Volunteer in Costa Rica with Maximo Nivel - Best Rated Projects

I volunteered for Maximo Nivel for 4 weeks and I taught English to teenage girls. I have to say that at first I was scared to do this. Living in another country for 4 weeks, knowing little of their language and their culture and having no one there, all seemed scary to me at first. But then you get here and you meet the staff at Maximo Nivel. They are all so friendly and supportive. You meet these people and realize how much support you have here and then all your fears go away. It's not only for your project that they support you, they help you for a lot of other things too. They teach you how to use the bus, where to eat that has good quality and reasonable price, where to explore and how to take the tours to both save money and have fun and all the other things. I mean, I'm a student and I want to have fun but not spend that much money either and Andres, one of the staff, helped me so much to plan trips and trours for very cheap, I'm really grateful for that. I just knew that if anything happens I can count on them. Actually one day I was a little sick and they all helped me so much. Andres would come and check on me every 15 minutes to make sure that I was ok. It was just great to see that I have all this support here.
They also support you so much to make sure that you feel comfortable teaching and you don't have any problems with your project. Steve, Emmy and Daniel always help me on the site so I can make the most out of my teaching experience. Marta always help me and encourage me to make worksheets for my students. You think teaching English is difficult and you cannot do it? Well, yes it is a little challenging, but with all the help you have from these awesome people you can definitely do it. I don't have that much experience teaching English myself but Maximo Nivel made it totally possible for me.
And then you go to the class and you see all these students, so eager to learn and so grateful that you teach them, and your know at that moment that all the time and money you have spent are worth it. You see them learning English and becoming more and more excited and comfortable about English and all of these are so heartwarming. Their enthusiasm is adorable and they are such amazing and kind girls.
I'm truly happy that I decided to do this project with Maximo Nivel and I highly recommend it.

I volunteered in the medical project with Maximo Nivel in San Jose for 2 weeks. Maximo Nivel is a fantastic organization to work with. The staff are great and friendly. The services the agency offers are very helpful and they provide you with all the information and help you could need during your stay in San Jose. Two of the staff members working in Maximo were especially amazing. Marta, who was always super friendly with volunteers and always smiling and socializing with them, and Andres, who was amazing with volunteers. He always tried to help when he could and treated them more like friends than formally as volunteers, which made everyone much more comfortable.
As for the medical project, do not expect to get a lot of hands on work. The amount of practical skills you apply in the project are very limited and not much of a medically learning experience. It is still a learning experience because it is nevertheless a new experience. You´re putting yourself out of your comfort zone and going somewhere new and interacting with new people. However the project itself gets very repetitive because the work is limited and pretty much the same every day. I started to get bored after the first week.
But other than that, the city is greatñ definitely go exploring because that´s where the actual experiences are.
If you stay with a host family, like i did, they are absolutely fantastic. Extremely friendly.
Also, if you can brush up and learn some Spanish before you arrive, it would definitely be worth while so you´re not clueless in public. But they offer spanish courses at Maximo which are also great.

I spent 2.5 weeks volunteering on a local organic coffee plantation in Monteverde. From farm maintenance to planting, roasting and packaging coffee, this programme really makes you understand and appreciate every cup of coffee that we drink each morning! What an amazing and rewarding experience! A new level of appreciation for the local farmers, their families and coffee!

The team at Maximo Nivel, made transitioning from traveller to volunteer a quick and easy process. They were extremely helpful with the comprehensive induction, and were always ready to provide support if/when required throughout the volunteering programme. The organic coffee project is set up with a lot of thought invested into it. The Maximo team and the local farming family, really make you feel immersed in what the local culture has to offer, without making you feel uncomfortable in the new environment.

At the end 2.5 weeks, you are left extremely satisfied with the new set of skills, knowledge, hard work and an appreciation for what local communities endure on a daily basis.

If you love getting your hands dirty and want to explore a new country full of wonderful people and culture, I highly recommend the organic farming programme offered by Maximo Nivel, Costa Rica.

It was an amazing experience to have the opportunity to volunteer on the ambulance in Costa Rica. The ambulance in Costa Rica provides a very high level of service to their community. It was amazing to be able to assist the paramedics with calls and learn more about their medical service here. I highly suggest learning as much spanish as you can before you can volunteer for the most efficient communication, but some things are universal like smiles and laughs!

I had a great experience during my time here in San Jose completing the Teaching English project in Coronado. The students were very willing to learn and eager. The support from the Maximo staff was excellent and I felt confident that they could help me whenever I had a question. My house mom made me feel so welome and was super friendly and warm. It was overall wondrful experience! I had a great experience during my time here in San Jose completing the Teaching English project in Coronado. The students were very willing to learn and eager. The support from the Maximo staff was excellent and I felt confident that they could help me whenever I had a question. My house mom made me feel so welome and was super friendly and warm. It was overall wondrful experience!

Our staff from Maximo Nivel was great! They were available every step of the way to provide assurance, support, and direction without being overbearing. Our host families were a joy to be around, and our accommodations were pleasant. The project was educational and it felt like we made an impact by the end of our week there. In our free time, Monteverde had a lot of exciting activities to offer.

I first committed to staying in Costa Rica for 8 weeks, but I soon realized that wasn't nearly enough time, and I decided to commit for another 3 weeks. However, my time here is now coming to a close, and I still wish I could stay longer. I came to Costa Rica in order to force myself out of my comfort zone, challenge my beliefs and expectations, and grow as a person; I believe I have acieved every single one of those goals. I have made forever friends and had unforgettable experiences- while travelling, with my host family, and in my project.
My experience at the school (my childcare project) was particularly one I will never forget. I cannot thank them enough for all they have taught me about myself and what I want from my future. Each and every child in the school has touched my heart in their own unique and special way, and I can only hope I have somehow touched there's in return.

I had an unforgetable experience working with the children at Hogar Maria Infantil for the months I came to Costa Rica. All of the staff at Maimo Nivel were super supportive and helpful every step of the way. I learnt so much during my time here. Travelling and volunteering is an experience nobody can take away from you, and I am so glad I chose Costa Rica to kick off my travel bug. Many thanks to everyone who made this experience possible.