Volunteer in Costa Rica with Maximo Nivel - Best Rated Projects

I volunteered in Costa Rica and had a wonderful time sightseeing the country and working with kids, would definitely recommend to anyone looking for volunteer abroad opportunities. I didn't speak any spanish but the volunteerHQ staff were super helpful in getting me around and I was still able to help out a lot at the daycare I was volunteering at. I also got to spend the weekend traveling to Manuel Antonio and the beach was beautiful.

Such a life-changing experience! I loved going to my project and spending time with the cute children, it always made my day and I feel like that with time it got better so I would definitely recommend coming for longer than two weeks (I did it for 8 weeks). My homestay was amazing, they made me feel like a part of their family and I already miss them.
This experience allows you not only to see a new culture but to live it. I cannot stress how much I’d recommend everyone to do this at least once in their life. I feel like I’ve learned so much and feel more grateful for what I have now. I got out of my comfort zone a lot and learned a new language- the more Spanish you know the more you’ll benefit from your experience.
Also, Maximo Nivel was great, I felt supported all the time.

Having only a week to volunteer before my second semester started back up, I chose to do the holiday experience. We participated in beautification projects in some of the most underprivileged areas, worked and played with children in different orphanages and day cares, and visited a home for the elderly. It was a great way to get a taste of some of the programs that maximo provides. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent on projects, and although my Spanish is limited, I feel that I really connected with some of the kids. It is quite humbling to see the real side of the country, and even more uplifting to get involved, experience it, and help first hand. I wish I had another week or two to spend with Maximo in Costa Rica. I developed friendships with other volunteers, was able to go on excursions and out at night, and developed a love for the country as well. Maximo Nivel was extremely accommodating, my homestay was very pleasant, and I felt safe yet able to explore the entire time. The staff at Maximo were incredibly enthusiastic (a quality that radiated to other volunteers) and made me look forward to getting started on my project every day.

After finishing a lesson, a mother of one of the students came up to me and the other teacher and gave us both big hugs and said thank you. On the last day of teaching, my students made us lunch and celebrated the progress they made throughout the two weeks. The semester of Spanish knowledge I have and would use to communicate just made people smile and say, "que linda" and help me work through the sentence. The people of Costa Rica are so kind and caring. The students I had the pleasure to work with value the time you put in and give it back to you by putting in lots of effort. The staff at Maximo Nivel were so supportive and amazing. They are so welcoming and they really care about the volunteers and the projects which they are affiliated with. Safety is important to them and they play an active role in your volunteer experience by accompanying you sometimes to the volunteer placement. They embody Pura Vida.

My experience in Costa Rica was amazing. I was here for two weeks and I volunteered at a special needs care project. This project was at Casa Esperanza and there are adults who live here who have great personalities. They all love playing BINGO and coloring but they also love your company and talking to you. I felt I made an impact on them but they made an even bigger impact on me. It is a fun project to do and a project I would recommend to anyone. You learn that even though they have special needs they are human just like us and they love company!

I am going to try my absolute best to formulate sentences about how unreal this experience was but i genuinley dont know if theres even words to describe it. Everything about this program from the maximo nivel staff, to my host family, to my placement and all of the friends i made on this trip, have been nothing shy of amazing. the maximo nivel staff was crazy inviting and is there for you for support in any situation. Im can to volunteer to make an impact and be part of a greater change but in all honesty, although don get me wrong i definitely am confident in the impact i made during my time here, i feel like i got just as much out of this program as i gave which is an amazing feeling. i would recommend this program to any single person whos intrested in traveling with a purpose. and if the language barrier is a concern, dont worry to much about it, i had 0 background in spanish whatsoever and had no problem, other than the slight inonvience, but was able to pick up many phrases and words fast. hope some of you get to experience this program, it truly is unreal.

I came to Costa Rica to volunteer in the childcare program through IVHQ and Maximo Nivel. I cannot begin to explain how amazing this experience was. My friend and I were placed in a daycare center with children ages 0 to 8. The staff and children were incredible, they greeted us every day with smiles and could not wait to play. They definitely made saying good bye extremely difficult. No matter how much time and attention you gave to them, the rewarding feeling they gave back was impossible to be matched. The program set up the living arrangements which were with a host family, this allowed me to completely submerge myself in the culture, it was definitely a culture shock for me at first, but after the first day I was in the swing of things and would not have traded the experience for anything.

This program was incredible. Each day we did something new, including painting classrooms, throwing a holiday party for children, and working in an elderly care home. The staff at Máximo Nivél were supportive, organized, and genuinely thrilled to be working on the volunteer projects. They spread joy and made the experience amazing. Moreover, San Jose is a great city. The people are friendly and welcoming, and I personally never felt endangered during my time there. Staying with host family was also a great experience. I was able to learn what daily life in Costa Rica was like, and I developed a great relationship with my host parents. I would highly recommend this program to anybody interested. This program has opened my eyes up to a life full of volunteering and traveling, especially in Latin America.