Volunteer in Costa Rica: Pura Vida!
Costa Rica is acclaimed for its progressive environmental policies and rich biodiversity. Community participation is an important distinguishing aspect of Costa Rica’s conservation efforts. Enjoy the unique experience of community-based conservation and be part of community stewardship of biodiversity. On this volunteer trip to Costa Rica, you will protect sea turtles who nest on the Pacific coast and improve Quetzal habitat in the highlands in collaboration with local community groups.
Project activities | Itinerary | Price | TRIP REVIEWS | Trip reports | Safety
The focus of the volunteer projects on this itinerary of our Costa Rica Volunteer Trip will be to protect endangered sea turtles which nest on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Global populations of sea turtles have decreased significantly in the last 30 years. While there were once many species of sea turtles, only seven remain today, and all of them are either threatened or endangered, two of them critically.
The sea turtle projects on this trip protect turtles which nest on the beaches in the community of Punta Banco, located on the Burica 
Peninsula along the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. These sea turtle projects are carried out under the auspices of the Punta Banco Sea Turtle Conservation Project, a part of the Punta Banco Neighborhood Association’s responsibilities.
The turtle conservation projects include late night and early morning beach patrols to locate, excavate, and relocate sea turtle nests to a protected turtle hatchery. Volunteers also release newly hatched turtles and help maintain and improve the turtle hatchery, as well as help with projects to reduce beach erosion which threatens the turtle protection project.
The group will also volunteer on projects which support Resplendent Quetzal habitat. The Quetzal projects are in the highlands of Costa Rica in Cerro de la Muerte, where the group will collaborate with the community-based KABEK Families Pro-Quetzal Project. These project activities include building Resplendent Quetzal nesting boxes, planting vegetation for Quetzal food supply, and trail projects to access Quetzal habitat.
You can read what Carolyn Ray from Journey Woman thought about her experience on this trip here.
Because local conditions and the project needs continually evolve, please remember that detailed project plans are often finalized or revised after the group arrives and the trip leaders review the conditions at the site and consider the capabilities and special interests of the volunteers. Volunteer trips offer the opportunity to experience the land in a unique way not available to the average tourist.
Look through the tabs on the left for more details about the itinerary, price and gear list.
Day 1 Meet the group in San José, Costa Rica.
Welcome to Costa Rica! Our trip begins at 5:00 p.m. with an orientation where you’ll get acquainted with your trip leaders and local guide and your fellow volunteers and get an overview of the exciting days ahead. Our group meets at a hotel in San José, Costa Rica. After the orientation briefing, the group will share its first dinner at the hotel (dinner and hotel lodging included).
Day 2 Travel to Dominical on the Pacific coast, stopping to see wildlife along the way.
After breakfast, we will load up our gear, board our private bus, and drive south along the Pacific Ocean towards Punta Banco, on the southwest coast of Costa Rica. This beautiful route borders beaches and rainforests and is home to a variety of wildlife. Enroute, we will stretch our legs at Carara National Park.
Our local guide is known for his ability to spot wildlife. Bring your camera – you might see scarlet macaws, crocodiles, toucans, monkeys, or more.
We will spend the night at a local lodge. (All meals and lodging included).
Day 3: Drive to Punta Banco and begin turtle projects
After breakfast we will continue the drive south to Punta Banco, at the end of the road in southern Costa Rica. After checking into our lodging for our four-night stay in Punta Banco, we will be introduced to the turtle conservation project and begin our project activities including our first beach patrol for nesting turtles. (All meals and lodging included).
Days 4 – 6 Sea Turtle Conservation Projects in Punta Banco
During these volunteer project days, the group will participate in late night and early morning beach patrols to locate, excavate, and relocate sea turtle nests to a protected turtle hatchery and releasing newly hatched turtles. Volunteer activities will also include a variety of tasks to maintain the turtle hatchery, as well as beach erosion projects to help protect the turtle nursery. (All meals and lodging included).
Day 7 Journey to the Costa Rica Highlands
After breakfast and morning volunteer projects, we will say goodbye to our Punta Banco partners and journey north to the highland forest area near Cerro de la Muerte. This region is very likely the best place in the world for observing resplendent quetzals, birds so spectacularly beautiful they were considered divine entities by the ancient Aztecs and Mayans. We will have lunch along the drive, then continue to our hotel in Cerro del Muerte and introduction to the Quetzal projects. (All meals and lodging included.)
Day 8: Supporting the Resplendent Quetzal.
Volunteer projects within the quetzal protection zone include building quetzal nests, helping with maintenance on trails used for quetzal viewing, and planting wild avocado trees – a favorite food for the quetzal. (All meals and lodging included.)
Day 9: Return to San José and complete your volunteer trip in Costa Rica
After breakfast, we will drive to the airport in San José, approximately 3 hours away, where the Costa Rica Volunteer Trip ends. You may board a flight home from the San José airport after 1:30 p.m. or opt to extend your stay in Costa Rica.
IMPORTANT NOTES about the Itinerary:
- Day 1 is the day you should plan to arrive at the meeting point for the trip. This may require departing your hometown one or more days in advance and traveling on an overnight flight.
- Before purchasing your airline tickets, please check with us to ensure the trip has the necessary minimum number of participants required to operate.
- Although we do our very best to adhere to the itinerary above, it is subject to change for reasons beyond our control, including changes in the local project needs, weather, and terrain conditions.
$2,995 per person double occupancy for nine days; single room at hotels is $600 additional (subject to availability – see below)
(Note: Your trip expense may be tax-deductible. Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page and consult your tax adviser for details.)
Price includes:
- all meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on Day 9 is included.
- all lodging is included. The lodging is double occupancy, unless a single is requested.
- all transportation as noted on the itinerary.
- gratuities for services provided to the group.
- project leadership and support staff
- group tools
- orientation and training
Price does not include:
- travel costs to and from San José, Costa Rica
- medical immunizations
- insurance (emergency medical and evacuation insurance is mandatory for this trip)
- excess baggage charges
- alcoholic beverages or soft drinks
- personal items
Payment terms:
A deposit of $500 per person ($600 for requested single) is required at the time of signup; final payment is due at 90 days prior to departure. The payment and refund policy can be found here.
Group Size: 8 – 12 plus trip leaders
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An amazing trip, filled with wildlife, cultural interactions, wonderful food, and a sense of purpose. Our trip leaders were great and our local guide, Marco, was beyond fabulous. We were so fortunate to get to see and participate in the full lifecycle of turtle egg laying and hatching, while helping maintain the hatchery and work with the local community. The variety of wildlife we were able to see was thrilling - two-toed sloth and babies, several types of monkeys, many birds, including the beautiful quetzal, and a multitude of other flora and fauna. The fresh local cuisine was fabulous and accommodations were all quite satisfactory. Be prepared for some high humidity and wet conditions! Our fabulous team got to experience authentic Costa Rican culture this week, an unforgettable experience.
Everything was amazing! Costa Rica is beautiful and the people are warm and friendly. The group this time consisted of seven women and I think everyone was amazed at how much we got done and how hard we worked. Jim and Mark were great as leaders and Marco, our guide is funny and so knowledgeable.
I’m so happy I joined this ConservationVIP trip! At Punta Banco our all Women team released hundreds of baby turtles and watched them scurry to the ocean, dug out old sand and replaced with new sand, rebuilt the hatchery structure, built a wall in front of another hatchery, and did as much as we could for the turtles. At night patrol we saw a female Olive Ridley Turtle lay eggs and return to the ocean. Local people go on night patrol and gather clutches of eggs and transfer them to the hatchery for incubation. We spent time observing a breathtaking diversity of Costa Rican wildlife, including scarlet macaws, toucans, a sloth, and the resplendent quetzal. We worked in tropical heat and humidity at Punta Banco, and in cool mountain air at Cerro de la Muerte. Many thanks to Jim and Mark, our ConservationVIP leaders, and Marco, our awesome Costa Rican guide, Sergio, our driver, who kept us safe and comfortable along our journey, and to my fellow travelers for an amazing nine days. To anyone considering this trip, I highly recommend it!
What an incredible and unforgettable experience. It exceeded all of my expectations. The experience with the sea turtles could not be beat. We worked next to local experts in the hatching and releasing process. The work was so fulfilling. Staying in a small lodge in the community and eating at local establishments made you feel so welcome.
I’m so happy to have been able to join this ConservationVIP trip! From start to finish, our days were filled with meaningful work, new experiences, and wonderful company. As a team, we worked hard to construct turtle hatcheries in Punta Banco and to improve quetzal habitat in Cerro de la Muerte. We also enjoyed incredible experiences. We witnessed a mama olive ridley sea turtle lay her eggs, and we helped collect these eggs so that they could safely incubate in the hatchery. We released newly hatched turtles and watched them begin life by scurrying from the beach to the ocean. We spent time observing a breathtaking diversity of Costa Rican wildlife, including scarlet macaws, toucans, three species of monkeys, a sloth, and the resplendent quetzal. We worked in tropical heat and humidity at Punta Banco, and in cool mountain air at Cerro de la Muerte. We were treated to good food and were introduced to some fruits and dishes that are uniquely Costa Rican. Many thanks to Jim and Chris, our ConservationVIP leaders, Alex, our awesome Costa Rican guide, Sergio, our driver, who kept us safe and comfortable along our journey, and to my fellow travelers for an amazing nine days. To anyone considering this trip, I highly recommend it!
It only took a split second before I was reminding myself why I was in Punta Banco after stepping off that bus. I had to get my head in the game! I stepped into a world so foreign to my “normal” life! The heat and humidity, the birds, the monkey’s, the iguanas and the turtles - ohhhh those incredibly amazing turtles - a bucket list adventure of a lifetime for me with some truly amazing people - all there with the same mission in mind - save the turtles. My life will never be the same! After 5 days of hard work in Punta Banco, the adventure continued to the highlands altitude of 8500 ft. We worked hard every day of this trip to make a difference and to give back for the greater good.
On the second half of the trip we built trails, nesting habitat and planted avocado trees.
Humans are responsible for taking away some of this vital habitat for these creatures - It was so awesome to try to improve their odds for survival and relieve their burden.
Wow. What an incredible 9 days in Costa Rica with Conservation VIP. Watched a momma Olive Ridley turtle lay 124 eggs in her self built nest on the beach, and watched another 100 or so newborn OIive Ridley's be released to scurry into the ocean to a new beginning. Such a rewarding experience. All of us worked pretty dang hard for the cause. It was worth every sweat soaked shirt we created. We made a difference in Punta Banca, and it made a difference on us. And the Quetzal's! Built a nest, cleared a trail, built some steps, planted a bunch of avocado trees and saw several of these beautiful birds in the wild. A big highlight for us was the close relationship and connection Conservation VIP and our incredible local host Alex have with the small local communities and the people within them. We met and worked alongside some wonderful local people, even danced with a few. 🙂 We wouldn't hesitate to participate in another Conservation VIP excursion. Thank you Alex, Sergio, Chris and Jim! Loved every minute of it.
What a great trip. A wonderful way to experience the real Costa Rica while doing important conservation work. This was my first trip with Conservation VIP, but certainly won't be my last. As I write this review, I am still in Costa Rica, enjoying an extended vacation. The volunteer portion of my trip has surpassed my experiences as a tourist. After our work days, we had time for exploring the local flora and fauna. Our gude Alex was incredibly knowledgeable. I saw more animals and plants on our hikes with him then on the subsequent tours that I paid for! The work part of the trip was difficult, but incredibly rewarding. I have shown my videos of turtles hatching and being released to several guides here who have never seen this! So, if you want to have experiences that not even locals have, join this trip! BTW, you will have amazing homemade meals, way better than the overpriced restaurants in Costa Rica.
The key to staying comfortable while on an active trip is layering. To get maximum comfort with minimum weight, you need versatile layers that mix and match to create the right amount of insulation, ventilation and weather protection. The gear list has been created to help you in choosing your equipment for the trip. View the Gear List.
Please click on the links below to read prior Trip Reports.
September 2024
September 2023
October 2022
October 2021
September 2021
October 2019
October 2018
September 2018
December 2017
ConservationVIP has always focused on our volunteers’ safety. Traveling with safety concerns requires some extra planning and flexibility both for trip leaders and trip participants!
To prevent illness or injury on the trip, participants may have to follow procedures such as mask-wearing, social distancing, and other site-specific procedures as instructed by the trip leader. More specific safety instructions will be provided on the trip.
Participants will also have to comply with any restrictions imposed by Costa Rica and their country of origin at the time of travel. While we know that the restrictions may change between now and the time of travel, we cannot predict what those changes will be.