Day 1: Arrive and head to the Rosa of America hostel in San Jose to get a good night's sleep after your flight.
Accommodation
The Rosa of America
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Welcome to our revamped 4-week Costa Rican programme revamped for 2025 which has combined the highlights from the current adventure, and original Plastic Ocean programme. This new programme is designed to showcase the very best of this small, sun-drenched corner of Central America which holds over 5% of the world’s biodiversity, boasting more national parks per square metre than any other country in the world. If that’s not enough, it has both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, punctuated by fertile coffee growing mountains and active volcanoes. Simply stunning, and all to be experienced through our action packed adventure which combines challenge, contribution and culture.
Your journey starts close to Manuel Antonio National Park where you will combine community contribution with jungle adventure - heading into the park to see the wildlife, jungle, and dramatic waterfalls. Following this you will head inland to find the famous cloud forest of Monteverde to trek, explore and if nerves prevail zip wire through the canopy.
Your third phase will be spent working at a wildlife sanctuary before your final phase living beachside at our base in Santa Teresa. Here you will contribute to our plastic pollution, and turtle conservation projects before testing your balance on a surf board and on a yoga mat.
For 2025 this programme is the ultimate show-stopper of a gap year programme in Costa Rica, ensuring you see the best of all the must-see sights. This is Costa Rica. but The Leap style.
This 4 week programme delivers a dynamic and varied experience as it includes contrasting locations and projects to keep you on your toes. Please note the order of events may change depending on the time of year/weather.
Day 1: Arrive and head to the Rosa of America hostel in San Jose to get a good night's sleep after your flight.
The Rosa of America
You’ll be up early (because of the jet lag and noisy birds), so after breakfast and a quick swim you’ll start the journey to reach the vast and iconic Manuel Antonio National Park, where you will spend 5 nights living in a private Finca on the outskirts of the park.
Your time here will be a mix of exploring the rainforest, and helping with the upkeep of a Cocal Community Centre in a nearby fishing village, which we have supported since 2021. This centre is a vital part of the community as it is where all the kids go to when their parents are at school.
While you are here you will help with a meddle of tasks such as: playing with the kids, cleaning the beach, making signs to encourage everyone to clear up the litter, and make fun beach furniture with old tyres.
Expect a full-on busy community experience, mixed in with waterfall hikes and exploring Manuel Antonio National Park.
The finca comes with a pool, football pitch, badminton, and volleyball – so lots to do, and you’ll sleep to the noise of capuchin and howler monkeys.Dorm style accommodation with bunkbeds, western style WC and showers with hot and cold water. It’s an off-grid experience for this phase, no WIFI in the finca.
All meals included apart from 2 suppers out.Expect mix of local and European dishes.
Your second phase will take you to the stunning cloud forest of Monteverde - set on top of the spine of Costa Rica’s continental divide. You’ll stay in the little town of Santa Elena, which is filled with groovy restaurants and folksy artisan shops.
Due to its high altitude – some 4,662 ft (1,440 m) – Monteverde receives a steady supply of clouds and fog which catches on the branches of the tallest trees and drips down to other organisms below. This helps to support a complex and far-reaching ecosystem that harbours over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, tens of thousands of insect species, and over 2,500 varieties of plants.
Every morning there will be an activity to explore the cloud forest, leaving the afternoon free for ‘extra’ trips – such as the zip wire challenge, horse riding and bungee jumping. So much to see and do, and you can decide what to do when you get there. Please note these extra trips are to be paid for when you are there.
Local hostel, dorm style accommodation – hot and cold showers.
2 meals a day. Supper out and about.
This is one of those very special places, expect to see more tropical birds, panthers, jaguars, sloths, than you can shake a stick at, you name it ...it’s here. There is so much work to be done, so expect to be up early and busy from about 06:00 – 15:00.
Here we plan for you all to be split up into smaller groups to tackle the:
Feeding of the wildlife
Cleaning out the cages
Basic renovations
You will be living in the volunteer accommodation which consists of a long house style bungalow, with a communal hang out area.
It is rustic and basic – no mod cons here. It has a non - smoking, no alcohol policy on site.
All meals included. Expect local pinto style food.
So, you’ve explored the jungle, adventured in the cloud forest, and conserved the wildlife, now it’s time to head to the epi-centre of the Leap operations in Costa Rica – that being Santa Teresa - world famous for surf breaks across beaches so pristine, uncrowded, and seemingly endless that they are regularly listed as some of the world’s best. It is a very cool, hip town with a great surfing, yoga vibe. It is THE place to be a gapper. But it’s not all play – while you are here you will get stuck into a mix of adventure and volunteering projects which include:
Plastic Pollution
The plastic pollution on the pacific coast is ever-present, and our Leapers have been instrumental in helping the local community tackle this – from beach cleans ups, to working at the community recycling centre called BIONICS (founded by none other than Pharrell Williams), to creating recycling bins.All these initiatives really help to maintain the surf-safe beaches and provide an insight into how impactful community collaboration can be.
Turtle Conservation
In addition to this you will visit ASVO, one of Costa Rica’s main wildlife conservation NGOs.Their Montezuma base is focused on turtle conservation who need your help to protect the eggs and hatchlings of Olive Ridley, Black Turtle, Hawksbill and Leatherback species, who visit this ‘semi-intensive’ nesting beach at night to nest.
Here you will work between 4 and 6 hours per day with occasional night shifts. Typical jobs will include maintenance of infrastructure and surroundings, beach cleaning, night patrols to look for nesting female turtles, transport of food and water, collection of data and releasing baby turtles into the ocean. We are also trying to protect them from the effects of plastic in the ocean, so the beach clean ups are vital.
Adventure
Interlaced into your time here will be time to explore the famous waterfalls at Montezuma, test your balance through two surf lessons, and one yoga lesson, before learning a spot of conversational Spanish to help you navigate your time here.
Santa Teresa: your main base will be at the buzzing Jakera Camp, which is a jungle paradise (includes a swimming pool), overlooked by a rich tropical forest bursting with wildlife including capuchin and howler monkeys.
You will sleep in one the bungalows dotted around the tropical gardens and central hub where you eat and chill out.Dorm style accommodation with bunkbeds, western style WC and showers with hot and cold water. Approx. a 10 minute (800 m) walk to the beach.
ASVO: Very rustic, Robinson Crusoe style accommodation on the beach.
Santa Teresa: 2 meals a day provided.Supper is extra out and about.
ASVO: 3 meals a day provided.
On your final day you will be taken back to San Jose to stay back at the Rosa of America hostel ready for your flight the following day.
The Rosa of America
Book a programme with us and you will receive a complimentary 12 month subscription to our Backpacking Advice Hub.
This Hub is your one stop shop for all things travel advice,
itineraries, handy insider hints and tips to really get the most from
your travels. It is a must-have resource for independent travel
post-Leap.
Our teams never want to come home post-programme and choose to add on a phase of independent travel with their new found friends - making the most of their gap year. Costa Rica is perfectly placed to add on a phase in Guatemala, Mexico and Panama. Call us and chat through your ideas.
Max team size of 22 per departure. If you are under the age of 18 at the point of travel - please call us to discuss before booking.
Please note: The Leap help co-ordinate flights.
You'll spend most of your time based on or near the beach, with some surfing lessons thrown in on the of the world's best surf breaks.
Expect teams of between 15-24, leading to a guaranteed social life - you'll work hard and you'll play hard.
Be on the front line of reducing plastic pollution, and get firsthand experience in marine conservation.
Learn Spanish or practice the skills you already have; perfect for cultural immersion and anyone wanting to continue travelling around Central/South America.
Backpacker favourites:
Your days are going to be busy and varied as the projects and activities are weaved together, but we promise some downtime, weekends free at Santa Teresa, so you take advantage of the extra adventures you might want to do.
Tortuga Island trip from Santa Teresa – budget $75
Extra surfing lesson – budget about $60 per lesson
Extra yoga classes – budget about $15 per lesson
Zip wire at Monteverde – budget $60
Bungee jumping at Monteverde - $80
Your programme is run by the dynamic Chris Patterson who together with his wife, family and team have created the Jungle Surf Camp on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Chris has run travel and Spanish courses since the 1990’s and has become increasingly passionate about the crisis of plastic waste in our waters and the damage it is doing. Seeing dolphins and turtles time and time again, washed up on the shoreline wrapped up in discarded fishing nets was enough to break him into action.
So, Chris now welcomes volunteers into his home, lovingly named the Jungle Surf Camp, who will set about learning Spanish with the aim to get out into the community to bang the drum about plastic. Backed by the Oceans of Plastic campaign and documentaries he wants our leapers to teach, explain and steer changing attitudes.
Practically, he has set up village recycling stations and organises rubbish collections, he encourages supermarkets to stop using plastic bags and beach bars not to use plastic drinking straws... simple initiatives, but together will help enforce the message and give practical meaning to the bigger picture. Community beach clean-ups are also now part of everyday life and blue flag awards are being handed out.
Chris has also built great relationship with the local turtle sanctuaries , Cocal Community Centre enabling all our volunteers to experience a multi-activity programme.
Walk through our accomodation
Spanish + surfing + turtles + environment
Leap team highlights
"This experience was life changing."
Although this is from a personal point of view, I wanted to share the great personal development this trip gave me. I believe travel and unknown/unusual environments affect and shape any individual.
It altered my being in a way i find hard to articulate, it changes you and challenges you that no 9-5 working existence ever could.
"Your support is very much appreciated"
We knew in choosing The Leap she was travelling with your ‘safety blanket’ and so it proved. Rachel at Trailfinders is also just the best. Very best wishes for continued success in such a challenging environment. The Leapers who are able to travel this year owe you and your team lots of gratitude for getting them away (and back!!).
"You felt prepared"
The daily schedule was always written out at the start of the day, so you felt prepared for what was happening when.
"THANK YOU"
My Leaper is just having the BEST BEST BEST time. She was so anxious about going as it is the first time she has been abroad on her own. The lovely friends she has made and the fantastic team leaders that are there, combined with the incredible experiences that you are giving the team meant that worry very soon dissipated.
Everything sounds perfect, from the location of their "houses", the delicious food, the stimulating and varied activities, the fun evenings, in fact from dawn to dusk (and well beyond) is just so brilliant.
Thank you.
"I would say 100% I was able to make a positive contribution"
I was helping the community by making the beach cleaner and also helping protect the turtles from poachers and plastic in the ocean.
"Easy Peasy with The Leap"
You guys always answered questions so fast! Zoe is outstanding!! Made travelling during a pandemic easy peasy
"Five stars all the way"
Incredible service, five star all the way, informative, professional and friendly, highly recommend, second daughter that has travelled with them.
"You are amazing organising it all"
How exciting for them!! - Trip of a lifetime. Inigo has been stuck at home since last March as I suppose they all have - so what a wonderful, exciting, fun and not to mention horizons broadening time they will have. You are AMAZING organising it all - I don't know how you do it. Huge thanks for everything
" I felt really enriched by the end of it"
I just wanted to let you know that I'm safely back in the UK, and missing Costa Rica already! A huge thank you to you though, as I had an absolutely wonderful time - everything was so well organised, and so comprehensive. All the volunteering was great, and I felt really enriched by the end of it, and well prepared for the little bit of solo travelling I did. I'm so so glad that I went and I will really treasure the time I spent there (especially in the months until lockdown ends!).
"I can't recommend this enough"
I can’t recommend this enough, I had the most amazing time and made the best memories. Lizzie and Carmen were the best leaders and were so much fun.
