“I have just returned from the turtle conservation site in Matapalo - Costa Rica. Although staff members left and arrived which seemed to be the thing that happened, Enrique was a constant throughout. I have never seen someone work so hard. He was in charge of the camp; arranged the volunteers rotas; was responsible for all the cooking; carried out lots of nightly patrols and kept busy throughout the days in the garden areas. What he didn’t know about turtles wouldn’t be worth knowing. All the staff were lovely. Very welcoming, helpful and professional with the main aim of rescuing as many turtle nests and eggs as possible. Even though I didn’t know about the problem with poachers beforehand, this never caused a concern as I always felt safe in the late night or early morning patrols. We certainly walked a lot but this was so special, with a sense of camaraderie and doing something important made more beautiful especially when the sky was so full of stars. (Be prepared with red light torches for the patrols). A must! I will never forget the emotional experience of watching a turtle emerge from the ocean, walk up the beach to a ‘safe place’. There she made her nest and laid her eggs oblivious she was dropping them in a carefully placed carrier bag. I was so excited to be allowed to measure one of the turtle’s shells during this process when she was in a trance light state. It was wonderful. We watched the turtle slowly make her way back into the ocean whilst carrying the precious eggs to place into the ‘hatchery’. If a couple of babies hatched after approximately 54 days and then nothing more happened Enrique carried out an exhumation a day or so later which was really interesting. Too many details to share here. The camp is run by sharing out the tasks by the staff and volunteers. Enrique writes everything on a board which includes Patrols, Hatchery 4 x shifts over twenty four hours, Daily cleaning, Help with meal preparation, General cleaning and so on. Extra activities included regular Sloth monitoring, Beach cleanups, Reforestation and so on. This is done fairly with the possibility to swap tasks if needed. As a rice eater I enjoyed the food immensely. There were three meals a day at 8, 12 and 6 pm. The meals consisted of rice and beans, vegetables, soup, sometimes pancakes for breakfast, always fruit with the choice of juices, coffee and tea. Something very notable was that the water is absolutely fine to drink. This was great to find out as I was concerned about having to depend of buying bottles. A kettle was available twenty-four hours a day which as a typical British person was excellent for my tea drinking. I did take my own tea with me but when it ran out the te negro was a good replacement. Sleeping arrangements were cramped. The photos on the site were not quite true when every bed was filled and everyone had their personal belongings over the floor. Very little room to manoeuvre. It is the rainy season which meant it was sometimes difficult to get clothes dried. I used the laundry next door who charged 2,000 colones per dry kilo. The washing and drying space at the camp is very adequate. Take your own washing powder. Clothes. You really don’t need to take as many as I did. I felt I overpacked. I read somewhere about it being cooler at night but this must have been in another region as it never cooled down. Definitely take black clothes for the patrols. I would recommend light cotton long sleeved tops and long bottoms with possibly socks. I’m saying this as you will not know how you are affected by sand flies and mosquitoes. Lots of people wore vest tops and shorts for the patrols, clearly not worried about being bitten or not affected. Take the best mosquito spray you can find and also a zapper thing to deal with the after affects. One of the patrols crosses a shallow river so reef shoes or similar are very advisable. Any that dry out quickly really and are comfortable for the three hour plus patrol. There is plenty of time to rest on the beach and visit nearby places of interest. Quepos, Dominical and some waterfalls are nearby. Bus service is cheap but a little irregular. I had a lovely horse ride on my last day with Angelo and a group of seven riders. He lives nearby and there is a sign up advertising him and also nearby kayak trips. I loved my adventure - even as a senior - and made lots of friends from all over the world. It is important to read the small print on the website as I was fully expecting the type of meals we were given and the cold water showers. Not everyone did this and chose to spend a lot of money at the supermarket. I’m really happy to answer any individual questions by email as I would have welcomed this opportunity before I traveled. rosie.owen13@gmail.com”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

“Overall an incredible program. My host family and the team on site made the trip. However, there is serious space for Volunteering Solutions to step up their communication game, giving more details and more resources. The majority of the details were figured out by me or as it was happening. I also suggest that you speak good spanish for this trip and that you have a good understanding and background with children.”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 months ago

“good :)”

Helpful Report

Posted 11 months ago

“Excelente experiencia ! Todo desde el principio fue fantástico . Además de todo lo que aprendimos , las actividades que tuvimos y la gente maravillosa que conocimos nos quedamos con muchas ganas de quedarnos más tiempo ! Creemos que es una experiencia por la que todos deberíamos pasar en algún momento sea el tipo de trabajo que sea. En nuestro caso fue con las tortugas y lo volveremos a repetir sin duda !”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“It was an amazing experience : The connection with Nature and the locals, the tasks associated with preserving the beach, helping the hatching of the baby turtles and protecting mother turtles laying their eggs on the beach. Not only will you experience sea life through volunteering work but you will encounter many other wildlife animals (Monkeys, sloths, snakes, Caimans, birds, butterflies, bats...). I will highly recommend this program for any nature lover who wants to contribute to preservation.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“I've recently participated in the Childcare program in Costa Rica. The family I was located in was great! They had no problem adjusting to my diet -vegan- and they helped me in every single way. Even though I spent all my mornings and some afternoons helping in the Kinder, I had enough time to visit the country at the weekends. I felt in love with the landscapes, the food, the locals. The best part of the program was meeting another volunteer. We were working at the same kinder and we became like sisters.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I've recently participated in the Childcare program in Costa Rica. The family I was located in was great! They had no problem adjusting to my diet -vegan- and they helped me in every single way. Even though I spent all my mornings and some afternoons helping in the Kinder, I had enough time to visit the country at the weekends. I felt in love with the landscapes, the food, the locals. The best part of the program was meeting another volunteer. We were working at the same kinder and we became like sisters.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

Hi Maika, Thanks for sharing your review for the experience in Costa Rica. Happy to know that had a wonderful time staying with your host family and they took care of you nicely. Meeting other participants from around the world is a highlight for many participants. It is great you were able to make friends with other likeminded volunteer as well and enjoyed your time in Costa Rica. Thanks once again and we look forward to your participation in our program in the near future again. Thanks Team Volunteering Solutions

Posted 2 years ago

“Amazing trip !! Highly recommend it”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

Volunteer in Costa Rica Reviews