Overview
Dive into Costa Rican ‘Pura Vida’ and experience the very best the Pacific coast has to offer. Your Summer will be split between two amazing projects, Turtle protection on the beaches of Matapalo and community projects at El Silencio a wonderful village high up in pristine rainforest with views all the way down to the Ocean.
The first phase is at Matapalo, a 10km stretch of sandy beach famous for it’s incredible sunsets and proximity to Rainforest. For 3 weeks you’ll be living in comfortable team house just off the beach working alongside local conservation professionals to protect female sea turtles, their nests and hatchlings laid at Matapalo. Volunteers can help with a conservation club for local children, teach English at the nearby primary school and also collaborate with Matapalo high school English Club.
Then, for the second half of the placement you’ll live with families of El Silencio, a village carved out of pristine Rainforest with views all the way down to the Ocean. With your help, the community aims to become totally self sufficient and provide a good standard of living for all of it’s members- and look after it's many adopted monkeys and wildlife in the animal rescue centre! Your donation and volunteering will help towards improving schools, education, water supplies and farming initiatives and ensure the development of this unique community!
Costa Rica really does have it all – wonderful beaches, both Caribbean and Pacific that are popular with backpackers, rainforests that spread right down to the edge of the ocean, enchanting people, exotic wildlife and some of the richest bio-diversity in the world. If you want to become totally immersed in Costa Rican family life and experience everything this incredible country has to offer, then this is the team for you.
How you help
Helping Who
El Silencio Eco-lodge, Elementary School of El Silencio Community, Wildlife Conservation Centre.
Helping how
Community Projects
- At the El Silencio elementary school you can teach English, dance and handicraft skills to the primary school children.
- Help entertain the children in the kindergarten – drawing, playing, singing songs etc.
- Assist with the organisation of the Environmental Education Centre.
- Paint the community centres – school, church etc.
- Play volleyball and soccer with the local kids.
- Work at the local dairy and agro centre.
- Teach English at Matapalo High School and Primary School
- Help to run a conservation ‘eco-club’ for local kids in Matapalo.
Conservation Projects
- Based at the Wildlife Conservation Centre near El Silencio look after the rescued animals. Typical animals at the rescue centre include: ocelots, monkeys, agoutis, anteaters, and exotic birds like parrots.
- Build feeding platforms, nest boxes and fences.
- Reintroduce animals back into the wild.
- Reconstruct bridges and trails, clean cages and maintain the animal shelter.
- In Matapalo you will take part in a training presentation that qualifies you to work directly with marine turtles.
- Participate in nightly beach patrols for the protection of marine turtles.
- Assist in cleaning the immediate surrounds of nesting zones.
- Identify and account for turtle tracks on the beaches.
- Search for turtle nests.
- Count numbers of eggs found in each nest and relocate the eggs to a secure egg nursery.
- Monitor relocated turtle nests; monitor nest temperatures.
- Assist in freeing baby turtles for their initial journey to sea
- Take biometric measurements of turtles.
- Work on trail bulding
Eco Tourism Projects
- At the Eco-lodge in El Silencio you will have the opportunity to assist staff depending on the host’s needs.
- Teaching English to the lodge staff.
- Maintenance of the lodge including the rebuilding of bungalow decks.
- Tending to the Medicinal Plants Garden.
Your base
Your Team
Maximum of 16 volunteers per departure, ages 18 -27 years.
Accommodation and Meals
In Matapalo the whole team will stay in a big house, located 200m from the beach in an area of mangroves, just in front of a large lagoon. There will be shared bedrooms with plenty of bunk beds, running water and electricity. There is a common room, kitchen and eating area and all meals will be provided Monday - Friday.
In El Silencio you will stay with a family in the community, (one volunteer per house). The rooms and houses are basic but comfortable with a simple bed & wardrobe. You will have to share a bathroom with other family members and although hot water is available in some houses, it cannot be guaranteed. Most houses have electricity.
The cuisine is typical Costa Rican food. You will be well fed throughout your placement. A typical breakfast might be rice & beans, or scrambled eggs, cheese, tortillas with a hot drink. Lunch and dinners would typically comprise of rice, beans, vegetables with beef, chicken or fish. Spaghetti, chicken with vegetables, guacamole, different types of salads, tortillas, sweet plaintains and local food made of tubers. Drinks typically include tropical fruit juices, water and hot drinks such as coffee, tea or chocolate.
Local Towns
When in El Silencio, Londres is a 45 minute drive away and Quepos is 1hr away. In Matapalo the nearest large town is Quepos, 22km away. There are internet cafes, banks, bars and restaurants in Quepos.
Wildlife
Both areas are rich in wildlife however Quelonios del Caribe is one of the most bio-diverse locations on earth, home to over 400 species of tree, 2000 species of plant and expect to encounter jaguars, tapirs, river otters, ocelots, manatees, sloths and monkeys. Turtles abound in this region, and among those found nesting here are the Leatherback, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, and Green turtles plus an array of exotic birds like parrots, cormorants, hawks and ibis.
Weather
Always hot and humid. The wet season is between May and November but in mountains and forests it can rain anytime. You can expect the mornings to be nice and sunny with rainstorms in the afternoons, lasting as long as an hour or more – you are in a rainforest after all! It is warm rain and as soon as it passes the sun usually comes out and dries things out.
Time In/Out
Time In
You will all be met at San Jose airport and driven to a hotel for two nights in San Jose to relax, explore the city and get a briefing/induction from the the host. You will then be escorted on the bus to the Matapalo. After 3 weeks you will switch projects and travel as a group to El Silencio, with an escort. At the end you will be transported back to San Jose have a further one night in a hotel in the capital.
6 week programme: approximately 3 weeks in Matapalo and 3 weeks in El Silencio rotating through each of the project phases.
* Please note that Turtle nesting season on the Pacific coast the season is between 1 June and 15 January. Costa Rica's school terms mean that children will be on Summer holiday for 2 weeks at the start of July. During school holidays it is possible to work with the children by arranging extra curricular, ‘drop in’ activities with the local children, like games, songs, drawing and learning English.
You will generally work Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 12.00 then 2.00 to 4.00, although during the turtle conservation phase you may be required to help with night patrols.
Time out
Your weekends are free to travel - please bring spending money for this free time and for any extra activities or excursions you choose to do.
There are daily buses to Quepos from both locations which costs less than 1 $.
Top Trips: White Water Rafting on the Savegre River (Class III), Fishing, surfing, jungle canopy tour, visits to the nearby beaches of Dominical, Matapalo and El Rey, horseback riding and one day or overnight visits to Manuel Antonio National Park.
Costs/Dates
Dates
2012 for 6 weeks
July 2nd
2013 for 6 weeks
July 1st
Costs
Up until 31st August 2012
6 weeks £1949
Up until 31st August 2013
6 weeks £1986
Includes:
Donation to the project of £60, and you choose how you want this spent.
Selection and briefing on all aspects of the scheme.
24 hour emergency back-up, management and support by UK team and in-country Placement Manager, with reliable communications and infrastructure.
Safety and induction course on arrival.
Host Employers Liability Insurance.
Airport pick up and transfer to and from the placement.
Food and accommodation throughout.
Not included:
International flights, internal flights (not applicable), depsrture taexs (payable in USD), visas, travel insurance, medical expenses (reclaimable through travel insurance), soft drinks/beer etc and independent/weekend travel e.g. food and accommodation whilst away from the placement location and any excursions not listed above. We are happy to arrange flights through STA Travel (ABTA 99209 & IATA 9122411) who are well known for offering good value.
Exchange Rates
Please note that as we are paying the project host in US Dollars to cover all in-country costs, and the cost of the placement is set so far ahead, if there is a big change in the exchange rate or fuel icrease then we reserve the right to increase the cost of the scheme, as per our Booking Conditions, but will absorb any minor fluctuations, and will give plenty of warning if we have to raise prices slightly.
Donation To The Community
Included in the cost of the scheme is a donation set at the level indicated above. We have agreed with the Project Leader that you can choose how, as a group or possible even individually, you want this donation to be spent ensuring you leave a lasting legacy. Given the average monthly wage is approximately £35 per month the donations do actually go far and in the past Leapers have paid for a child’s school fees, bought materials to build medical clinics etc or playground equipment. In addition to the donation the community use the remainder of the money we pay them on your behalf, to pay the host family and ‘pool’ the rest for the benefit of every family in the community.
