Tropical Adventures ia a non-profit tour operator in Costa Rica specializing in custom volunteer adventure programs for individuals, families anEach of the Tropical Adventure programs is built around a local volunteer project that gives participants the opportunity to experience the culture and spirit of Costa Rica by living and working with the local people and personally contributing to the area’s much-needed community development efforts.

Tropical Adventures has partnered with existing local non-profit organizations who are already doing great work improving lives and basic conditions in their communities, but lack the resources to effectively meet the high level of need in these areas.

Working with partner organizations, Tropical Adventures places each of the participants in a volunteer position with one of many worthwhile projects including youth outreach, educational assistance, basic skills training (particularly to indigenous populations), nature conservation, public health assistance and more. Green trips and environmentally-conscious travelers thrive in the many conservation projects with Tropical Adventures. Tours include volunteer activities at the Wildlife Rescue Center and participants enjoy participating in the care of animals. Other worthwhile programs include time participating in nature-based activities and protecting the environment and the plants and animals in it.

Serving as the link between these organizations and the volunteer staff they so desperately need, the mission is to create life-changing experiences that are fun, rewarding and meaningful for our participants and for the local communities and individuals they support.

Volunteers in Bambu will experience, firsthand, the local indigenous community as they become a part of local life during their time. The cultural, educational, and sustainable projects are designed to have on ongoing impact; the variety will appeal to different volunteer interests.

Bambu is approximately 30 minutes into the reservation from the main indigenous community of Bribri, a significant part of the Tropical Adventures Family. Reaching Bambu itself is a tropical adventure, with a journey along the Suretka River, with Panama directly on the opposite side of the riverbank.

Volunteers will enjoy their time at the Bambu Cultural Center. Active and passionate indigenous community member, Danilo Gabb, recently built incredible structures using traditional indigenous methods, which lends to the culture and ingenuity of the Bribri. The Center directly supports 20 local families through the income it produces by hosting overnight guests and groups and through the tours.

Volunteers participate in a variety of activities, including teaching English, translating for the tours, creating marketing materials, planting flowers and trees, the planning and fulfillment of cultural activities, and much more. Conservation and sustainable projects include reforestation, encouraging and supporting traditional farming, as well as permanent or sustainable agriculture.

Whether spending time with children or seniors, volunteers will enjoy the enriching experiences, among them preserving nature and the indigenous culture of teh Bribri community.

See and hear the exclusive Bribi language and share in this indigenous tribe’s existence, still thriving after 5,000 years amidst Southern Costa Rica’s mountainous and low-lying Caribbean areas.

More about Indigenous Reservations

 Volunteers at the Wildlife Rescue Center assist with a variety of tasks, including feeding and caring for animals.  Time spent at the Center offers guests an opportunity to play a role in the preservation of species in danger of extinction.  Furthermore, the care of injured wild animals and education on the struggle of the animals is a significant objective in helping to restore the balance between humans and nature. 

The scenic area on which the Wildlife Rescue Center resides is located on eight acres of property near the Arenal Volcano. The wildlife family consists of birds, caymans, monkeys, boars, herons, ducks, a kinkajou named Benjamin, raccoons, dogs and cats. The project is officially recognized by the Ministry of the Environment, Energy & Telecommunications (MINAET) as well as the Monteverde Conservation League, the non-profit administrators of the world-renowned Children´s Eternal Rainforest (Bosque Eterno de los Niños.). Covering 54,000 acres, the Rainforest is the largest private reserve in Costa Rica.

More about the Wildlife Rescue Center

Intensive Spanish language lessons are available to fully experience life with Costa Rica’s local community. Add the lessons to the package of choice and learn useful Spanish terms to assist in volunteer work. The families in the program will either speak both Spanish and English or some English; the language lessons are a perfect way to make practical application, learn quickly, and experience authentic Spanish conversations.

Live and laugh among host families that want to share their Costa Rica with guests. A brief stay in a hospitable home brings not only benefit to the community, but long-lasting bonds.

Learn from locals who happily open their homes, whether with a reserved, proud tribe that lives simply or an intimate group of families on a farm, all among families willing to share their homes as visitor volunteers share their talents.

Regardless of the special vacation program, each offers friendly faces and friendships.

Travelers seeking affordable, value-added, scenic and volunteering getaways will find all the elements of a memorable and possibly life-changing vacation with Tropical Adventures. The rare opportunities to see the less commercialized parts of Costa Rica and living among locals affords guests a vacation that is a worthwhile departure from the conventional guidebooks, which are important to serve as guides, but always encourage travelers who wish to leap off the pages to create their own story.

Tropical Adventures began by caring citizens who wanted to make the changes they wanted to see, while working alongside indigenous cultures that want to also preserve and share their heritage.

Families, groups and solo travelers all find diverse projects and communities to engage in making a difference while having fun and seeing new facets of favorite towns. Projects in wildlife and conservation, working with seniors or children or animals and caring for the community are all available year-round.

Thrill-seekers, nature lovers and all types of travelers are welcome because a trip with Tropical Adventures is not all work. Plenty of leisure activities, advice and planning assistance is available through Tropical Adventures. Whether guests want to see a volcano, go rafting in a rainforest, enjoy mile-high adventures while viewing scenic beauty, partake in snorkeling, hike rugged trails, ride ATVs and/or see waterfalls, they can do it all.

More about Tropical Adventures Diverse Projects

Education is an important aspect of many of our volunteer programs. Cocles , El Yaz and Hojancha Elementary schools are all rural schools which offer visitors an opportunity to work with children with fewer resources than many others have in the Costa Rican school system. This scenario often results in the students losing the desire and/or the means to attend school or pursue any higher education.

Volunteers at our elementary schools will be actively involved in educating children ages six through 15, teaching them English, life skills, sports, and the arts. Volunteers also often tutor students, assist local teachers organize workshops and activities that include sewing, cooking, dancing, music, and art (extracurricular programs that are often under-funded and understaffed).

The project allows visitors to serve as mentors, encouraging them to learn and inspiring them to see the potential opportunities in store by providing them with the tools and information that have often been less available in the rural areas of Costa Rica.

More about Educational Projects

Tropical Adventures offer visitors a distinct opportunity to reach beyond the commercial barriers of typical tourism to explore the genuine locale and people of Costa Rica. Programs are offered in and around the Caribbean beach town of Puerto Viejo, in the Central Valley, the famous Arenal Volcano area and the Pacific Northwest Guanacaste Province. Enjoy spending time amidst verdant tropical rainforests, mountainous terrain, and/or unbelievably picturesque beaches.

Accommodations are included in the price. Stay with a loving family, in a hostel or in an upgraded hotel or resort. Televisions, refrigerators, fans, air conditioning and Internet access are available, depending on the project location.

Visitors will need to arrive into San Jose International Airport (SJO) to meet the program coordinators; Liberia International Airport is another option, for an additional transportation cost.

A pleasant stay that intermingles service with leisure awaits.