Volunteer Programs in Arenal, Costa Rica

This program is a great opportunity to earn volunteer hours. Not only does it look great on a college application or a resume, but its fun and means a lot to the people you help! Volunteering as a group is so much fun! When I was in Costa Rica, I volunteered in a turtle hatchery. My group and I built turtles nests,, picked up trash along the beach, and helped build an erosion control barrier. Global Leadership Adventures gave me the opportunity to push myself to do what was scary at the time by doing super fun adventures! The adventures that I got to participate in were ziplining, snorkeling, and visiting a farm. Previous to this trip, I had ziplined but the ziplines that I went on in Costa Rica were so high and more of an adventure as we ziplined upside down. The farm was a unique experience as we got to milk a goat and taste raw goat milk. Overall, I gained something out of each excursion I went on in Costa Rica from facts to lessons and even learning more about myself.

Living for ten days in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica was truly eye opening. Experiencing the culture and helping out with the sea turtles nests along with talking with local community members and organizations created a whole new appreciation for different cultures and travel.

GLA Beachside Service Adventure is the perfect trip. It's an amazing mix of meaningful service in a turtle hatchery and adventures. Through my time on the program I learned so much about myself and different cultures. You come home feeling like an entirely new person after a trip like this. GLA staff also plays a large role in enjoyment. I was lucky to have the best staff who made the entire experience 100 times better! I was taught to take risks, make a difference, and most importantly BE THE CHANGE!

My son was open to the experience when we signed up, but wasn't particularly excited about it. However, he came back transformed. The maturity he gained while in Costa Rica was noticeable and he grew so much as a person while he was gone. We are a family that travels internationally regularly, and he has traveled with peers and his school a few times as well--however, upon arriving home, he said without a doubt that was the best trip he's ever been on! The group of teens really bonded from what I can tell, despite the range of ages and kids coming from many different places. He still keeps in touch with many of the kids from the trip. The counselors were incredible as well. If you are thinking of this trip for your teen, go for it!!

I had a great time in cost rica with GLA. It was truly eye opening for me experiencing the culture and helping out with the sea turtles nests. It was an experience i will never forget and i would recommend it to all.

I had a great time in cost rica with GLA. It was truly eye opening for me experiencing the culture and helping out with the sea turtles nests. It was an experience i will never forget and i would recommend it to all.

We sent our 16 year old to Costa Rica for the 10 day Beachside service project. Prior to signing up, parameters were clearly explained. Pre-travel arrangements were easy to follow and GLA representative answered any and all questions that we had. Each day GLA shared a camp service blog which included pictures of my son and others. We asked him if he would go again and he said definitely. YES! The trip was a a nice balance of service learning in a foreign country and fun at a beachside camp. We also appreciated that parameters were put the place around screen/phone time for participants . All, in all, 5 stars with a balance of service, fun and adventure.

My 16 year old had the best time! He not only improved his Spanish but got lots of community service hours completed doing a variety of things in the local community. There was also lots of fun activities… highly recommend!

As a parent of a 16 year old who went abroad for the first time, it was an amazing experience for her and she absolutely loved it. As a parent I never felt that she was unsafe, or not being taken care of. When she arrived in CR we got a call from the director letting us know they had her. After that call all my worries went away! The blog that they kept was wonderful, it was nice to see what they did on a daily basis. I thought it was a great idea for the kids NOT to have their phones during the day, so they could be completely present and in the moment. I think that was my favorite thing of the program. It was just perfect!

My experience with GLA made me more globally aware and makes me want to volunteer within my community more. I believe everyone should have a once in a lifetime experience like this one and I'm eternally grateful for this gift. Thank you GLA!!!!!

My experience with GLA made me more globally aware and makes me want to volunteer within my community more. I believe everyone should have a once in a lifetime experience like this one and I'm eternally grateful for this gift. Thank you GLA!!!!!

Arcos was exactly what I was looking for in terms of a summer volunteer and travel experience. It was the perfect way to see Costa Rica with other likeminded teenagers who also wanted to travel and experience the culture. The volunteer opportunities, community involvement, environmental exploration, and friends I made along the way have helped to shape me and who I will become in the future.

This trip gave me so many new friends from around the country, amazing opportunities for community service, and the freedom to explore and dive into the rich culture of Costa Rica! I felt so safe within the community (Atenas) and also felt very connected to my host family and the Arcos leaders. The two weeks went by way too fast; I wish I could have stayed the whole summer! I am so grateful for the friendships I made while on this trip, as well as the variety of experiences we had!

I had an amazing time on this trip. It was the perfect mix of volunteering, exploring, learning and connecting with others. We had a lot of freedom which really allowed us to get to know Costa Rica better. I also got the opportunity to make so many friends from all around the US. Overall it was an awesome trip.

I had the most wonderful experience when I went on the Costa Rica Ultimate Adventure & Service trip last summer. I was nervous at first, being an international traveler and not having English as my native language. All my worries disappeared when I met my group and I discovered how nice and welcoming everyone are! As the days passed, I made so many friends and got to know each of my amazing travel peers, we stay in contact to this day. The staff were amazing as well, they were all very friendly and always made sure that everyone is safe and happy. Throughout the trip I was grateful enough to have many amazing experiences like Kayaking, Ziplining, tubing, white water rafting, learning how to surf, visiting amazing beaches and volunteering. I also got to try local Costa Rican food which I never tried before! This was an unforgettable summer and a life changing experience! I can only recommend everyone to go on this kind of trip, I am sure this is not my last travel with TFT!

The service and cultural immersion taught me so much about how other people live and the impact you can have on people and nature. It taught me not to take things for granted. I also learned how I function with a group.

I came to Costa Rica because I wanted to try something new, and scuba diving was definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. We had the best instructors I could ask for, and I learned that I should be more grateful for the little things at home.

The relationships with my coursemates and instructors were incredible. I never thought that I would know all of these people like I do now. They are true friends because we went through thick and thin in the past two weeks. I wouldn’t change a thing — my course was awesome. I learned that if I try to see the positive in things, it will lift up the group and myself.

I went on this program the summer before my junior year and it was life changing. Global Leadership Adventures gave me the experience of not only going to Costa Rica, but really seeing and experiencing it to the fullest extent. The program I went was "Empowering Rainforest Communities" that focused on eco-tourism, sustainability, and cultural immersion. On the first and last days we got to experience the developed capital of San José, but for the majority of the program we lived in a rural town located in the Osa Peninsula. Being around so much beautiful vegetation and abundant biodiversity changed the way that I viewed the world around me. The other students on the trip were amazing, and the experiences that we had are unforgettable. Also, our mentors for the program were helpful, intelligent, and easy to talk to. On the program, I became passionate about trees and sustainability, so much that I became vegan, started a garden, and became involved in environmental programs at my high school. I am going on another GLA program this summer (after junior year), because I want to have another amazing experience! I recommend this program to all teenagers!

This past year, I decided that I really wanted to find a way to help others and experience different parts of the world. I began doing LOTS of research to see which programs interested me the most and talking them over with my parents. When I first looked at the price of the programs, I didn’t think me going on one was going to become a reality. I started talking GLA representative and they told me about the scholarships available. I applied and it ended up taking off over $1000. The trip was still overall expensive (depending on your scholarship amount you receive) but it’s 100% worth it. I love working with children and this trip gave me many opportunities to do so. We got the chance to teach them in their schools and play multiple soccer games together. Aside from volunteering, you get to do fun activities like ziplibing or water rafting and shopping. I do wish we got to do spend a bit more time with the kids but you still have more than enough time to make connections and learn a lot from them. That’s why Im happy that I chose to do the 3 week program. It’s also a nice break from technology and explore all of the natural wonders in that country. Global Leadership Adventures is a great, safe program for teenagers to get outside of their comfort zone and make friends from different parts of the world. I hope that this helps with your decision!