ISV - Volunteer Projects in Costa Rica

Being at Costa Rica was a life changing moment. From the moment I got there to the very end was a learning experience. For the fist time I saw some great animals, helped saved a rainforest, and was living with excitement and thrill everyday. Trailing up the red mountains, waking up to the Pacific ocean, and living with a family that had different values than mine. One of the most memorable part was when a woman was about to give labour, but could not get to the hospital that night because it was dark and the boat couldn't get to town. We stayed up helping her. This experience helped me realized how loving, passionate, supportive and cultural the community in the Osa Peninsula island was. Really miss my family there right now.

Traveling through Costa Rica offered an insight into a whole different world. The ISV program got up close and personal with the locals so us students really had the chance to interact. While with a guide/ISV rep most of the day, nights and afternoon were full of freedom to take a bus somewhere else, go to the beach, hangout at the bars, take surf lessons, and do SO much more. Samara Beach was our last stop and we made it the most fun filled and wild days! Surf lessons, ocean kayaking, plenty of guacamole breaks, then hanging at the clubs with the locals or other tourists at night. Traveling in a group allowed you to go outside your comfort zone at first to get to know everyone and then have that comfort to fall back on as you explore new places and meet even more people in stops along the way during the trip. While an experienced traveler and backpacker may feel like this program is too coordinated, for someone who is traveling abroad for the first time and just needs a tiny but of support when you're there, it's great. It was perfect for me at the time to help me find the confidence in myself to take on a foreign country alone and I cannot be more thankful for that.

During my time in Costa Rica, I was hosted by a local family in a very small, rural, mountain community. The language barrier was very evident, as I didn't speak much Spanish and they hardly knew an English. However, during my two weeks of living with this family and learning their traditions and quirks, I was opened up to a whole new world of communication that didn't necessarily include verbal language. We spoke by gestures and motions in order to understand each other. This was the most unique position ive even been put in; to adapt to a completely different culture with must verbal communication. It was absolutely amazing and challenging. By the end of the trip, when I had to leave them, there was no language barrier needed to interpret tears. We all wept because it was understood, without any words, how much we would all miss each other. That was the most rewarding and impactful part of it all. I now have a new family in a different country that I know cares about me, as I do them.

This trip completely changed my life and life perspective. I got to life in a completely different cultural community (a small, 6 family village off the coast of the Osa Peninsula) and work hands on in the rainforest. I was entirely immersed in the huge amount of biodiversity Costa Rica has to offer and I would give anything to go back and do it again. It made me change my major to ecology so I'll be able to make a difference in deforested areas and better understand the interactions that occur in this environment.

I signed up for my ISV Costa Rica Program without knowing anyone else on the trip, and without knowing what to expect from a program like this. ISV has opened my eyes to the importance of getting out of my comfort zone and being a part of something so much bigger than myself.

I was able to gain hands-on experience working with sea turtle conservation, and even released hundreds of baby turtles back into the ocean! I also met some of my best friends on my ISV Programs, and my life has truly been changed for the better because of this experience.

My ISV experience is hard to sum up in a single review just because the experience itself is so much more powerful and distinctive than words can describe. The trip was filled with memorable experiences and was shared with even more memorable people. I started out my Costa Rica trip with a week of Spanish lessons, which were very helpful especially when realizing just how little Spanish I knew and the language barriers I had to face as soon as I landed. The Spanish week was a great way to get ahead of the game and really get to know everyone in your group as well. The two weeks of volunteering in Ostional Costa Rica were beyond amazing. Our project involved working with the sea turtles that came to nest on the beach of Ostional. The work involved counting the eggs that the turtles would lay as well as taking measurements of their size, and tagging there fins. The work was never dull especially during the arribada week when there were literally hundreds of turtles nesting at the same time. Ostional is the second biggest beach in the world for the nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles and watching the monthly arribada occur was like a natural wonder of the world. Our project leaders were great and taught us so much about our project, Costa Rica, and more. The host family I stayed with was incredibly kind and made me incredibly comfortable in a home far away from my own.
The final two weeks consisted of the adventure tour, which basically was travelling all around Costa Rica doing awesome activities. We toured a few national parks and saw so much of the wildlife beauty that Costa Rica contains. Some of the other activities included white water rafting down the Pacuare River that runs through the middle of the rain forest and then lodging a night in the rainforest. The sights and experience of this were unbelievable and this was just the start of the adventure tour. Other activities included zip lining, rappelling, horseback riding, surfing, tubing, hot springs, and more. I made great friends bonding with people over these many awesome adventures and would do it again in a heartbeat. I recommend this ISV project to anyone looking to travel and have a life changing experience.

Volunteering in Costa Rica with ISV was an amazing adventure! As a first time international traveler, I was a little nervous at first but ISV offered so many resources to assist in my project preparations. The Spanish language immersion program is definitely a must for anyone considering volunteering in Costa Rica. The classes were really helpful and the extra activities and evening excursions were always fun. The volunteer project that I did in Gulfo Dulce was incredible! I got to work with sea turtles almost every day as well as help local research assistants with their mangrove restoration, community development, and education program development projects. Every aspect of my volunteer project was worth it and I can't wait to return one day!

This was an absolutely life changing experience. Living with my host family was one of the best parts, because even though we barely spoke each other's language, my host sisters taught me so much and we played and had fun. By the end of the two weeks, it was tears all around and promises to be back. We joked and laughed and danced while working and the breaks were filled with fun games and getting to know the other volunteers. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything on the world and I can't wait to go back!