Costa Rica Plastic Oceans

Welcome to Costa Rica

Upon touchdown you will travel by bus and boat to the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. Utterly beautiful so stay awake.

Your ultimate destination is the Jakera Camp, based in the lively beach town of Santa Teresa, world famous for surf breaks across beaches so pristine, uncrowded and seemingly endless that they are regularly listed in the World’s 10 Best Beaches.

After a day of surfing, sunbathing, Spanish lessons and volunteering, you’ll have time to explore the town which comes alive with funky surf shops, cafes, restaurants and nightspots for every taste and budget.

Accommodation

Jakera Camp

Your base throughout your time in Santa Teresa will be at the house called Jakera Camp which is just a 10 min walk from the beach. The house is simple but super stylish centred around a swimming pool set in tropical gardens.

Bathrooms have western style toilets and showers with hot and cold water.

Food

Breakfast and lunch only.
Dinner is not included. Most volunteers either eat in one of the local restaurants or cook whatever they want in the camp kitchen.

Settling in Week

During your first week you'll combine Spanish lessons, designed to help you interact with the local community, with surf instruction, so you can take advantage of the beaches on your door step.

Spanish Lessons

While you are based at the Jungle Camp and not invloved with turtle conservaiton, you will have two 45 minute Spanish lessons each weekday, tailored to suit all levels. However, these lessons are optional and if you prefer you can choose to do more project work.

Surfing

A surf instructor will teach you the basic skills required to get you surf safe.

Contribute to Cirenas' Turtle Program

Cirenas stands for 'The Centre for Investigation of Natural and Social Resources. They work in a number of special areas around Costa Rica to protect beaches, forests and rural communities. Through us you have the chance to help them on their Playa Manzanillo Sea Turtle Conservation Project along the coast from Santa Teresa. It is an utterly stunning reserve which includes a farm, forests, rivers and an untouched beach.

Protect and Conserve
Here you’ll be helping protect the eggs and hatchlings of Olive Ridley, Black Turtle, Hawksbill and Leatherback species, who visit this ‘semi-intensive’ nesting beach at night to nest. The main objective of the project is to protect adult female turtles and their nests, from human predators, wildlife and flooding.

You will spend 3 nights and 4 days here working for between 4-6 hours per day. Your jobs will include; hatchery maintenance, beach cleaning, night patrols to look for nesting female turtles (in season), transport of food and water, collection of data and releasing baby turtles in to the ocean (in season).

Accommodation

Cirenas' volunteer house is a rustic, cool bungalow just a 10 mins walk from their private beach. Bathrooms have flushing toilets and cold water showers.

Food

3 meals a day provided.

Spanish, Conservation and Community

During these weeks you will combine Spanish with a mix of the following projects:

Beach Conservation
The beaches around Santa Teresa are stunning and have been awarded the "Blue Flag status" which enables them to get international recognition so they can attract more tourists and investment. However, keeping the standards high is an ongoing battle so your help is required with the weekly beach clean-ups to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans. Leap volunteers will help Bionics (a trust set up by Pharrell Williams) with their mission of turning the plastic waste into consumer goods including clothes.

Forest Conservation and Guided Hikes
You will help with the upkeep of Santa Teresa’s neighbouring tropical forest whilst learning about the biodiversity of flora and fauna in this special part of the world. Night-time hikes will be included to check on the nocturnal wildlife. Jobs here will include: cleaning debris from streams, planting trees in the forest nursery and maintaining the trails, which helps with erosion and counters the effects of global warming.

Community Projects (post Covid restrictions)
You will be involved with various community projects which focus on helping local children with extracurricular activities and sports clubs, like the swimming classes and English at the school, painting murals, art (possibly dance) etc. The swimming lessons for local kids are usually about twice a month. Whenever the children don't have school they are part of our team, helping with beach clean ups and painting signs raising awareness about plastic waste. Teaching the future generation about the dangers of climate change is vital for a more sustainable future.

Turtle conservation continued

During this week you will refocus your time back onto the turtles who nest at the nearby beach of Playa Carmen. This is a community run project who always need help.

Here you will help identify the nests and escort the hatchlings down into the water when needed. Alongside directly helping with the turtles you'll also spend your time helping to conquer the huge amount of plastic pollution, keeping the beach environment free from litter and obstacles. As well as being dangerously consumed by the turtles, the plastic strewed on beaches can confuse and divert hatchlings trying to reach the water for the first time.

Venture Inland

Set on top of the spine of Costa Rica’s continental divide, Monteverde is a world above the coastal towns that dot the country's famous shoreline. It is a place of cloud forests, coffee plantations, monkeys, mist, and friendly locals. The town of Santa Elena is small and quaint, filled with tasty restaurants and folksy artisan shops, while the nearby rainforest hosts a remarkable amount of biodiversity.

Due to its high altitude – some 4,662 ft (1,440 m) above sea level – Monteverde is privileged to receive a steady supply of clouds and the life-giving moisture that they contain. This moisture, often in the form of fog, catches on the branches of the tallest trees and drips down to the other organisms below. This helps to support a complex and far-reaching ecosystem, one that harbours over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, tens of thousands of insect species, and over 2,500 varieties of plants, 420 of which are orchids alone.

Trek and Zip Wire Under The Canopy
You will have the chance to explore this internationally recognised environment from trails and trams, along canopy tours or inside museums.

On a daily basis you will walk and explore this amazing location - 2 guided half day hikes are included on day 2 and 3. There are also some amazing optional extra activities like their famous zip wire, horse riding and a coffee tour.

It is a 6-8 hour drive from Santa Teresa, which includes a 2 hour ferry. You will spend about 3 nights, 4 days here during this week.

Accommodation

Guest house in dorm style rooms. Bathrooms, with hot showers.

Food

Breakfast and lunch only.

Dinner will be extra in one of the local restaurants.

Travelling to a Red List Country

We want to reassure people that whilst the UK has added Costa Rica to a red list we closely monitor the covid situation and have effective covid safety policies in place and whilst covid is a risk in any country it’s not hampering our ability to safely run the program and not affecting any activity.

Whilst the rates have recently increased in Costa Rica, rates are steadily dropping and their vaccination rate is being effectively rolled out – they have vaccinated approx. 29% of the population (1^st dose).

The government have taken local initiatives to reduce covid numbers, such as maintaining a curfew from 9PM and closing various establishments that do not abide by their covid laws. These initiatives are working. None of these restrictions stop us from delivering the program or itinerary and with a like-minded team of people at the camp, being back in camp before 9 PM doesn’t affect the ability to socialise in camp either.

Costa Rica has an excellent medical system and there is no risk of lack of beds in hospitals especially in the numerous private hospitals which would be the hospitals that Leapers use through their travel insurance.

They have an effective trace system and no known variants of concern (that we are aware of). All of which surprises us that the UK government has made this decision.

The Costa Rica government welcome UK travellers who comply with their entry requirements and they are made very welcome in our project locations by the communities who are so pleased with the help that Leapers are providing, not just to the projects we support but also to the local economy.

To minimise risk, we provide comprehensive covid safety protocols (risk management) pre departure outlined in the placement guidelines, in our briefings and on the website and during the program we carry out induction briefings, provide safety instructions: hygiene/washing etc to comply with any local laws (social distance, curfews etc).

Much of the program takes place outside in well ventilated spaces in a warm climate, all of which significantly reduce the transmission of covid.

In the six months we have been successfully sent volunteers to Costa Rica we have not had one Leaper become seriously ill or hospitalized due to covid.

To safely and responsibly avoid UK hotel quarantine, we add on 11 nights in an amber country on the way home.

Flying to another country for 11 nights is also safe as its based on complying with that countries entry requirement (such as a negative PCR test) before you can enter.

We will continue to run our programs for those who would like to go and will endeavour to find safe and responsible solutions to get you home.

One happy social bubble

The Leap team and staff in the camp will create a social bubble. Hand washing and the cough/sneeze protocol as stipulated by WHO will be respected. There will be foot baths and hand washing stations around the camp, plus lots of alcohol gel.

Any staff members not living in the camp will be considered outside the bubble and will have to socially distance and wear face masks when addressing those inside the bubble. They will also have clean / work clothes to change into after washing and disinfecting themselves upon arrival at the camp.

When outside the camp everyone will have to respect the social distancing rules and wear masks when they are in shops, cafes and supermarkets. Costa Rica are currently operating a night-time curfew so Chris and the team will organise camp parties, salsa nights, takeaways and movie nights. It is a stunning camp so this won’t be a hardship and Chris will make sure you are out and about all day.

Transport will be in private minibuses owned by the camp and the drivers will part of the camp bubble.