Program Reviews

The experience is fun, but if you are looking at this as a first step to work in the outdoors and already know how to behave outside, look elsewhere.
This is a program for very young people with no experience, and it's also totally not as hardcore as they sell it. Forget the label "expedition". Totally misleading. This is much more a Tour Guide thing then a Wilderness or Adventure Guide.

No focus on jobs. Never in the full duration we talked about navigating the industry. We did do an infinity of other useless workshops, though. "How to talk to collegues and head office", for instance. Answer: politely. Duration: 1h.
I'm not kidding.

They are also uninterested in training you. Some people kept doing things terribly and the instructors didn't care to correct them or explain again. Feedback is always positive no matter your performances, which in the long term is nauseating and unhelpful.
They win the moment you pay. Wonder why there is no selection process? Right.

The focus is solely on soft skills. You finish the program with nothing to show for it. The most concrete things we "learned" were... shopping for 5-6 days. Taking care of a budget for a week.
No hard skills learned besides reading a map and a compass. No knots, nothing technical.

Their marketing team does a great job at showing a much better program than what it actually is. Btw we also didn't do some of the best parts in the program, for no reason (rafting and mountain tops).

All in all, good fun, some things you will learn, but besides the chance to babysit in their programs don't expect this to be much else than proof of commitment on your CV.

If you never went outside your home, this is the program for you. If you are older and just a little more experienced, you'll be disappointed.

The course is about building up the qualities and skills needed in a leader, through various activities which as mainly practical and hands on. It’s an experience where the more you put in the more you get out, so if you are the type of person to throw your all into things this is for you. I have really enjoyed being in the jungle, arguably the most unique part of the trip. Thanks to the skilled and professional instructors we were able to live and experience the rainforest in all its glory whilst learning how to make shelters, do water rescues and much more.

I would recommend this course to people who are comfortable with being uncomfortable and enjoy a good challenge.

It was a really fun experience and the group I had doing it were all super supportive and it was nice to meet some likeminded people

This course is a wonderful blend of leadership training, travel organization training, and technical wilderness skills. You start out in Wales where you engage in mountain leader skills, then you move on the Costa Rica where you spend the majority of the course. The Costa Rican portion consists of a nice blend of jungle trekking, navigation, activity based leadership (ziplining, biking, kayaking, etc), and general cultural immersion. I would highly recommend this course for anybody who is exceptionally adventurous and wants to break into the outdoor industry as an expedition leader.

A great programme with a good balance of practical and theory content. Belt kit and survival challenge were two of the highlights. Being in a Costa Rica was incredible and the rest of the group were friendly and supportive. The instructors were knowledgeable and supportive. It represented good value for money. The course is one of the best things I’ve ever done and I would recommend it to anyone looking to get into the expedition industry or looking for a change from the norm. Be prepared for a full on few months but a great time.

For me, the reason I chose to do this course was because I wanted a career change and this provided me with everything I was looking for. The course really helped me understand leadership styles and brought out a more thoughtful side of me I didnt know I had. The fact that it's in costa rica is an added bonus !!! Now I've finished the course and have a job offer from gap force I'm really excited to see what the future holds. My favourite part of the course was when we spent a week with the family of the bri bri tribe. We played football with the local kids, had beautiful food made for us, slept in hammocks and had chocolate made for us with a grinding stone. Their culture is based on cocoa. How cool is that !!!

I love being outdoors and trying new experiences which this course has given me in abundance. I enjoyed all the activities and also the leadership and mindset workshops helped improve my leadership skills. I personally enjoyed the jungle training the most and has given me a drive to work more in the jungle and become very competent. The locations within the jungle were absolutely breathtaking with vast amounts wildlife everywhere.

If you are thinking about doing this course and are worrying, just go for it and you’ll have the experience of a lifetime.

A very unique experience that I will treasure for a long time. An amazing opportunity to expand knowledge in the travel and adventure industry with the added bonus of living in the jungle!! If you want adventure, a physical challenge and the chance to learn new skills for survival and leading water sports, this is the course for you.

For someone looking for a way into the travel and adventure industry the ELT course provides a brilliant platform to do so. The instructors are open and transparent about the industry and they facilitate your learning to the best of their ability. They also tailor the teaching techniques to fit the group so everyone learns at the same pace and progresses throughout the course- hence why everyone is so successful and thrilled at the end!

This was an amazing experience and I have learned so much along the way. The Oceans Unlimited dive shop is super welcoming and there is a big sense of community among all the divers. The instructors give you all the tools to help you succeed and are very nice. Quepos and Manual Antonio are beautiful and have the best sunsets I have ever seen. Staying in a homestay is wonderful and is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture. Highly recommend to anyone interested in becoming a dive instructor!

The Gapforce Expedition leader training is a great adventure and an entry into the outdoor industry for those wanting this.
The leader training is mainly focused on leading groups of young people aged 18-25 on long duration trips around the world.

If you are looking for Jungle survival skills, leadership training, adventure, team spirit and general adventure this course is a good place to start!

Extract of letter to home:
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“we have spent some incredible time with the Bri Bri tribe and gathered all the info we could. Really interesting! Build with Vines, Made spears & bow and Arrow, Learned Friction fire, Animal snares, a thousand types of animals and plants. We were on night fishing / hunting with Mynor (Bri Bri ) and caught Crabs and crayfish.

The jungle have started to feel like a “Forest instead of an Alien and totally overwhelming place. 😊 I get up every morning to the sound of howler monkeys, shake my boots for spiders and scorpions. I lift my backpack to se if a snake has made a home under it.
After that, I put on my wet work Clothes and prepare for another day 😊

It sounds dangerous and alien and it feels like that in the beginning, but the truth is that you “Tune in” and that the nature here is mostly friendly. I observe tarantulas and see them more like you would see a forest mouse in a European forest – notice how is runs away and is afraid of me.

I enjoy the sight of unbelievably beautiful poisonous frogs and all the other stuff here. 😊

There lived a sloth next to one of our camps – I call him Alfred :D There is a lot to write! , bullfrogs the size of a rabbit, turtles crabs, parrots, Tapirs, 100 spiders and snakes etc.

That being said, there are plenty of challenges here and this is a rough environment to be in. I have stated to eat 300-400g of peanut butter a day to maintain my weight somewhat, but despite that I would recon that I have lost 5-10 kg of weight.

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Can only recommend the training: Pack your bags and go into the jungle :)

In total a great experience with amazing people but a few points that could be improved.
- At least 2 -3 Nights at every place , 1 night was way to short and really stressful e.g. not 3 weeks in Cairns in the end but at every other place longer stays and splitting the volunteer work onto different places and also different projects
-the volunteering didn't include any animals and was really monotonous ,no variety, really boring
-more meals provided throughout the trip for the amount of money we paid