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Protect Capuchins in Paradise - Monkey Observation By The Sea

4.5
(53 reviews)53

The experience

Live on a remote island and help protect wild capuchin monkeys by observing their behavior and how habitat loss affects them - no hands-on contact, just respectful coexistence. Support biodiversity, explore lush jungle trails, and enjoy life close to the sea while making a real impact on conservation.

What you offer

20 hours of help per week

Cleaning: Help clean the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas.

Kitchen Hand: Help prepare, finish and serve meals.

Animal Care: Help look after and take care of animals.

Farming: Plant crops, sow seeds and help in outside tasks.

Additional fee required

Amount: US$ 26 Per day

Fee pays for: Benefits for travelers, Materials for volunteer activities, and Donation to project

Description: We charge a $26 fee per person per day. We use this amount to cover expenses of meals and materials needed for work and maintenance.

What you get

2 days off per week

Shared Dorm: You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other travelers.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Discounts on Tours: Get discounts for tours and excursions around town.

Free Parties: Get free entrance for the best parties in town.

Dance classes: Take free dance classes at our place.

Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.

Fast Internet Access: High-speed internet for you to work remotely

Requirements

Beginner English or Beginner Spanish

Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

Join us on a secluded island on the coast of Costa Rica, where dense jungle meets untouched beaches — and wild capuchin monkeys swing through the trees. Costa Rica is home to 4 different species of monkeys, 3 of which are native to our little island. Our project is dedicated to observing these intelligent and social creatures as they adapt to increasing environmental pressures like deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and changes in their food sources.

Our main focus is on capuchin monkeys, who are known for their complex behaviors, problem-solving skills, and strong social bonds. They’re also highly affected by human-caused habitat loss, which forces them to alter their diet, move into new (often less suitable) areas, and endure higher stress levels. By observing, we gather valuable data about how these changes are impacting their natural lives — helping to guide better conservation practices for the future. It’s all about mindful conservation — all from a respectful distance with no direct contact with the animals to ensure we avoid causing the animals further stress.

This is a peaceful, nature-immersive experience — perfect for wildlife lovers, aspiring conservationists, and anyone looking to disconnect from the fast pace of modern life and reconnect with nature.

Activities & Shift

Your day starts with breakfast at 8am — sometimes it’s prepared for you, and sometimes we may ask you to prepare it.

Monkey observations can happen at any time during the day — we want to understand their behavior across different times and conditions. These observation walks usually involve exploring the island and jungle trails, so bring your curiosity (and bug spray!).

Lunch is served around 1pm and dinner around 7pm. In between, you may be asked to help out with various eco-tasks like cleaning common areas, maintaining the garden or coco field, or joining in on beach cleanups. It’s a shared effort to keep the project site — and the island — thriving.

During your free time, you can enjoy free kayak tours, practice your Spanish, chill in a hammock, read, go for a swim if the sea is calm, or wander the island. There are also other conservation projects nearby, so you’ll have plenty of chances to meet fellow volunteers from around the world and build new connections. As I run a little bar, during weekend nights we may have people coming to our place to have parties where you are welcome and encouraged to join in to learn some local dances and meet local people.

For an additional cost you can help the neighboring project on their sea turtle patrols (March-August), we offer tours by the boat on the river to go observe different species of animals, go fishing, a daytrip to Tortugero or can offer a jewelry workshop, etc.

Rules

We charge a $26 fee per person per day. We use this amount to cover expenses of meals and materials needed for work and maintenance. You will be asked to pay half the program fee after confirmation through PayPal and the other half upon arrival to our project site. In case you arrive to our project site and decide to leave early, we cannot offer you a refund as the fee will have already be invested in food items and materials.

We expect you to respect the working hours and schedules and be on time for the activities to be carried out.

During your free time we ask you to share your whereabouts with us for your own safety and make sure you are very careful near the jungle and the sea.

We have good internet connection available at the project site that we charge a small fee of $10 or 5000 colones fee per week to be help us pay the invoice at the end of the month.

Volunteers may arrive and leave on Tuesdays and Fridays. You can take a bus from San Jose to Siquirres at 7:30am and from Siquirres to Bataan at 10:15am or 11:15am. In Bataan you will be greeted by a taxi driver pre-booked for you who will bring you to the boat dock (25-30min ride). The taxi has an additional fee of $20 or 10 000 colones. The boat ride (20-25min) to the island also has an additional $20 or 10 000 colones per person fee to help pay for the gasoline and maintenance of the motor.

If you come in a couple these fees can be split, meaning you would only be paying $12 or 6000 colones per person each for the taxi and boat ride.