7 Of The Best Volunteer Opportunities In Costa Rica

Dense jungles, diverse wildlife and glistening beaches make Costa Rica one of the pearls of the world. With over 1.7 million annual visitors pouring into the Central American hotspot, many fall in love with the natural beauty and wish to volunteer. Whether you are looking to work with marine life or repair orphanages, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities. Make a difference in this vibrant and colourful country with these seven volunteer opportunities in Costa Rica.

Best Volunteer Opportunities In Costa Rica

1. IVHQ – Nationwide

With International Volunteer Head Quarters, you have a whole host of opportunities at your fingertips. Prospective volunteers can choose from childcare, turtle conservation, not to mention teaching English and more. In addition to being one of the country’s largest volunteer organizations, their window for taking volunteers is open year-round.

2. Oyster Worldwide – Paradise Beach

Costa Rica is known for its gorgeous marine life, in particular, sea turtles. Mass nesting migrations in addition to a Pacific and Caribbean coast make the it a hotbed for sea turtle life. By volunteering with Oyster, you can ensure that the delicate population of sea turtles stays intact by helping them to hatch and make it sea.

3. Greenheart Travel – Animal Rescue Center – La Fortuna

Costa Rica is one of the world’s most biodiverse locations and home to hundreds of its own native species found only in Costa Rica. Because of this, Costa Rica is dedicated to preserving its wildlife and maintaining its level of biodiversity on land and sea.

Help care for these wild animals at Greenheart Travel’s Animal Rescue Center in La Fortuna. At this family-owned animal rescue, you’ll be working with everything from parrots to boars on rehabilitation so that they can return to their natural habitat.

4. Green Life Volunteers – Organic Farming – Osa Peninsula

Put on your garden gloves contribute to the world of sustainability and organic food with Green Life Volunteers. With Green Life, you will pitch in with planting crops, tending to the animals, milking cows, work on medicinal herbs, prepare meals, and so much more. This is an opportunity to lend a hand to the farming structure in Costa Rica and promote sustainable living in addition to organic farming.

5. ELI Abroad – Women’s Empowerment Project – Liberia

Join one of ELI Abroad’s Women Empowerment programs to help build the local women’s community. By volunteering in one of these programs, you are playing a direct role in the advancement of women in Costa Rica. Your main goal as a volunteer will be to coordinate a self-help group in addition to aiding in education and emotional support.

6. Construction – Build Abroad – San Jose

Grab a hardhat and help Build Abroad as a construction volunteer. By working with Build Abroad, you’ll be helping repair schools, hospitals, orphanages and more. All of these are vital to a thriving city, therefore by volunteering in the capital city, San Jose, you’ll be directly contributing to the growth and prosperity of the country.

7. Marine Conservation – Gapforce

Lastly, make a difference in Costa Rica’s stunning and diverse world of marine animals with Gapforce. By volunteering with their Marine Conservation program, you will make an effort to protect dolphins, rays, sharks, whales and more. Moreover, the program includes a globally recognised ODI Dive qualifications.

Melanie Hamilton

Melanie is an avid traveller with a passion for history and global foods. She is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia where most of her time is occupied with qvevri wine and Soviet history. Having do-si-do'd her way across Europe and Latin America, she's enjoyed some of the world's most exciting places firsthand and can't wait to tell you about them.

View stories