from 584€

Outstanding 4.9rating (34)

Wildlife Sanctuary and Rescue Center

location
1 - 20 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Outstanding 4.9  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

Highlights

  • Help with animal care, feeding, cleaning, rehabilitation, rescue and release of animals.
  • Educate tourists and local people about rehabilitation and release during the tours multiple times a day!
  • Improve the sanctuary by showing initiative and being creative.
  • Visit San Jose or go hiking to nearby waterfalls or beaches.
  • Get hands-on experience in the field of animal rescue and find out if it is for you!

Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Groups
50+

About the program

Would you like to work in a wildlife sanctuary? And do you have a passion for wild animals and exotic nature? Then this project is perfect for you!

Green Life Volunteers currently works with a sanctuary located in Alajuela (Central Valley) near San Jose.

As a volunteer on the wildlife rescue center you will help with the animal care, feeding, cleaning, rehabilitation, rescue, and release of animals. The mission of the wildlife sanctuaries in ...

About the program

Green Life Volunteers currently works with a sanctuary located in Alajuela (Central Valley) near San Jose.

As a volunteer on the wildlife rescue center you will help with the animal care, feeding, cleaning, rehabilitation, rescue, and release of animals. The mission of the wildlife sanctuaries in Costa Rica is to give the animals time to heal from their injuries and when they are ready, they will be released back into the wild. Some of the animals will be in the sanctuary for their entire life because they would not survive or they are too domestic.

The wildlife sanctuary wants to provide a quality of life to the resident animals. The animals that are generally in sanctuaries in Costa Rica are sloths, raccoons, squirrels, macaws, parrots, anteaters, bird raptors, monkeys, toucans, and many more. Usually, the wildlife sanctuaries receive their donations from the entry fees of visitors.

Wildlife Sanctuary Alajuela: The wildlife sanctuary in Alajuela has been moved from its original location in Limon. They have many different animals and believe firmly in rehabilitation and releasing animals. The sanctuary offers volunteer housing right on the property – shared mixed dormitory-type accommodation. Meals are prepared and cooked for volunteers.

 Volunteers responsibilities include:

  •       Preparing specific food mixtures for the animals
  •       Providing food, water and other nutrients to the animals
  •       Assist in the general maintenance and cleaning the enclosures, etc.
  •       Various maintenance work for the facility in general
  •       Giving tours to the visitors
  •       Becoming an animal handler
Green life volunteers' position
Green Life Volunteers expects volunteers and interns to respect the areas in which you are working as well as your project leaders, members of the community, and other volunteers/ interns. In case you are experiencing troubles or conflicts, we'd rather know sooner than later if there is anything that is not working for you and we want to make you as comfortable as possible. Having said that, we cannot stress enough that flexibility and being positive and open-minded will go a long way in ensuring an enjoyable volunteer or intern experience.

Green Life Volunteers is available if you have any issues or need any help during your project. We are located in Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula. However, you can always call or email us. We take good customer service very seriously, and we want you to feel comfortable from the beginning till the end of your time in Costa Rica. We will provide you with a 24-hour emergency number that you can call from your project site in case you need to speak to a Green Life Volunteers staff. Our staff will check in on you throughout your stay. We will make sure no miscommunication errors are happening and we are there to explain and solve problems.

We will also help you during your sign-up process to arrange your transport and arrival in San Jose! We will help you arrange airport shuttle pick-ups to the project location, or book a hostel for the first night, if preferred. 



Typical day

During your volunteer time, you will work for 5 days a week, for around 7-8 hours a day. Volunteers can work more hours during their time, if they desire. Different types of activities that are done during the day can be found in the detailed description.

Meals are prepared for you three times a ...

Typical day

During your volunteer time, you will work for 5 days a week, for around 7-8 hours a day. Volunteers can work more hours during their time, if they desire. Different types of activities that are done during the day can be found in the detailed description.

Meals are prepared for you three times a day. Work will start early, with feeding the animals and cleaning the cages. Provided is an example of the daily schedule:
6:30 am - Fruits and coffee
7:00 am - Pre-work begins
8:00 am - Breakfast ie. Gallo Pinto, Eggs, Pancakes
9:00 am - Morning work
12:00 pm - Lunch
1:30 pm - Daily meeting
2:00 pm - Afternoon work
6:00 pm - Dinner
7:00 pm - Night activities including but not limited to dance lessons, Spanish classes, yoga, karaoke, movie night, and bon fire

There are multiple teams with different types of schedules. Examples are:
- 7 am to 11 am and 2 pm to 6 pm
- 6 am to 2 pm
- 2 pm to 10 pm

Free-time activities

The wildlife sanctuary we work with is located in Alajuela, close to San José. It is therefore very easy to travel to San José and go sightseeing in Costa Rica's lively capital city!

The wildlife rescue center also offers multiple free-time activities. There are weekly tours to different tourist ...

Free-time activities

The wildlife sanctuary we work with is located in Alajuela, close to San José. It is therefore very easy to travel to San José and go sightseeing in Costa Rica's lively capital city!

The wildlife rescue center also offers multiple free-time activities. There are weekly tours to different tourist destinations throughout the country. The tours include, but are not limited to, Jaco Beach where you can ride ATV’s and do Canopy Tours (zip lines), Manuel Antonio National Park where you can tour the rainforest or relax on the beach, the Monteverde Cloud Forest where you can enjoy the hanging bridges, and Arenal Volcano where you can submerge yourself in the warm, beautiful hot springs.

The day of your tour you will wake up early and enjoy breakfast before jumping into one of the private buses. We will provide you with a lunch to take along and we will save you dinner for when you arrive back home safely. The pricing for transportation does vary and is announced at the beginning of the week.

The Rescue Center charges a transportation fee but the tours are paid directly by you to the tour companies once you arrive at your destination. The tours are fun, safe, and will give you an up-close and exciting view of our amazing country and experience life as you never have before. They will leave you with lifelong memories.

Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (intermediate level)

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

An ideal volunteer on the ‘Wildlife Sanctuary’ project has a passion for wild and exotic animals and their exotic nature. Also, the volunteer has to enjoy physical labor and being outside. You do not need a degree for this project.

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 06:00 - 14:00

What's Included

What's Included

Services by Green Life Volunteers

An organizational fee is included in the first week’s fee and covers the “behind the scenes costs”, such as staff salaries, office space rental, transaction and bank fees, and more. Our weekly fee for additional weeks covers the costs of your host family and food, the local staff on your project, and a donation to help with the daily running costs of the program you will help on.

Not included in our fee are:
  • Your first and last night in San Jose in a hostel
  • Travel to and from the international airport (airport shuttles are around 30$ each way to San Jose - We can set this up for you, just ask us during sign-up)
  • Travel to the project site (usually by public buses, which are from around 10-16$ one way)
  • National/ International flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Visa costs
  • Any additional food or snacks besides the meals provided
  • Extra-curricular activities

Accommodation

The wildlife sanctuary offers shared mixed-gender dormitory-style accommodations with bunk beds or single beds for their volunteers. There is a shared volunteer house with a shared kitchen and common areas.

The rooms are very safe and comfortable, with just 4 persons per room and the option to upgrade to a tiki-hut.

Food & Beverages

At the Alajuela rescue center meals are prepared for you, 3 times a day, breakfast lunch and dinner. It is possible to get vegetarian, vegan, and/or gluten-free meals. Any other allergies, just let us and them know!

Internet Access

Good access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Airport Pickup at Juan Santamaria International Airport

An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose. We assist you to find cheap flights to Costa Rica. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Costa Rica provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Costa Rica you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Costa Rica. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

You can start this project anytime, whenever is convenient for you! We don't have specific start dates, because this volunteering program is year-round.

Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

1 week (min. stay) 584€
2 weeks 875€
3 weeks 1,167€
4 weeks 1,458€
6 weeks 2,041€
8 weeks 2,624€
20 weeks (max. stay) 6,121€
Average fees 444€/week

Program fees

444€ per week 1 - 20 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES


Duration

1 - 20 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with Green Life Volunteers during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


Meet your organization

Green Life Volunteers

Outstanding 4.9 rating (34 reviews)

Non-profit - founded in 2012

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Janina

About the project

A small non-profit organization aims at providing affordable volunteering programs and improving the living standard of local peoples in Costa Rica

Meet your organization

Our goal is to provide power to small rural elementary schools around the Osa that are off-grid and without power. Furthermore we educate the local community about solar.

Who we are? 

Green Life Volunteers (GLV) is a small registered non-profit organization in Costa Rica, run by Janina Schan, the founder and manager, and dedicated Interns and volunteers. Janina founded GLV in 2012, after working already in the volunteer industry in Costa Rica for around a year. Our interns are students from Universities that need the internship to graduate, to conduct research, or they really just want to gain experience.

What we do?

Green Life Volunteers is a volunteer service organization placing volunteers in projects around Costa Rica. Some of the projects are created by GLV such as the Solar Power Project, and others are projects offered by other non-profit organisations, such as our Turtle Conservation. The projects we collaborate with are in need of help and have experience working with volunteers – which guarantees you to have a great time and an awesome experience. The projects are always run by local members of the community, non-profit, and with a benefit for people, nature, or animals.

Where we work?

We offer our volunteer placements in Costa Rica. Upon entering Costa Rica you will be granted a 90 day Tourist Visa* if you wish to stay longer  than the 90 days you will need to leave the country for 72 hours – offering a good excuse to  jump across the border and see neighbouring countries Panama or Nicaragua! This is an easy process and we will provide you with all the information you need on how to do this. Residents of USA, Canada, the EU, Australia and New Zealand are given 90 days Visa. For all other countries check with your embassy.

If you are travelling to Costa Rica from South America or Saharan Africa you will be required to have the Yellow Fever vaccination.  

Costa Rica is the most developed country in Central America and attracts over 2 million tourists each year! With tourism being its highest source of income Costa Rica has been sculpted to welcome and make life easier and safer for tourists. Families, youngsters and solo travellers are most welcome. As a country Costa Rica is a stable democracy. Medical care is modern and the tab-water is safe to drink.

Our mission/vision

We are a volunteer service organization placing volunteers in local non-profit organizations which are run by members of the local community and most importantly are in real need of help. GLV makes sure that every project has a positive impact on the local people, on the community, and the local animals and nature.

Our goals / Objective

Green Life Volunteers  provides non-profit organizations with volunteers who bring the man-power and know-how needed for their conservation or social development efforts. GLV makes sure that every project has a positive impact on the local people, on the community, and the local wildlife and nature.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for open minded individuals who love animals, conservation and social development. For us you’re not just a number - every volunteer has specific wishes, needs, and expectations, and we work hard to find the right volunteer work for you!

Why choose us?

We work with projects which are in need of actual help! Most organizations in Costa Rica make up “fake” projects which are entirely run by foreigners, make no actual difference and have no impact on the surrounding communities. You’ll spend large sums of money that go directly into foreigners pockets – no income and no benefit is made to any local community member.

We make sure and GUARANTEE that our projects are: local, grassroot, non-profit organizations, run by members of the local community, registered and licensed, and most importantly – IN ACTUAL NEED OF HELP!

34 reviews · rating4.9

Fred Baron rating4.6

2024 at Wildlife Sanctuary and Rescue Center

We sent our 18 year old son to the Wildlife Sanctuary and Rescue center for a week stay. Once past the little home sickness, he had a blast taking care of the various animals, preparing the food and feeding them, cleaning, etc. The center is also organizing many activities to keep the teenagers ...
My friend and I volunteered at the animal rescue center project coordinated by green life volunteers for 2 weeks and it was amazing! We found the project very well organized and Janina the coordinator we were in touch with was super responsive in answering all our questions and really reassuring. We ...
Volunteering at the wildlife sanctuary was truly an educational and amazing experience. The work they are doing there with rehabilitating the hurt animals is truly amazing. It definitely took us a couple days to get settled in but wouldn’t have want to miss it for the world. Everybody was so ...
Paul rating5

2024 at National Park Ranger

I spent the first morning with a staff member building a steel bed frame so I would have a bed. They did outfit the bed very nicely for me with bed sheets and a proper mosquito netting. Most of the accommodation is under a roof in open air setting. My last three nights they moved me to a cabin ...
Rozelijn rating5

2024 at Work in Turtle Conservation

I volunteered for two weeks at the Mariposa camp in Carate for turtle conservation, and these were absolutely two of the most special weeks of my life. I would recommend the COPROT camps to anyone who wants to experience this beautiful life in one of the most rural and biologically diverse places on ...
Adilene Armenta Tovar rating4.2

2024 at Veterinary Internship

I highly recommend this internship if you are looking for hands-on from the very first day, Doctor Ricardo is amazing and always willing to teach and explain things, but you will be spending most of your day helping his vet assistant Karla, she is very kind and also very knowledgeable, also a great ...

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