Get back to nature, help towards a better future for our planet in rustic, tropical Costa Rica

Costa Rica
Favourited 421 times
Last activity: 18 Apr 2024

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Host rating
75 %
Last replied
1 Apr 2024
Reply rate
90.9 %
Usually responds within 4 days
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9
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Availability

2024

Min stay requested: 1 month or more

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What's this?

Details

Description
A jungle paradise set above the stunning Golfo Dulce in South Pacific Costa Rica. Your neighbours are the monkeys, birds and sloths which roam the protected refuge area! This tropical paradise is perfect for anyone wanting to get back to nature and do work that matters for the future of our planet. We offer a unique experience of total access to primal untouched nature. Our holistic and sustainable approach includes no electricty (although you will have access to electricty at our sister site a 20 minute walk away), all water sourced from a natural spring, and promotion of meals prepared with food grown organically on and around our grounds. Volunteers are in charge of buying and cooking their own food. We have a yoga platform with the best view of the Golfo Dulce for our volunters to use when they wish as well as trails going through primary and secondary forest up to the Piedras Blancas National Park. Please come and join us!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Hospitality/Tourism
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
...
...
What's this?
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You will be fully immersed in Costa Rica jungle but not so far from civilization so you will get to practice your spanish with the native caretaker onsite, as well as with locals in the nearby village. You will get to also learn alot about the different flora and fauna we have here, as well the process of making a butterdly farm and building structures with bamboo. Your time spent with tourists visiting will enhance your confidence skills and people management. You will get to embrace the Costa Rica culture with all of your new tico friends who are waiting for you to come and be part of teh family here of this small community!
Help
We will require help taking people up to the refuge and charging them the entrance donation. We will also need help with trail maintenance, gardening, raking, painting, decorations, setting up our butterfly farm and improvements to already made structures plus other jobs.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Accommodation
You will have your own mattress with mosquito net on a communal platform with waterproof roof ontop. This is set in the main Rancho which contains 2 communal bathroom and showers which you share with the onsite caretaker who lives a 10 second walk away. This same building has your hammock and cooking area for downtown. Our caretaker loves to share his speciality recipes with local ingredients picked straight from the land and ocean!
What else ...
There is so much to do in this area! Go see the mangroves, kayak, boat tour to see dolphins and whales, snorkeling at coral reef sites, ziplining, hiking, canyoning, chocolate farm tour, surfing, horse riding, plus more! We can help organize all of these activities for you.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 3 hours a day, 5 days a week

Host ref number: 473533759465

Feedback (6)

10 May 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Casey)

What an amazing and incredibly hardworking person!! Casey was such a joy to have around and was very adaptable to the huge array of jobs thrown at her. If you are lucky enough to receive a request from Casey then I suggest accepting straight away as she will most definitely get snapped up quickly!

Thanks for everything Casey, we all miss you… read more

(Excellent )

14 Jun 2018

Left by Workawayer (Casey) for host

This was my first workaway experience and first time traveling to a different country alone. I could not have asked for a more perfect first adventure. The entire community of Playa Cacao was incredibly welcoming immediately and leaving after a month felt like leaving family and a home! I got everything I wanted to get from this trip and more.… read more It's funny to see how much reconnecting to nature and earth reconnects you to yourself. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to- so much magic in this jungle you feel it as soon as you enter!

It is very useful to know some Spanish- not necessary but very helpful. I had a decent working knowledge of the language before arriving, and upon leaving I really began to feel it click with me because of the hands on practice I received. People there are all very understanding, patient, and kind so it was the best way to learn. One blunder I made was overpacking in a big suitcase! Pack as light as you can as you will have to carry everything up - about a 15-20 min walk in the jungle. Bug spray is a must, and think of foods to buy that you won't need refrigeration since there is no electricity where you will be sleeping. This was actually one of the best things for me- being away from technology.

Phoebe became like another momma/best friend to be while I was volunteering. Her intentions are so genuine and she really takes care of everyone who stays there as best she can even with the tons of projects she is working on. My work never felt like "work" because she was so accommodating in trying to match our skillsets and interests to the work that needed doing. I learned so so much by just doing and trying new things. Phoebe, Pipi, Roberto, Fipi, their pups- all absolutely wonderful people! They are creating something so special and beautiful and I am so so lucky to have been a part of it. It's really inspiring. I cannot emphasize enough how much this place became my home. I fell so in love with everyone and everything about it here!

I adored the pura vida lifestyle and have been trying to carry the mindset with me here back in the States. It is simple and reminds you what the most important things in life are. It was a truly authentic experience in every sense of the word and life changing for me in so many ways. I am SO grateful for all that led me here and cannot recommend this workaway enough. Thank you thank you thank you Phoebe and family! I love you! <3

(Excellent )

2 Apr 2019

Left by Workawayer (Liz) for host

My feedback is late - I returned home at a full run. So much beauty and good reports of my experience! I felt very welcomed and comfortable. Roberto is a true gem, and I will reiterate that basic Spanish is useful as he has so much knowledge to share and interest in conversation and only speaks Spanish. This is who you will be working with (and… read more maybe other volunteers). My Spanish is rudimentary, and Roberto was excellent at communicating the essentials and helping understand how to be of service in my volunteer role. I learned so much from him, and I think I could have gained more if I could have understood more.
While I did not see Phoebe much at the site, she was always available by phone, and always very helpful. I did run into her and her beautiful family a couple of times visiting local areas.
Yes, buy food in bulk! And do not plan on running to town for a needed item if your vegetables spoil or you run out of coffee (happened to me). It is hot and humid and there is no refrigeration. There is a wonderful vegetable truck that can visit the local community once a week, a half hour walk away. It took me almost the whole 3 weeks I was there to dial in what lasts and what doesn’t . If you have special dietary needs, pay attention to how you can plan for this.
The site is beautiful, with a lot of animal activity, birds and wonderful diversity of trees. Roberto is an expert in forest ecology and native plants, and is very happy to help you learn about these. With a good book and a journal, a love of afternoons on a most gorgeous beach, an ability to entertain yourself, and an enjoyment of night animal noises, you will have a feeling of tranquility and connection with the peaceful beauty of nature . If you love long afternoons in nature, the forest or the beach, you will have plenty of time to just be. It is so peaceful. If you need more interaction with people, think harder about this location. There is not much else to do than to just BE. And this is a beautiful thing! I did have some wonderful fellow workaway volunteers with me at the beginning of my stay, and the overall energy was really positive and friendly. I think that positivity is created by Phoebe and Roberto, and the forest.
Overall, a very welcoming experience and excellent experience, with much more available the more you are available to immerse in the language and community.

(Excellent )

17 Feb 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Malek)

An absolute sweetheart! So enthusiastic and hardworking....if Malek contacts you I recommend accepting him 100%.

(Excellent )

View all 6 feedbacks

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Feedback

10 May 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Casey)

(Excellent )

14 Jun 2018

Left by Workawayer (Casey) for host

(Excellent )

2 Apr 2019

Left by Workawayer (Liz) for host

(Excellent )

17 Feb 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Malek)

An absolute sweetheart! So enthusiastic and hardworking....if Malek contacts you I recommend accepting him 100%.

(Excellent )

11 May 2018

Left by Workawayer (Fran) for host

Let yourself escape from the life as we know it. Go back to a simpler way of living, in deep contact with Nature.

My two weeks here were amazing. The job is incredibily rewarding, easy and flexible and you'll be working with Nature itself and with locals who know plenty about life in the jungle, its flora and fauna and sea life too.

I also had… read more

(Excellent )

25 Apr 2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Evelyn)

Evelyn is one of the nicest, hardworking volunteers you can find! If you are lucky enough to have her interested in your project then do not let her go, she is amazing!! Team or individual work, she excels at both and is very proactive. Please come back again when you can lovely lady!

(Excellent )

19 Mar 2018

Left by Workawayer (Evelyn) for host

I can only reiterate what Tom has said in his review above.
Phoebe, Pipi and Roberto are the nicest people you could hope to meet.
I am so grateful to have been given the chance to meet them and be part of their projects while experiencing the vibrant Costa Rican jungle.

I can’t recommend this Workaway enough, it was a truly amazing, full of the… read more

(Excellent )

9 Apr 2018

Left by Workawayer (Nele) for host

I don't really know where to begin but my time here was just amazing! I only wanted to stay for a month but finally it was very hard for me to leave this place. This is a wildlife refuge with hiking trails and a lot of animals like coaties, rakoons, monkeys,.. that you can see very closely as you will be living in the jungle. Also Roberto the… read more

(Excellent )

17 Mar 2018

Left by Workawayer (Workaway member) for host

Such a beautiful, tranquil jungle paradise!

I spent two weeks here but I wish I could have stayed longer. This was the best of all the workaways I've done so far.

I stayed in a tent in the eaves of the large communal jungle cabin where we had our kitchen and dining room. This cabin is a 20 minute walk through the jungle and I saw a bigger… read more

(Excellent )

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Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in Costa Rica Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in Central America Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in Puntarenas Community Costa Rica Sustainable project Costa Rica Last minute Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in Costa Rica

Get back to nature, help towards a better future for our planet in rustic, tropical Costa Rica

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Last replied

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Find your perfect host

Availability

Details

Description

Types of help and learning opportunities

UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

Help

Languages spoken

Accommodation

What else ...

A little more information

How many Workawayers can stay?

Hours expected

Feedback (6)

Photos

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