Costa Rica Service Adventures

Costa Rica Service Adventures

Location
  • Costa Rica
Length
1 - 4 weeks

Program Details

Program Type
Student Tour
Timeframe
Summer
Housing
Host Family Hotel Lodge
Language
Spanish
Age Min.
12
Age Max
18

Pricing

$3,595
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Meals Transportation
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance
May 06, 2026
Sep 11, 2025
42 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Are you a middle or high school student looking for volunteer opportunities in Costa Rica? Global Works has a variety of options for you. Take a look at our programs and visit our site for full details. Program Options:

- 15 Day Homestay Program: service work, cloud forest, homestay, and surf lessons
- 17 Day Wildlife Program: sea turtle projects, biological research station, and zip-lining
- 10 Day Middle School Program: great intro to service travel!
- 17 Day Pre-Med & Public Health Program: shadow doctors and get first hand experience

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

This program offers a mix of adventure, community service, and cultural immersion with supportive leaders and welcoming host families.

Program Highlights

  • Local Community Service Projects
  • White-water raft on the Pacuare River
  • Practice your Spanish Skills
  • Surf epic Pacific Coast waves
  • Zip-line through the Rain Forest

Video and Photos

Popular Programs

Medical service in Costa Rica

Get hands-on medical experience in Costa Rica! Students have the opportunity to shadow doctors, get Wilderness First Aid certified, and do community health focused service work.

Middle School Costa Rica Group

The perfect introduction to international community service travel and adventure! Designed for Middle School Students with rafting, zip-lining, surfing, and service.

Surfing in Costa Rica

Get the classic Global Works experience! This 2 week program has a little bit of everything - zip-ling, rafting, surfing, homestays and of course meaningful service work!

Whale watching in Costa Rica

A program to Costa Rica with a wildlife and environmental focus. All of the fun adventure like surfing and rafting with environmentally focused projects like sea turtle conservation and biological research center.

Program Reviews

4.93 Rating
based on 40 reviews
  • 5 rating 92.5%
  • 4 rating 7.5%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 4.75
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.75
  • Housing 4.65
  • Safety 4.9
Showing 1 - 8 of 40 reviews
Nicole
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Algo para recordar por siempre

Hola mi Nombre es Nicole Mora, soy de Costa Rica y tuve la oportunidad de experimentar un programa de tortugas con Globla Works, mi experiencia fue maravillosa, al lado de mis guías Luke y Rebecca, personas super geniales que me ayudaron en todo momento del viaje, fue un viaje que me dejó muchas cosas bonitas para recordar por siempre, al inicio la barrera de idiomas es difícil pero poco a poco nos desenvolvimos súper bien y logramos comunicarnos tanto en inglés como en español, hice muchos amigos nuevos los cuales seguimos en contacto todos los días, aprendí mucho sobre los Estados Unidos y ellos aprendieron mucho de Costa Rica, fue sin duda una de las mejores experiencias de mi vida, conocí muchos cosas nuevos como animales, flora de nuestro país, lugares y comidas nuevas, nuestro viaje constaba de 18 días y sin duda mi parte favorita del viaje fue el monitoreo de tortugas que se realizó con un programa llamado Latín American Sea Turtles, este programa está ubicado en playa Blanca, puerto Jiménez, fue increíble todos los tipos de tortugas que conocimos, mis compañeros de viaje fueron increíbles conmigo siempre me sentí muy conformes con ellos,es algo que siempre recordaré con mucho cariño y me encantaría repetirlo en algún momento de mi vida.

In English:
Hello my name is Nicole Mora, I am from Costa Rica and I had the opportunity to experience a turtle program with Globla Works, my experience was wonderful, alongside my guides Luke and Rebecca, super cool people who helped me at all times of the trip, it was a trip that left me with many beautiful things to remember forever, at first the language barrier was difficult but little by little we got along super well and managed to communicate in both English and Spanish, I made many new friends which we keep in touch with every day, I learned a lot about the United States and they learned a lot about Costa Rica, it was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life, I learned many new things like animals, flora of our country, places and new foods, our trip consisted of 18 days and without a doubt my favorite part of the trip was the turtle monitoring that was done with a program called Latin American Sea Turtles, this program is located in Playa Blanca, Puerto Jiménez, it was incredible all the types of turtles we met, my travel companions were incredible with me I always felt very satisfied with them, it is something that I will always remember fondly and would love to repeat at some point in my life.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
Mi momento más estresante fue a la hora de hacer rafting ya que estaba lloviendo mucho y el río estaba muy lleno, esto lo superé con ayuda de mis guías Luke y Rebecca, y mis compañeros que me ayudaron a intentarlo y me apoyaron en todo momento, cuidándome y motivándome a hacer cosas nuevas.
Pros
  • Me divertí mucho.
  • Me fascinó hacer rafting, fue una de las mejores cosas del viaje.
  • Aprendí a nadar con ayuda de mis amigos.
Cons
  • Sentía miedo al inicio.
81 people found this review helpful.
Hanna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

This was amazing

I I traveled on the Costa Rica wildlife adventure program It was an amazing experience. It was eye-opening and thoughtful. The program consisted of so many fun adventures, such as zip lining surfing, saving sea turtles, helping rangers at Poco sol, and finding new best friends! Along with all our fun activities, the leaders were beyond amazing. They supported and helps the group no matter what, along with making it super fun! I also had a great relationship with every kid on the trip. We were able to bond and play cards and hang out and have so many new inside jokes. The strip helped build my self-confidence put out of my social skills. I love to meet the new people and along with discovering more about animals and the culture in Costa Rica. Thank you Global Works for this experience!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Go on this trip! Be bold and don’t be nervous everyone on the trip wants to be friends with you!
Pros
  • Saw so many animals, and learned about every single one
  • Eye opening to the world: I was able to learn and make a new appreciation for my home + help small towns and people who needed service
  • New friendships
Cons
  • Bug bites
  • Clothes getting dirty
  • Cold showers
94 people found this review helpful.
Adam
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Wildlife, Service, Adventure: A Life-Changing Experience with Global Works in Costa Rica

I just got back from Global Works’ Costa Rica Wildlife Adventure and, no joke, it was the best experience ever. Every morning felt like its own Discovery Channel episode: one day we were tracking sea-turtle nests, the next we were hanging 200 feet above the cloud forest on zip-lines. The service projects were real work, too. I helped rebuild jungle trails and prepped food for rescued howler monkeys at Proyecto Asis. Our leaders were legit pros (and hilarious), so even when we were walking through mud, clearing invasive plants, I never felt unsafe or bored. My Spanish skills improved too. By the time we hit the rapids in a river rafting adventure, our group of strangers felt like family. I came home with a ton of new friends, a bunch of service hours, and a way bigger sense of what it means to protect the planet. If you want adventure that actually matters, go Global Works.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Watching a 300-pound green sea turtle glide onto the beach, and then helping biologists tag, measure, and protect her fresh nest, felt like stepping into a live-action nature documentary.
Pros
  • Hands-On Conservation: Rebuilding rainforest trails and caring for rescued monkeys made the service feel genuinely impactful.
  • Epic Adventure Line-Up: Zip-lining the cloud forest and white-water rafting kept the adrenaline pumping.
  • Tight-Knit Crew & Spanish Boost: Small group size meant instant friendships and real-world Spanish practice (my vocab skyrocketed).
92 people found this review helpful.
Gabriela
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Costa Rican Summer Service

This past summer, my cousin Ana and I had the incredible opportunity to participate in a Costa Rican summer service volunteer program, and it was honestly one of the most enriching experiences of our lives. We had initially chosen this program because we were excited about the chance to surf in Costa Rica – but the service component turned out to be the highlight of our trip.

From the beginning, we felt supported and welcomed by our program leaders, who were not only super fun but also great mentors. They created an environment where we could learn, grow, and genuinely connect with the local community. Their energy and passion for the work they were doing made everything even more impactful, and we learned so much from them both on and off the field.

The best part of the experience, though, was staying with local families in the community. The warmth and hospitality they showed us were beyond anything we expected, and living with them truly changed my perspective on life. The bonds we formed were so strong that I’m happy to say I still keep in touch with the family I stayed with, which has been such a rewarding connection to maintain.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
The most surprising thing I saw was the different birds and animals while rafting. It was one of the best experiences of the program.
169 people found this review helpful.
Caroline
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Costa Rica Service Review

The Costa Rica service adventure was amazing and definitely the highlight of my summer! I did not want to leave the great friends, leaders, and community I found by the end of the trip. I know I will have these memories for the rest of my life including, hanging out at the beautiful beaches with the new friends I made and sitting in hammocks on top of a huge mountain playing guitar and singing songs. Arriving there I was very sad and scared to leave my home and by the end I felt the same but I had a new meaning of home.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
One thing I would change if I did this again was try to make friends and put myself out there faster. At first I was very nervous so I was more closed off however towards the end of the trip after I started to relax and be myself I wasn’t ready to leave the people I met.
Pros
  • The people and connections I made
  • Surfing was so fun!
  • The animals and nature.
176 people found this review helpful.
Lilly
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Global Works Costa Rica Service Adventure: the adventure of a lifetime

I loved this trip and would remember for the rest of my life. Getting to do service, meeting incredible people, and seeing part of the world that I haven’t been to, made this trip a great experience.
The leaders were high energy, friendly, people I admire. I felt welcome from the first moment I met them. They were one of the reasons that the trip was as exceptional as it was.
We had a travel issue due to the airline, but the Global Works team was fantastic at helping us navigate through it. They made this challenge stress free and supported us every step of the way.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
One of the most nerve-racking moment was when our flight got canceled because that was the day of the airline cyber attack. The Global Works team helped us find an alternative flight. They sent someone to meet us at the airport and tour us around while we waited for an opportunity to reconnect with the group.
Pros
  • Friendships
  • Activities
  • Service
165 people found this review helpful.
Ian
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Summer Ever

I'd like to start by thanking my two counselors for making this camp a unique experience and for always helping me and my friends with any problem we had. Costa Rica is a wonderful country with so many interesting things to do such as rafting and surfing, which made this trip even more amusing.
All the places we went to are beautiful and amazing in so many different aspects and the places where we stayed were enough for the little time we spent there. I enjoyed every single part of the trip because after three weeks we were able to form a wonderful group of friends and we did not even think about using our phones.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Be prepared for all the rice and beans.
160 people found this review helpful.
Francesco
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Costa Rica

Going into the trip was very nerve racking until I was introduced to Javier, Rebecca, and Luke. The Costa Rican trip was absolutely mind blowing from the beautiful landscapes and wildlife to the culture of all the places we stayed at. While I was there it gave me a sense of gratitude and a way to see different parts of the world most people will never get too experience. I recommend Global Works too everyone who asks about it and would plan on going on trips until my final years of high school.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My advice to future travelers is to come in with an open and social mind so you can maximize your experience
Pros
  • Food
  • Community
  • Nature
Cons
  • Humidity
166 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers