Take a Gap Year Costa Rica

The projects range from very secluded locations that require 4/4 vehicles and boats to access the program area to those closer to towns.  Volunteers participate on the sea turtle preservation including monitoring and registering nesting patterns, record keeping of eggs, moving eggs to the hatchery, beach patrols, freeing of the newborns to the ocean. Experience not required, but anticipate strange work hours (middle of the night!) and lots of time spent on the beach.  * Most births occur between July and November.

Our projects are open to individuals as well as groups.  We know that volunteers play a vital role in the conservation efforts: without outside assistance, these projects would be lost. Join them and make a difference!

• Volunteers must arrive to San Jose in the morning or Noon flights, night flights will delay the start of your program by one day.

Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm. And arrivals/departures must only Mondays to Thursdays, NOT Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Volunteer Costa Rica As a teaching volunteer in Costa Rica you will significantly contribute to the welfare of the education system and get a new perspective of life in Costa Rica.

Volunteers are needed and welcome in a local pre-school which has 65 students, mainly from underprivileged families. Volunteers act as teaching assistants and main role will be assisting a local teacher with all aspects of English lessons. You may act as a tutor and provide individualized attention to students in need. Volunteers are can get involved in teaching extra-curricular activities such as art, dance, drama, and music or after school sports games to interact with the children.

Whatever experience or interests, teaching volunteers make important contributions by improving students' English skills as well as their understanding of other subjects.  Join us today and see a broader view of the world!

Volunteer in Costa Rica’s Pacific area which is home to a wide array of wildlife including sloths, monkeys, turtles, iguana and other marsupials. Join us today and be part of a community led mammal monitoring and conservation project.

Animals are often illegally hunted for food or income. Some are killed by urban and agricultural expansion.Expansion of local towns and developments have also directly reduced the populations of many species. The local population often lacks knowledge about the importance of these species, as well as how to mitigate risks to them and the entire surrounding forest system.

Sloth behavior remains particularly elusive especially with regards to how they fare after rescue centers release them into the wild. Research on them, anteaters, raccoons, other mammals and more about sea turtle nesting behavior is needed in the area.

Environmental education activities provide local youth opportunities to participate in conservation. It also gives them the opportunity to learn English which can be help them pursue careers in ecotourism. Volunteers are involved in night walks and helping with the turtle hatchery. The Monitoring Center provides a unique way for locals and international volunteers to get involved in the conservational efforts in this province.

DURING YOUR FREE TIME: Volunteers are free to visit and see places or do shopping during their free time. Explore local markets or travel to the beaches which can be visited on the weekends. The country offers unparalleled natural beauty, active volcanoes, rainforests, and a wide range of national parks and eco-tourism. In addition, optional Spanish lessons or dance classes can be arranged locally.

Volunteer Costa Rica This program is ideal for compassionate volunteers who want to help teens and adults who have a range of physical and intelectual disabilities.  

This Center is a meeting place where special needs community members, and their families can come and socialize with each other.  The center is open Monday to Friday from 8:00AM -  2:00PM and as different activities such as jewelry making, music therapy, art and drawing lessons, sports, popular dance and handicrafts.

Volunteers contribute by helping with physical therapy, interaction with the staff, creating activites, and socializing with patients and their families. This program can be easily combined with language immersion lessons.

Volunteers Costa Rica are needed and welcome at this transitional shelter for children with chronic illness. The care center can accommodate 25 children, most of whom suffer from burns, healing from a transplant, awaiting surgery or are being treated for chronic disease. Patients from the National Children’s hospital are referred here to avoid prolonged hospitalization, and also provide housing for those coming from rural areas.

The place has large green areas and provides a serene environment for sick children.  Each family is provided support through nursing, nutritionists, psychological, pharmacy according to the clinical picture of the child. This help includes food, clothing, literacy, recreation, training and emotional support to the patients and their families.

Pre-medical volunteers have the opportunity to assist the nursing staff with non-evasive procedures, shadow during examinations, and learn about treating long term chronic illnesses in children. Your role will vary providing care, feeding, interaction with the children, as well collaborating with the staff and teachers on their daily activities. This can be a challenging program but all help is needed.

If you are a pre-medical, pre-nursing or public health major seriously considering a health career, this is a perfect project to gain first hand knowledge of medical standards in developing communities in Costa Rica. This program can be combined with language immersion lessons.

Meaningful travel begins when you engage with people of the world. If you are considering a volunteer program in Costa Rica and want to improve your Spanish, our language immersion volunteer program is a perfect fit.  In this program you will enhance your Spanish, grow as an individual and discover more about the local Tica culture.  You will have daily lessons with a native Spanish speaker, living with a local Costa Rican family and participating in a locally-run community program. Through this program you will discover life as a global citizen and (hopefully) gain a broader view of the world.

Language immersion volunteer program in Escazu includes 8 hours of weekly Spanish lesson 4 afternoons per week. Volunteers will be given a placement test to determine their Spanish level.  Lessons will be personalized to focus on proper pronunciation, grammar and conversation. This language immersion option can be combined with any of our Escazu volunteer projects.  

As in most societies around the world, caring for the elderly is left to social welfare institutions when their own families cannot care for them. Many of the elderly care centers support those with disabilities, those who have been abandoned or have mental illness such as Alzheimer’s.

Volunteer work varies from day to day but focuses on personal interactions and stimulation with the residents, feeding, therapy needs, as well as light maintenance jobs like sweeping, cleaning. 

The ages of the residents range between 67 – 111 years old! The home seeks to distribute food, clothing and medicine to those in need whilst trying to keep an adequate standard of living for the elderly. It is necessary for staff to keep fully updated in regards to all safety conditions applicable to the elderly residents as there are a wide range of health conditions and each individual may have different requirements.

Volunteer Costa Rica at an animal refuge shelter outside of Escazu which has a variety of rescheduled animals, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds.  Volunteer tasks vary from administration and cleaning to feeding of the animals, enclosure maintenance, working one on one with the animals and other tasks as needed.

Our volunteer’s role includes welcoming visitors, help to clean cages and feed animals, as well as help to answer visitor’s questions about the shelter and the environmental education information about the resident animals. Volunteers will help the field assistants and local veterinarian in caring for injured wildlife, and providing health checks to the local animal residents.  

If animal protection is your passion and you want to potentially see some of the most remote corners of the globe then wildlife volunteering is for you. Volunteers with interest in veterinarian careers, or those with veterinarian training are welcome!

• Volunteer requirements: closed toed shoes, long pants (no shorts)

For most working families in Costa Rica having access to a local a day care center is essential.  The center provides a safe haven for their young children as the parents go to work each day.  This center provided care for over 100 children between the ages of 2 to 6 years old. The center provides play based curriculum focusing on social, emotional and physical development of each children through interaction with their teacher and peers.

Volunteers often also assist the local staff with tasks such as washing dishes and cleaning, which are essential to the daily running of the care centers.  The main things our volunteer offer is a source of support, friendship and interaction with the staff and children at the center.  Any skills you have to offer are welcome, and hugely benefit the center and local staff. This program can be combined with a language immersion course.

General Tasks: feeding and washing up, teaching numbers and letters in English, playing games and doing arts and craft projects with the children.  You may also help in the kitchen areas, and with light cleaning jobs at the program.

For many people in Costa Rica basic dental health needs are unaffordable. Local people rely on public clinics (not private expensive care) for their dental needs.  As you can imagine the number of patients can outweigh the means of the local dental staff. Our volunteers, those interested or currently enrolled in dental school, are welcome to volunteer in one of these public clinics. Not only is this is great hands on learning experience, you will be helping the local dental staff with their overworked schedules.

Volunteer in Costa Rica at a local orphanage in a suburb of San Jose (Guadalupe). This residential facility is home to about 25 children who range in age between toddlers to pre-teens (2yrs-12yrs old). The “Tias” or caretakers at the orphanage need help with everyday tasks for the children. 

Volunteers should be flexible, caring, be a self-starter and have strong Spanish skills.  Volunteers are asked to wear long pants and closed toe shoes at the orphanage. Language Immersion lessons can be combined with this volunteer project.

Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm.

The mission of this program is to provide comprehensive education to the kids of San Francisco in San José and its surroundings, promoting the development of their abilities. The vision is to become a center where children with their families, maximize their social and family skills to be citizens with high moral and spiritual values, contributing to a better society.

The Home foundation is based on family values and an altruistic spirit, with an unwavering commitment to Costa Rican children and their rights, regardless of their ethnic, cultural origin, religion or economic situation.

What distinguishes Our Home from other care networks in Costa Rica is its commitment to providing quality education to its entire scholarship population, which makes it an exceptional private educational center for people in situations of limited economic resources. The Home is not just a Day Care center, it is a educational center that strives to provide first-class education and opportunities to the children community of San José. Together, we continue to build a future full of hope for all.

What to expect:

This center provides Day Care and teaching services for over 50 children between the ages 0 to 12 years old. Volunteers often also assist the local staff with tasks such as serving food for the children, cleaning of the food court, also act as teaching assistants and main role will be supporting the local teachers with all aspects of English lessons, you may act as a tutor and provide individualized attention to the students in need. The main things a volunteer offers for this program is a source of support, friendship and interaction with the staff and children at the Home Center.

Volunteer tasks:

• Toddler’s care and special attention
• Preparing, serving and helping to fee the younger children.
• Helping children to learn English
• Teaching basics like colors, numbers, letters and basic math
• Playful workshops
• Arts & crafts creation, songs and sports activities with kids

Volunteer requirements:

• Volunteers should be flexible, caring, be a self-starter
• A total of 104 kids divided by the following ages:
  • 0-2 years old = 14
  • 4-5 years old = 20
  • 6-8 years old = 42
  • 9-12 years old =28
• Wear long pants when working at the Day Care & school facilities.
• Always wear closed toe shoes at the facilities (tennis shoes or
  sneakers only), no sandals or flip flops are allowed.
• Wear regular T-Shirts or polo shirts (sleeveless shirts or tops are
  not allowed).

Project Length: Minimum volunteering commitment is 1 week and maximum 6 weeks
Work Schedules available: Monday to Friday 7a.m to 5p.m.

The mission of the program is to provide comprehensive education to the kids of San Francisco in San José and its surroundings, promoting the development of their abilities. The vision is to become a center where children with their families, maximize their social and family skills to be citizens with high moral and spiritual values, contributing to a better society.

The school foundation is based on family values and an altruistic spirit, with an unwavering commitment to Costa Rican children and their rights, regardless of their ethnic, cultural origin, religion or economic situation.

What distinguishes the program from other schools in Costa Rica is its commitment to providing quality education to its entire scholarship population, which makes it an exceptional educational center for people in situations of limited economic resources.

What to expect:

This center provides Day Care and teaching services for over 50 children between the ages 0 to 12 years old. Volunteers often also assist the local staff with tasks such as serving food for the children, cleaning of the food court, also act as teaching assistants and main role will be supporting the local teachers with all aspects of English lessons, you ay act as a tutor and provide individualized attention to the students in need. The main things a volunteer offers for this program is a source of support, friendship and interaction with the staff and children at the school.

Volunteer tasks:

• Toddler’s care and special attention
• Preparing, serving and helping to fee the younger children.
• Helping children to learn English
• Teaching basics like colors, numbers, letters and basic math
• Playful workshops
• Arts & crafts creation, songs and sports activities with kids

Volunteer requirements:

• Volunteers should be flexible, caring, be a self-starter
• Wear long pants when working at the Day Care & school facilities
• Always wear closed toe shoes at the facilities (tennis shoes or sneakers only), no sandals or flip flops are allowed
• Wear regular T-Shirts or polo shirts (sleeveless shirts or tops are not allowed)
• Monday to Friday 7a.m to 5p.m.

Arrival and Departure from Costa Rica: Saturday or Sunday (No Exceptions)
School breaks: June closed, and from December to February.
You can combine Spanish Immersion lessons with this program.

The Children’s Museum of Costa Rica is a first of it's kind in Central America. Created to help children and their families enjoy, understand and become active citizens of the world in which they live.  The Museum encourages imagination, curiosity, investigation, innovation, and play. Set in the old military prison, just north of downtown San Jose, this is a wonderful education institution that is a pacesetter for children's programs and exhibits.

Volunteers work side by side the local staff to encourage hands-on play and allow children to learn and experience science, music, geography and other subjects.  Volunteers will work with the visitors and help to explain the exhibits, also can help with setting up displays, assisting with guided tours. Work hours are approximately 830am-13:00pm, 13:30pm-15:00pm Monday through Thursday.

Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm.

If you are an undergraduate studying biology, chemistry or any of the sciences and are considering a career in medicine this is the ideal program for you.  You will have an opportunity to see what life as a healthcare professional will be like. Having this experience is a great way to strengthen your application to medical/nursing/PA school.

Requirement: loose fitting clothing or scrubs, flat closed toed shoes or sneakers/trainers, no jewelry/earring/rings, no perfume or strong deodorant, hair must be tied up, no photograph in the hospital.  If you are sick you should not report to work that day.  These requirements are mandatory for the safety and well being of the patients.

This project can be combined with the Spanish Language Immersion option

ONLY Monday or Tuesday arrival: flight must arrive before 8pm (no exceptions) to San Jose. The clinic orientation is on Wednesday.

Volunteer in Costa Rica This is a challenging but rewarding special needs school project that caters to children with development delays as well as vision and hearing impairments.  There are several students who are deaf, and sign language is commonly used to help communicate with the children.  Some of the children live with autism, Down’s syndrome and are being provided speech therapy.

The children are separated into small departments, classes of 5-6 students per group, and focus on hearing impaired, visually impaired and also mentally impaired children. The school is supporting over 200 per year with the majority of work with kids 4 years - 12 years old. Volunteers are needed to help with this personal interaction with the children. Volunteers can also work with speech therapy, language and physical therapy.

• This project can be combined with the Spanish Language Immersion option.
• School semesters from March-June, and then August through end of November.

Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm.

Meaningful travel begins when you engage with people of the world. Our language immersion volunteer programs in San Jose allow you to learn Spanish, grow as an individual and discover a new culture. What better way to learn a language than full immersion: lessons with a native Spanish speaker, home-stay with a local Costa Rican family and participating in a locally-run service project and community activities. Return from your ABV travels with a greater appreciation of your surroundings. Learn to be a global citizen and gain a broader view of the world.

Language immersion volunteer program includes 7 hours of weekly Spanish lessons, with three afternoons of classroom instruction. You will be given a placement test when you arrive to determine your Spanish level. Lessons will focus on pronunciation, grammar and conversation. The language immersion volunteer program can be combined with our orphanage care, day care, pre-medical/nursing and medical projects.

Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm.

The Elder Center home receives some government funding, but they operate on a tight budget and are in constant need of extra assistance and donations. The residents at the home are age sixty-five and up, and come from all walks of life. In traditional Costa Rican culture, their families care for senior citizens. Economic and social changes have made this tradition difficult to carry on, and elders in Costa Rica now often live in assisted-living facilities, many of which are understaffed and short on resources. 

Responsibilities vary, and some tasks depend upon the volunteer’s knowledge and experience of healthcare and working with the elderly. Common tasks range anywhere from playing games, sharing stories, and practicing english with the senior citizens, to assisting nursing staff with distributing medicine, seeing to the needs of the residents, and helping with the day-to-day maintenance of the facility. By assisting with these projects, participants can make a difference to the elderly of Costa Rica and to the staff who work with them, while forming a lasting connection to the local community.

Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm. Night flights will delay the start of your program by one day.

The projects range from very secluded locations that require 4/4 vehicles and boats to access the program area to those closer to towns.  Volunteers participate on the sea turtle preservation including monitoring and registering nesting patterns, record keeping of eggs, moving eggs to the hatchery, beach patrols, freeing of the newborns to the ocean. Experience not required, but anticipate strange work hours (middle of the night!) and lots of time spent on the beach.  * Most births occur between July and November.

Our projects are open to individuals as well as groups.  We know that volunteers play a vital role in the conservation efforts: without outside assistance, these projects would be lost. Join them and make a difference!

• Volunteers must arrive to San Jose in the morning or Noon flights, night flights will delay the start of your program by one day.

Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm. And arrivals/departures must only Mondays to Thursdays, NOT Friday, Saturday or Sunday.



Internship descriptions: With the collaboration of volunteers through internship projects we get the chance to continually improve the development of the investigation projects, pursuing conservation of resources in areas of biological importance in the Central American tropics.  We need people who want to have a rewarding experience doing an internship or a gap year project on behalf of the natural resources of Costa Rica and the world. It is also a great opportunity to learn about the culture, language, food and hospitality of Costa Rica in the Latin American context.


Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm. And arrivals/departures only Mondays to Thursdays, Not Saturday or Sunday.

Mission: Through the Beach Investigation Program, we protect and conserve the nests and carry on a program of investigation which allows us to develop information leading to proper planning of tourist activities and to the efficient conservation and protection of the endangered species.



Participation objective


Apply knowledge in areas of natural sciences in terms of improving and supporting research activities in marine resource conservation in Costa Rica, fulfilling personal and professional academic requirements related to biodiversity conservation.



Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm. And arrivals/departures only Mondays to Fridays, Not Saturday or Sunday.

This park is the most important area in the entire west half of the Caribbean for the nesting of the green turtle. Volunteers participate on the sea turtle preservation including monitoring and registering nesting patterns, record keeping of eggs, moving eggs to the hatchery, beach patrols, freeing of the newborns to the ocean. Experience not required, but anticipate strange work hours (middle of the night!) and lots of time spent on the beach.

Our projects are open to individuals as well as groups.  We know that volunteers play a vital role in the conservation efforts: without outside assistance, these projects would be lost. Join them and make a difference!

• Volunteers must arrive to San Jose in the morning or Noon flights, night flights will delay the start of your program by one day.

Important: Arrival flights must be before 10pm (no exceptions) to San Jose and departure flight should be after 1pm. And arrivals/departures only Mondays to Thursdays, Not Saturday or Sunday.