Travel to Teach: Volunteer in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of the ultimate travel destinations, this small country of 50,000 square kilometres between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean is about the same size as Switzerland. A quarter of Costa Rica has been designated as national parks; it has an abundance of fauna & flora, no winters and lots of culture. Costa Rica is often referred to as paradise on earth and has everything to offer, our volunteer programs enable participants to immerse themselves in real Costa Rican life, culture and society.

Although Costa Rica is one of the most developed countries in Latin America, about 1/5th of the population still live in poverty. An overwhelming majority of this poverty exists in the rural communities of Costa Rica. Furthermore, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, as rural communities struggle to keep pace with current development.

Program Locations

Our programs are located in the picturesque village of Samara and its neighbouring rural communities. Samara is situated in the northern eastern province of Guanacaste, the so called “Gold Coast” of Costa Rica. Guanacaste has seen a growth in the number of massive foreign owned resorts, hotel chains and residential communities. But this increase of foreign wealth simply is not reaching the normal Costa Rican and as a consequence has created a two tier society. The area of Samara has always been a traditional Costa Rican vacation location and has so far managed to escape the mainstream over development of so many Costa Rican coastal towns. As a result, Samara and its surrounding areas is one of best the places to be if you want to experience traditional Costa Rican culture first-hand.