Volunteer Adventure

Areas:

Arenal – Samara Beach - All trips can be arranged to visit a variety of places

Duration:

8 Days / 7 Nights - All trips can be modified for any length of time and can start any day of the year.

Travel Type:

Wildlife Volunteer, Adventure, Photography, Nature

Route Highlights:

Mountains, Volcanoes, Rain Forest, Beaches

Tour Highlights:

Thermal Hot Springs, Full Day or ½ Day Volunteering with Wildlife, White Water Rafting, Canopy Tour Zipline, Hanging Bridges, Aerial Tram, Sea Kayaking, Sea Turtle Nesting (The Arribada EPIC Add On) – Note: All of our trips will be customized to your travel style and budget, this is just an example package. 

The Costa Rica Volunteer Adventure is one of our favorite packages! We combine a wildlife volunteering experience with nature, adventure, culture, and bring to you a unique and rewarding travel experience. There are several different areas that offer an opportunity for you to volunteer depending on your interests. When you are not volunteering, you are having FUN! We can customize this travel experience to your travel style and budget.

In this example Volunteer Adventure, we have combined a full day volunteering with monkeys, sloths, and other wildlife, added some adventure, and slipped in one of our EPIC Add-On’s, The Arribada. This is a life changing experience that few are lucky enough to see. In this example we also slipped in some white water rafting, canopy tour ziplines, some sea kayaking and more! In this sample Costa Rica package we are using either San Jose or Liberia as the arrival airport, and Liberia for the departure flight. We can work out the logistics for either airport, our trips are very flexible. Start with our Costa Rica Vacation Builder and your dedicated travel planner will be in touch with you within 24 hours. Note: These are SAMPLE packages, we will customize your package to suit your interests, travel style, and budget.

Day 1 – Arrival – Liberia (LIR) or San Jose Airport (SJO)

• Transfer to Arenal – You have the option of shared or private transfer on arrival. Private transfers offer more freedom and are more informative using our bilingual drivers/guides. Vehicles are equipped with WiFi and we make stops on the way to your destination. Shared shuttles are best when trying to keep the budget as low as possible, they do not make stops and the trip may take a little longer due to pick up and drop off of other travelers on the transfer.
• Travel Tip: If there are 4 or more in your group, private transfers start to be less expensive per person than many shared shuttle options.
• Check in Hotel – Depending on your budget, we will choose the best hotel for you. We like to use hotels in Arenal that offer hot springs; this saves money and gives a more well rounded experience while in the Arenal area.

Day 2 – Arenal – (B)

• Full Day or Half Day Volunteering with Wildlife – This hands-on one-day volunteer project puts you in direct contact with local fauna and flora in a very down-to-earth environment. We start with an easy 30-minute orientation walk through secondary rainforest that surrounds the wild animal rescue shelter to get to know the story behind this grassroots endeavor. This Rescue & Rehabilitation project was established about 16 years ago – The founder, Don Jaime del Castillo and his son Alvaro had a dream to turn the once-abandoned farm back into vibrant rainforest while providing a sanctuary for hundreds of species of birds and other wildlife. You will be put to work feeding a few of the animals such as wild boars, sloths, kinkajous, monkeys, caimans & more along the way, plus other helpful activities such as trail repair, cage building, painting, planting trees and more. Throughout the day you'll get a good understanding of how the project works to rehabilitate injured and abandoned animals & release them back to their environment.

Day 3 – Arenal – (B)

• Sky Adventures Combo – Canopy Tour Zipline, hanging Bridges, Aerial Tram - Traverse the cloud forest by way of hanging bridges. You will learn much about this amazing ecosystem as you enjoy a treetop view. Next comes the zipline canopy tour! Sky Trek starts with a tour in the Sky Tram to reach the top of the Arenal reserve, then begins a tour of adventure full of adrenaline above the treetops, which consists on a system of zip lines, that allows you to observe the rainforest and its landscape from a different perspective, safely in an innovative and different system. The tour includes 8 cross-sectional cables that together have a total length of 1.7 miles with distances from 100 to 2460 feet, and with a maximum height of 660 feet, which exceed the treetops providing a panoramic view of the Arenal volcano and lake.

Note: There are several tours available in place of this including Stand Up Paddleboard, Kayaking, Jet Ski on Lake Arenal, Mountain Biking, Cano Negro Boat Tour, Venado Caves Tour, Fishing on lake Arenal, Canyoneering, Waterfall Jumping, the possibilities are endless. Let your planner know your interests during the planning process to get the most out of your itinerary.

Day 4 – Arenal – Samara Beach – (B,L)

• Adventure Connection to Samara – Choice of Safari Float or White Water Rafting on the Tenorio River – The best way to get to your destination is partaking on a tour on the way! For this transfer we have a few options. Exciting white water action on the Tenorio river. This class 3-4 river will challenge you; the natural beauty of the area will exhilarate you! For those looking for something more relaxing, we can do a Safari Float. We approach a different section of the river for the Safari float, the focus is all about nature and the local eco system.
• Check in Hotel – We again hand pick a hotel for you based on your travel style and budget. We tend to look for small sustainable hotels and lodges on a Volunteer Adventure. We want you to get a real feel for the country so this is the approach.

Day 5 – Samara Beach – (B)

• Sea Kayaking & Snorkeling – Isla Chora – What better way to spend your day than kayaking to a deserted white sand beach? After a refreshing trip through the waves, Isla Chora is a close-by escape into a relaxing underwater world. Here, you are free to snorkel with tropical fish, splash in the clear waters, or simply sit and take in the rays. Bask in the balance of a tour that includes both holiday exercise and ease.

Note: There are several tours available in place of kayaking, talk to your travel planner to fine-tune your travel experience.

Day 6 – Samara Beach – (B,L)

• EPIC Add-On – The Arribada – Sea Turtle Nesting Tour – Ostional – Optional Tour – At Ostional you have the chance to witness an amazing natural phenomena called an ARRIBADA (arrival). An arribada is the time the sea turtles come to lay their eggs in staggering numbers for 2-4 days. A few hundred turtles, if not thousands, have been known to appear out of the depths of the sea to make their nests in the sand. The best time to visit Ostional is just before and during an arribada. These occur, as a general rule (not always), at the start of the last Quarter moon. At first, a few hundred turtles will come out on the beach followed by a steady stream of sea turtles for the next three days. Arribadas occur all throughout the year at least once a month, and in some months they may even happen twice! During the months of the rainy season, between June and December, you could see larger "arribadas". That means that the number of nesting turtles may be in the range of hundreds of THOUSANDS as opposed to tens of hundreds like the dry season months. We only offer this tour when there is an “arribada” happening. It is a sight that you will never forget. Don´t miss out on this extraordinary experience! Note: This is an optional tour. It is better to wait until you are here so we know what conditions are like. Turtle nesting goes along with moon phases and tides, your travel planner will know the best times of year to catch an Arribada.

Day 7 – Samara Beach – (B)

• Free Day / Optional Tour Day – We feel it is important to keep at least one free day in every trip we plan. We can of course fill each day with fun but the free day serves 2 purposes. The first, is to keep a day to just relax, maybe hit the beach, do some last minute shopping, it is nice to have a full day all to yourself. The second reason is that many times you might see a tour while you are here that we did not go over. Maybe a spur of the moment tour that you decide at the last minute. The free day allows you to fit in one of these spur of the moment tours.

Day 8 – Departure – (B) – Liberia (LIR)

• Transfer to Airport – Shared or private transfer to Airport. As your adventure ends, you will already be planning your next trip. Many of our clients come from referrals or are repeat travelers looking to get the most out of their travel time and money. Contact us today and start planning your adventure!

Note: The cost of any of our packages or trips largely depends on the hotels chosen during the planning process. Depending on your travel style & trip budget, we will fine-tune the trip so you can afford an incredible travel experience at the price you want. Contact us today and your dedicated travel planner will be in touch within 24 hours. This is just one small example of what a volunteer adventure can be. Ask about what volunteer opportunities are available to you.

Covid-19 Travel Update - For those wanting to travel but stay away from crowds as much as possible we can make the entire trip private. Private transfers, private tours and guides, this limits exposure to other travelers while you are here. Let your travel planner know if you are interested in this extra level of safety. Private itineraries also give a more in depth experience, having the guides all to yourself gives you more time to learn about our amazing country.