Costa Rica is a beautiful, lush and diverse nation located in Central America. The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish; furthermore the 51,000 sq km country is home to about 5 million people.  Home to some of the most diverse wildlife on the planet, Costa Rica offers a great way to see the world and do something good through charity program. By volunteering in Costa Rica you will gain a rich and deep understanding of the country and locals, which is deeper than you would with a casual romp through the beach areas.

Costa Rica is bordered by Nicaragua to the North, Panama in South direction, the Caribbean Sea located in Western Hemisphere, and Pacific Ocean to the West. This unique geography provides Costa Rica the ability to have truly diverse regions; ranging from the beaches, cloud and rain forests. Over 25% of the nation’s landmass is set aside for conservation and protection.

Much of this conservation is supported by volunteers. Volunteers are an indispensable resource for any conservation effort. Costa Rica provides the eco-conscious traveller with the ability to travel and help conserve the environment in the process.

The Costa Rican government recently launched a Certification for sustainable tourism program. By utilizing a travel agent or tour company with a CST certificate, it guarantees that your travel has the least impact possible on the gorgeous lush landscape you will enjoy.

By volunteering overseas in Costa Rica you will get exposure to the locals, culture, and customs in a very personal way. Some volunteer programs will provide you the opportunity to stay with a local family. This way you really get to experience what Costa Rica represents, both in the day and night.

A home stay combined with a volunteer experience will lead to memories, photos and hopefully friends for a lifetime. The joy you feel when volunteering can be enhanced by the scenery you experience on the trip.

The volunteer opportunities in Costa Rica are as diverse as the wildlife. If you love nature, this is a great opportunity to help conserve rain and cloud forests. Additionally, volunteers help educate other tourists and locals on the impact they can have on the conservation effort.

After you complete your volunteer activities the volunteers take part in some of the other exciting things Costa Rica has to offer. Learn to surf, go white water rafting, or lounge on any of the beautiful beaches. Carnival takes place in Costa Rica form February to March every year and is a recommended time to visit, where you perform the regular volunteer duties during the days, while partying with the locals on weekends.

A volunteerism experience in Costa Rica is also the perfect opportunity to learn Spanish or brush up on the casual Spanish you remember from High School. Some volunteer programs will actually require that you have some Spanish knowledge or conversational functionality before you travel. A few operators combine your volunteer experience with an intensive language immersion program.

Most people return from the experience of tropical destinations with a sunburn and a locals T-shirt. You can return from your trip to Costa Rica with a new outlook on nature conservation, and a new language. The fact is, volunteering abroad to Costa Rica contains excitement and great opportunities to impart some assistance to the less privileged.