week, but we recommend staying longer to fully immerse yourself in life in the forest and have an even greater impact.
The main aim of this project is to support Barra Honda National Park, which relies heavily on volunteer assistance. In line with this aim, your biggest task is collecting data to help inform the park’s conservation policies.
Despite being a relatively small country, Costa Rica contains 5% of the world’s species biodiversity. This means that a wide range of species rely on the ecosystems here to survive.
Experts estimate that around 90% of the forest around the park has been destroyed. The animals that live here are threatened by deforestation and climate change.
To help address these issues, we’ve created a specialised management plan for this project. This plan outlines long-term goals that our volunteers strive towards. These goals are:
- Collect data on indigenous species to give insight into effective conservation strategies
- Plant trees to restore the tropical dry forest ecosystem
- Raise awareness of the vital role this ecosystem plays to reduce negative human impact
Join us in Costa Rica and help us work towards our sustainable goals.
Your project work will run from about 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. You’ll usually have a long lunch break from 12pm to 3.30pm. These hours might be different for some early morning tasks.
You’ll start your day with breakfast at 7.30am. Once you’ve eaten your fill in preparation for a busy day, you’ll begin your work.
In the morning, you’ll usually do activities that involve more manual labor. This is to take advantage of the cooler weather before midday. This includes tasks like clearing trails or working in the tree nursery.
You’ll have a long break, giving you a chance to have lunch and relax before starting up work again in the afternoon.
Afternoon tasks include things like doing a monkey survey or setting up camera traps.
Food and Accomodation
This project is based in Barra Honda National Park, a wildlife reserve in the northwest of Costa Rica. The park is located in the Nicoya peninsula, about a 25-minute drive from the town of Nicoya.
You’ll stay in host family accommodation only around 1km away from the forest. This is the perfect place to take a step back from the hustle and bustle of daily life and connect with nature.
During your free time, you can relax in a hammock, beneath the leaves of towering trees. Or challenge a fellow volunteer to a board game. With very little internet access, it’s the perfect opportunity to live in the moment, connect with fellow volunteers, and experience something completely different.
You’ll stay with a host family, close to Barra Honda National Park. They will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs and have you teach them about your own culture. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Costa Rica and have a truly unique experience.
We will always try to let you live alongside at least one other Projects Abroad volunteer or intern at the same host family. In some cases you may share a room with a volunteer of the same sex and approximate age. Your room will be modest, but comfortable, clean, and safe. Your programme fees include three meals a day.
Find out more about our accommodation.
Leisure activities and free time
With more than 25% of its land protected in national parks, Costa Rica is a nature lover’s paradise. It has everything from volcanoes to tropical rainforests, and magnificent waterfalls to beautiful sandy beaches. This tiny country is also renowned for its biodiversity and boasts an array of wildlife.
Most of our projects are based in the vibrant city of Liberia, capital of the Guanacaste province. A striking mix of old and new, Liberia retains a rich colonial history, as well as being home to an array of modern tech companies and shopping centres.
Liberia is also a fantastic starting point for weekend excursions. If you’re a fan of the great outdoors, you’ll be able to explore the nearby Santa Rosa and Rincón de la Vieja National Parks.
You’re never far from the coast in Costa Rica. Spoilt for choice by the number of idyllic beaches, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for water-based activities like surfing, swimming, or scuba diving in your free time. In Liberia, you can get to many of the nearby beaches with a short bus ride.
There will likely be other volunteers in Costa Rica with you. So you can choose to explore on your own or as a group.
