Location
  • Costa Rica
    • San José
    • Playa Blanca
    • Monteverde
    • Cartago
    • Nosara
    • Puerto Limón
Length
1 to 52 weeks

Program Details

Language
Spanish
Age Min.
17
Age Max
90
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Apartment Guesthouse Host Family Hostel
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)
Travel Type
Budget Family Older Travelers Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
725
Price Details
Maximo Nivel has been offering volunteer abroad programs since 2003. We are a locally-based organization in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Peru. Our volunteer abroad program fees are affordable and transparent.

New volunteer programs start every Monday year-round
Professional Field Managers
Volunteer abroad programs available from 1-52 weeks
All-inclusive—accommodations, meals, and many extras
24/7 in-country support
Academic credit available
No registration or processing fees
All-inclusive program fees from $665
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Some Meals Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance
Feb 15, 2022
Mar 02, 2023
107 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Costa Rica is known for having progressive environmental and social policies, and Costa Rica is widely considered one of the planet’s most sustainable countries. At the same time, Costa Rica is still a developing country with a low national income and a number of socio-economic issues. This means Costa Rica offers a wide variety of ways to get involved in volunteer abroad projects, contribute to sustainable programs, and provide help to vulnerable populations. There is a lot to do in a country like Costa Rica and international volunteers are needed and welcomed!

Maximo Nivel provides volunteer abroad projects at our institutes in San Jose (capital city) and Manuel Antonio (beach). Projects are also available off-site in Guanacaste (beach), Caribbean (beach), and Monteverde (cloud forest), which are rural areas and offer a more “off-the-grid” experience than San Jose or Manuel Antonio.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • New volunteer programs start every Monday year-round
  • All-inclusive—shared accommodations, meals, and many extras
  • Academic credit available
  • No Registration or processing fees
  • 24/7 in-country support

Popular Programs

Working with Kids in Costa Rica

When you are volunteering with kids in Costa Rica, you are directly impacting the 1 in 5 families that live in poverty. Your day will be focused on helping underprivileged children with homework and fun activities.

Teaching English in Costa Rica

When you do this program, you are giving access to a skill that most kids learn in private language centers: speaking English. By volunteering with Maximo Nivel to teach english, you are giving a leg up to under privileged kids.

Conservation Projects in Costa Rica

When you think of Costa Rica, the first thought is usually the incredible beaches, and we are determined to keep it that way. Volunteering in this conservation project helps us keep Costa Rica preserved.

Construction Projects in Costa Rica

When you volunteer on this project, you will have a high tangible impact on the community by building homes, schools, and community centers. These projects are led by a local foremen and are focused on community development.

Program Reviews

4.92 Rating
based on 203 reviews
  • 5 rating 91.63%
  • 4 rating 8.37%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.8
  • Support 4.9
  • Fun 4.9
  • Value 4.65
  • Safety 4.85
  • Benefits 5
  • Support 5
  • Fun 5
  • Facilities 5
  • Safety 4
Showing 1 - 8 of 203 reviews
Default avatar
Sarangan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Felt like Home!

From the moment I came out of the airport, till it was time to go home I felt very welcomed and secure! Maximo does a great job with the orientation and making sure you are comfortable and know that help is always available. Special mention to Ashleigh and Ashanti for being very welcoming and informative staff, as well as friendly! My host house felt like it was my own home, everyone was very welcoming, and the food was delicious! The accommodation overall was very clean and nice! Overall i had a great time here in costa rica and enjoyed my program at the school. The children were very fun and entertaining to work with!

3 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ejon
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Healthcare San Jose Costa

great experience for learning different cultures and being able to meet a diverse set of people. There is a very good staff when it comes to questions. In the healthcare project, I was able to involved and take vitals of patients. It was nice to be a part of a project where I was able to see the same people everyday. It was difficult to find my way around the city at first but Uber is easy to use here. I recommend having a basic understanding of spanish before coming because you will need to find your way to your project from your homestay.

Pros
  • Had a great project assigned to me
  • The staff are flexible when you change your project
Cons
  • difficult to get around if you do not understand the language at first
2 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
jared
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Spanish Immersion

I had an amazing time doing the Spanish Immersion at Maximo Nivel. My teachers were amazing and the staff were very welcoming and helpful. There were lots of fun activities to do after class and it was very easy to meet and get to know other students.
I've been very impressed with how organized Maximo Nivel is, from airport pickups, to picking amazing host families, to organizing classes. My host family was incredible, I would love to stay with them again. I felt very safe at the San Jose campus even travelling alone as a young female.
Thanks for everything Maximo Nivel!

2 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
jared
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Medical Volunteer Abroad

My experience abroad was an unforgettable one. I was able to stay with a local that took care of me and showed me their culture. It was amazing and interesting at the same time. I high recommend anyone planning to travel abroad to go without hesitation. It will be humbling but also an eye opening experience. You will meet many people while you are here and make life long friendships. You will also have an opportunity to help out the community and make an impact. No matter how big or small you are changing someones day for the better.

Pros
  • Helping the community
  • Learning Experience
  • Local Interaction
2 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Tatiana
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Turtle Conservation in Ostional

I did two weeks of turtle conservation in Ostional and it was great! You start off in San Jose, where they provide a host family for you. Here you get all the necessary information (including where you are going) and you get to meet the other volunteers. How to get to that location is well explained and they give you the exact cash so you don't have to worry. I lived in the dorms in the ranger station and it was so nice! Jairo, the rangers and Yami (the cook) are incredible friendly and helpful. The food was great and there are some places to get snacks/smoothies nearbye. It was very hot when I was there but the coordinators try to create the planning in a way that you can work before or after the peak hours, which was great. The fun part about this is that all the research that you do, goes to a national database so everything you do is valuable which I loved.

The overall experience was great and I really recommend it to others!

Pros
  • Important work
  • Great staff
  • Beautiful location
Cons
  • Not much to do in your free time, bring books/cards!
  • Really hot
6 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Dana
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteer abroad with adventure

I am a single female that enjoys travel, and was very interested in getting back by doing some volunteering. Maximo Nivel made this all possible with their warm and caring team. They helped me understand the cultural nuances to navigate my way. I felt safe and in a community of people that cared about the same things. I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in giving back while traveling the world. I really enjoyed being immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture. Maximo offers many Spanish classes. Did you were able to take while you’re here. They help you with making donations to the group that I was working with. OK I was just only chI really enjoyed being immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture. Maximo offers many Spanish classes. You were able to take while you’re here. They helped with coordinating donations to the group that I was working with.

Pros
  • I had a team here that helped integrate me into the culture.
  • They provided me a safe host family while I was here
  • Connect me to a volunteer program where I can provide support and was valued
Cons
  • You must be adventuresome and open to new things.
  • No cons for me as this was one of the best experience of my life!
6 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Cathy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Healthcare San Jose Costa Rica- Amazing experience for 1 week

I did the healthcare program in San Jose Costa Rica and absolutely loved it. It was the perfect combination of work and play as the placements were about 4 hours per day. The Maximo Nivel staff was so supportive once I was in the country. I was a little nervous in the beginning because I only had a week to make an impact and experienced a degree of culture shock on my first day here. However, after the orientations, meeting my host family, and the arrival of another volunteer, I felt right at home. I did not feel unsafe at any point of my program and was well prepared. It may seem as though you are heading into your program slightly blind, but you get all of the information you need as soon as you are picked up from the airport and taken to your host family. All the other volunteers are wonderful and you are all in different points of your journey so you can learn from each other. Even though I only volunteered for one week, I got to know the employees of the volunteer well and am so grateful to have met them.

In my opinion, you should have a basic level of Spanish speaking ability if you are coming for a short time. It makes the world of a difference in connecting with patients and your placement staff.

I highly recommend this experience to anybody looking to volunteer abroad in a meaningful and fun way!

Pros
  • Super friendly and supportive staff to help you 7 days a week.
  • Great social environment and free additional classes including cooking and salsa.
  • Centre is well located and has good options for food and transport.
Cons
  • Host family can be a distance away from the centre so you need to take buses or uber.
  • Cost of living - groceries and laundry + the cost of excursions is high.
7 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Cathy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Profoundly Meaningful Experience!

I'm so grateful to have participated in Maximo Nivel's Medical Volunteer program in Costa Rica. All aspects of the program were terrific- the staff at Maximo were pleasant and professional. The program was well organized and well run. My host family was warm and inviting. The accommodations were spotless and very comfortable and the food was great. I'm a nurse in my home country and found the work at my project very rewarding and with just the right amount of patient interaction. The staff at my project were warm and very appreciative.

7 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

From my experience plan 2 months earlier is good for volunteer:)

Yes, at least the basics. Try a few classes on online sites like Duolingo and/or a phrase book. It will make your life much easier and minimal communication is required. Don't expect most of the people we interact with to know English, apart the volunteer organization and travel agencies, or at least it was my experience in Costa Rica. And they will appreciate the effort !