Volunteer in Costa Rica with Maximo Nivel - Best Rated Projects

Before I came here I was really nervous and had not done anything like this before, so it was all new to me. From when I first arrived until the end of my program the staff at Maximo were really supportive and helped in any way that they could. On your first day at your project, one of the field managers will come with you and introduce you to the staff and children, so you're not thrown into the deep end. Overall. I had the most amazing experience here and I highly recommend Maximo Nivel. Before I came here I was really nervous and had not done anything like this before, so it was all new to me. From when I first arrived until the end of my program the staff at Maximo were really supportive and helped in any way that they could. On your first day at your project, one of the field managers will come with you and introduce you to the staff and children, so you're not thrown into the deep end. Overall. I had the most amazing experience here and I highly recommend Maximo Nivel.

Even though I was only in Costa Rica for one week, I had a wonderful and amazing experience. The staff was extraordinarily friendly, helpful, and informative. They were always available and eager to help. My host family was fantastic! they were very welcoming and accepting. My host mother cooked the most delicious food! I did not know that Plantains could be cooked in so many different ways (and how delicious they are!). At my project (nursing home) I felt welcomed and like the work I did every day was making an impact. I learned so much from my project, and from living like a local. I also took Spanish lessons through Maximo Nivel, and had the most amazing Spanish professor. As someone with no background whatsoever in Spanish, I learned enormous amounts and it was all thanks to the amazing personality, skill, and hard work of Senorita Ana.

My time in Costa Rica volunteering with Maximo was short but extremely rewarding! The staff are very nice and are here to always help if the volunteers need anything. Working in the childcare program was extremely fun. The kids love to play soccer and hang out with the volunteers; going into this program I thought I would be mainly helping the children with their English (which I did) but they also helped me with my Spanish. During my time in this program, I was able to really get to know the kids and the teachers. They all are very caring and patient. This program or any other program with Maximo Nivel is worth it! Also, consider taking the Spanish classes offered through Maximo Nivel. The teachers here really help you learn the language. Overall, this program was life-changing!

The turtle conservation project was both rewarding and extremely enjoyable. Not only do you get to work up close with wildlife but also you get to make a real difference to the environment and community. The activities that you get involved in were extensive and there is such a large variety. It was very well organised and you get very immersed in the Costa Rican culture which is nothing short of amazing. The people at the program and all of the staff involved in getting you there were extremely helpful and welcoming. I always felt like I had someone to talk to and felt very safe. It is an experience I will never forget and I didn't want to leave when it came to the end of my program! I may even return myself as I enjoyed it so much so I definitely recommend it.

What a great program! I found the program suitable for all ages. It is fun, educational, hands-on as well as science-oriented. The community and beach clean-ups were appropriate to the program. The caring for the turtles and their eggs were thoroughly wonderful experiences; releasing baby turtles from the hatchery to the Pacific Ocean at dusk was magical; and finally gathering scientific information about the nesting turtles at night was just incredible. The food was plenty and delicious, and the people who run the program on the site, Akiho and Jairo, just made the experience a sweet and unforgettable one. They were kind, caring, understanding, responsible, and always positive. They made sure the work was done in the most precise and cooperative way.

I am so glad that I decided to volunteer with children in Manuel Antonio! It is such an amazing experience! The kids are so fun and amazing to play with, but are also so grateful and polite to us volunteers. My host family is so kind! Our host mother prepares delicious meals for breakfast and dinner for me and my housemates every day! I was nervous about living with random roommates, but after several groups of people moved in and out of the house over my 15 week stay, I was pleasantly surprised with how kind and open-minded everyone was! I was also contemplating taking a spanish course during my time here, which I totally should have done, but even without taking classes, my conversational spanish greatly improved throughout my time! Manuel Antonio is such a beautiful place, and I wouldn´t trade this time for anything else!

For this Turtle Conservation Project we traveled to Ostional on the Nicoya Penisula of Costa Rica. Ostional is one of the few places in the world where the Olive Ridley Sea turtles come en masse to lay their eggs. There can be hundreds of thousands of them over a 5 day period. Although one of these "arribadas" did not occur during the three weeks that I was there, we still had the opportunity to work on research projects with single turtles as they came ashore to lay their eggs. We also got a chance to collect data one of the endangered Green Turtles and one of the Leatherbacks which are also endangered. We also engaged in beach cleaning projects and in replacing some of the markers on the beach used to determine where the egg laying activity takes place.

The group of volunteers I was with came from several countries and ranged in age from in their teens to over 70 years old. It was great meeting all the new people, learning about their countries and experiences and just having fun working and playing togther. What a better place to enjoy downtime than at the lovely Costa Rican coast!!

I came from Canada for a 3 week volunteer project. This was my first time traveling to Costa Rica and my first time traveling alone (even though I'm 47). On my first day, we had orientation where I met others from around the world who were here doing various projects. During orientation I realized that I knew far less Spanish that all the others, but I didn't let that bother me. Obviously the ability to speak Spanish is an asset, but with my basic knowledge, plus help from all my house mates and project crew, I survived just fine. Our construction project was at a daycare center in a relatively low end of town where we built an additional room for the kids. Although I have construction background, the others had never done anything like this and it was fun to work with them and see them learn while they are helping others. The main construction was completed before my time here, but we did tile setting, painting, electrical and we built and installed the doors etc. I found it quite rewarding that we were helping the children, and I could tell that they appreciated our efforts.
The crew at Maximo Nivel were very friendly and helpful and made sure we were on task. The tools and supplies are not equal to what I'm used to back in Canada, but that is part of the local TICO experience. My OCD was constantly challenged but I learned that perfection is over-rated anyways.
Outside of the construction project, Maximo Nivel offered free dance classes on Mondays and free cooking classes on Wednesdays, both of which I enjoyed. Our construction crew and my housemates often had lunch together and did other activities together as well. We did go-kart racing , volcano tours, river rafting, a weekend at Manual Antonio and more. I was surprised how easily I fit in with the "kids", considering I'm older than most, if not all, of the others around me.
My homestay family was great and the accomodations were comfortable (not a 5 star resort, but that's not why we're here).
I'm very happy that I chose to volunteer instead of taking just another vacation. This really helps to see the local culture while making a difference for others.