Overview
Dive into Costa Rican ‘Pura Vida’ by joining a team of Leapers at El Silencio, a wonderful community on the Pacific Coast, high up in the pristine rainforest with views all the way down to the Ocean.
Live with a local family and help villagers with their organic farms, ride out with cowboys, teach kids English and sport and care for El Silencio’s rescued monkeys and exotic birds in their rehabilitation centre.
El Silencio is a cooperative community where local people work together and share the profits equally. They also try to help as many disadvantaged people as possible, taking in immigrants families who have come to Costa Rica with nothing, and subsidising those below the poverty line. With your help, the community aims to become totally self sufficient and provide a good standard of living for all of it’s members. 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
At the Eco-lodge
Tasks will vary from day to day depending on the host’s needs.
- Looking after guests, including operation of tours, customer service, helping out in the kitchens and housekeeping.
- Teaching English to the lodge staff.
- Maintenance of the lodge including the rebuilding of bungalow decks.
- Tending to the Medicinal Plants Garden.
Community Projects
Based at the El Silencio Elementary School.
- 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.
Conservation projects
Based at the Wildlife Conservation Centre on the Savegre River.
- Look after the rescued ocelots, monkeys and exotic birds.
- Build feeding platforms, nest boxes and fences.
- Reintroduce animals back into the wild.
- Reconstruct bridges and trails, clean cages and maintain the animal shelter.
Typical animals at the rescue centre include: ocelots, monkeys, agoutis, anteaters, and exotic birds like parrots.
Your base
Your Team
Maximum of 16 volunteers per departure, ages 18 -27 years.
Accommodation and Meals
You will stay with a family in the community - one volunteer per household.
The rooms and houses are basic 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 electric light.
You will eat with the host family and occasionally at the lodge. 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, chick with vegetables, guacamole, different types of salads, tortillas, sweet plaintains and local food made of tubers.
Local Towns
Londres is a 45 minute drive away and Quepos is 1hr away. There are internet cafes in Quepos City where you'll have access to emails, banks, bars, restaurants and hostels.
Wildlife
Typical mammals and birds in the rainforest include: ocelots, howler monkeys, agoutis, bats, sloths, caymans, jaguars and ant eaters. 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 Vesa staff. You will then be escorted on the bus to the El Silencio community. At the end you will have a further one night in a hotel in San Jose.
6 week programme: approximately 2 weeks rotating through each of the project phases.
You will generally work Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 12.00 then 2.00 to 4.00.
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 Silencio which costs less than 1 $. Friday midday bus to Quepos returns Sunday at 5.30.
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
2010 for 6 weeks 2011 for 6 weeks
July 5th July 4th
Costs
Up until 31st August 2010 Up until 31st August 2011
6 weeks £1892 6 weeks £tbc
Includes:
Donation to the project of £80, 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.
