Location
  • Costa Rica
    • San José
Length
4 to 10 weeks

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
17
Age Max
24
Timeframe
Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Hostel Tent
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30)

Pricing

Starting Price
3120
Price Details
4 week Expedition $3120
7 week Expedition $4574
10 week Expedition $4900

Fundraising is not essential, but if you choose to fundraise we offer lots of support to help you do that. We have supported thousands of young people to reach their fundraising target.

All our projects are driven by the needs of the communities we work in. If the community does not have 100% ownership over the projects we do, we simply do not do them. Our close partnerships and relationships on the ground, with community leaders, local NGO's, and Governmental departments, ensure that our projects are necessary and impactful.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Accommodation Activities Some Activities Airport Transfers Equipment Meals Some Meals Transportation Travel Insurance
What's Not Included
Airfare Domestic Airfare SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa Wifi
Aug 11, 2023
Sep 02, 2022
19 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Joining a Raleigh Expedition in Costa Rica is a truly life-changing experience that will not only see you take part in pertinent community and environmental projects, but will equip you with new skills and experiences that will stay with you for a lifetime.

Immersing yourself with local communities in one the worlds most biodiverse countries you will work alongside local NGO's, communities, and Park Rangers to preserve vulnerable natural resources, improve access to education for indigenous communities, and take part in a once in a lifetime trek across a truly stunning landscape.

Raleigh expeditions are a truly immersive cultural experience that combine adventure, personal development, and impactful projects to create truly life-enhancing journeys. Do it for you, do it for the planet!

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Our programs run for 4, 7, and 10 weeks throughout the year, so you can join during your gap year or in the summer.
  • Be with people your age: Apart from team leaders and staff, you will be grouped with people aged 17-24 from all around the world. Getting to share your adventure with a group of like-minded people the same age as you is unique to Raleigh.
  • Develop essential teamwork, leadership, intercultural learning, and active citizenship skills and knowledge. These are the foundations of becoming an active future leader.
  • Diverse and inclusive: Volunteers join diverse teams of young people from across the globe as well as volunteers from the country you are based in.
  • Real adventure: Raleigh Expedition is an exciting and fun experience that will push you out of your comfort zone. You will get to experience true adventure in a safe and supported way.

Program Impact

So far we have planted over 100,000 trees, given 900,000 people access to clean water & sanitation, all while transforming the lives of over 55,000 young people through the power of volunteering abroad.

Why don't you become part of a global community dedicated to supporting youth-led action on the worlds most important issues?

Raleigh International is all about supporting, equipping, and inspiring young people to create and make change long after Expedition is over. From creating sustainable start-ups, to challenging gender inequality and calling for action on the climate emergency and human rights, the skills you learn on Raleigh will stay with you for the rest of your life.

If we are going to finally overcome poverty and injustice, find sustainable ways to protect our planet, and achieve the UN Global Goals, young people must be the ones taking the lead and driving the solutions.

Program Reviews

4.73 Rating
based on 26 reviews
  • 5 rating 84.62%
  • 4 rating 11.54%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 3.85%
  • Impact 4.6
  • Support 4.65
  • Fun 4.6
  • Value 4.45
  • Safety 4.75
Showing 9 - 16 of 26 reviews
Default avatar
Sophie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Fantastic Opportunity to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone in Costa Rica!

I first heard about Raleigh International through school and as soon as I decided to take a gap year following school, I knew I wanted to embark on a Raleigh expedition. It was the best decision I have ever made!
Spending 10 weeks in Costa Rica and Nicaragua with Raleigh allowed me to experience new cultures, learn valuable communication, problem solving and organisational skills and meet a whole host of people I would never otherwise have met. To say that I was taken out of my comfort zone during my expedition would be an understatement- a Raleigh expedition will completely propel you from your comfort zone!!! From reinforcing paths and fixing bridges in the heart of a national park to making dream comes true for the local people with the addition of a gravity water system to hiking across breathtaking landscapes, every day on Raleigh is different. Some days will be harder than others and everyone will likely be affected by illness and feeling home sick at some point but the support and safety in place mean that sooner rather than later you will be feeling elated and in awe of the experience you are living! The projects take venturers and volunteer managers off the beaten track and allow you to experience parts of the country you would never be able to experience if you were travelling on your own or with a tour company. In addition the projects present the unique opportunity to live and work alongside local people to contribute towards the UN sustainable development goals.
I had always been very shy and reserved at school and I lacked a significant amount of self confidence but following my Raleigh expedition I arrived home a completely changed person (for the better!). Although vastly different it equipped me with so many of the skills I needed to completely my pharmacy degree and go on to begin my career as a pharmacist and I’m sure the same would be true regardless of the sector that you go on to work in. I guarantee you will absolutely not regret choosing Raleigh International.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Embrace every moment- take pictures and live in the now. Use your time on Raleigh to reflect on the things that matter and to grow yourself as a person- write in a journal, say yes to any new experience, put maximum effort into every project but most of all; don’t forget to look up and realise where your are! Costa Rica is full of some of the most amazing landscapes and people you will ever see or meet and you will sorely miss them when you are back home!
70 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Default avatar
Megan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Costa Rica and Nicaragua

This experience for me came when I needed it the most. The experience in leadership and team work that I gained on expedition I could take with me back into my day to day life.
The friendships I built through out this trip were life changing everyone had a different impact teaching me something new and helping me develop as a person. I felt safe though out and all of the instructors where amazing. The amount of effort put in to make sure we were safe and enjoying are experiene was above and beyond what I expected. I pushed my self mentally and physically at times especially during trek. However your group was always there to support you though the tough days and where there to celebrate the wins. Would definitely recommend Raleigh international (I want to do it all again)

64 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ella
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Community and Adventure Projects in Costa Rica & Nicaragua

Undertaking a 7 week expedition with Raleigh to Costa Rica and Nicaragua was the best thing I could have done with my year out. It not only gave me the chance to give back in some way and create lasting positive change, but also took me on a journey of personal development.

I lived and worked alongside the community of Los Llanitos in Nicaragua, to help them create a 7 km gravity-fed water system. Being fully immersed in the life of a rural Nicaraguan community was one of the best parts of my expedition, allowing me to build friendships and learn about a completed new culture, diversifying my knowledge and improving my Spanish to no end!
Although one of the most challenging experiences of my life to-date - expedition helped me develop a new confidence and willingness to challenge myself and others everywhere I go. I would recommend Raleigh expedition to anyone.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would stay for the full 10 week expedition - wouldn't want to miss a thing!
63 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
James
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A life turning point!

I'm not sure I really knew what I was letting myself into when I signed up for a Raleigh Expedition. However, what I can say is that I definitely didn't expect the most memorable experience of my life so far. I contributed to something genuinely meaningful - whilst part of an incredible, internationally diverse team of other young people. Not only that, it felt adventurous, fun and it created a change within me - it made me who I am today. Costa Rica and Nicaragua were incredible countries to visit. Seeing the issues they face with my own eyes, and working collaboratively alongside volunteers from those countries really opened my mind to what you can achieve together. Nothing is impossible. I can't recommend this programme highly enough. If you do it, I think it's likely it will be a turning point in your life, just as it was in mine.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My advice to future volunteers on a Raleigh Expedition: don't count the days, make the days count.
60 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Josh
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Raleigh Expedition was the best thing I could have done

Beyond just giving me the chance to experience an absolutely amazing part of the world, and work on projects I knew were bringing about real positive change, my Raleigh Expedition completely transformed me in so many ways.

It developed huge new confidence and willingness in me to try new things and confront challenges, at a time when I had never done anything remotely like it before. Through it, I've made such a wealth of friends around the world who I'm still in touch with, and it's led to opportunities in my career that I never could have anticipated, for which I'm still so grateful for.

No matter where you're at, if you want to make a really fantastic change not just to others but to yourself, or if you want to start exploring the world or get actively involved in charitable work but you just don't know where to start, I can't recommend Raleigh enough. It is an awesome experience.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Being able to see both coasts of Costa Rica (the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea) from the peak of Mount Chirripo, whilst on the group trek during Expedition.
59 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Julian
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing experience, amazing organisation - real impact

I had an amazing time with Raleigh in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The in-country team were fantastic - really motivated to make sure that everybody on the programme was well supported and inspired to challenge themselves and make a difference. The whole experience was unique - we got to live and work with real local people to address real challenges.

Working with the indigenous people of Costa Rica was inspiring - the communities were really remote, walking several hours through the rainforest to get to the village where we lived. We got to support the Cabecar people to get a basis education - previously they got their classes in falling down builiding or sometimes under a tree. Now we helped the community to build a new school, set up a parents group and inspire the children to go to school. Its an experience I'll never forget.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
The kindness and generosity of all the people I met
61 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jamal
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Experience!

It was a great experience!

Getting to visit a country that is completely new to me. Immersing myself with the culture and lifestyle.

Pushes you to the limit with each phase of the expedition. Each phase there is something to take away.

Community Phase: this is where I practised my language skills it was fun learning Spanish to use for my daily conversation.

Trek Phase: Personal Favourite one of the most amazing and breathtaking sceneries I have come across. Always

Environment: This project was relaying and creating a new pathway so that tourist are able to visit the park and encourage ecotourism in the future so that it becomes more sustainable for the future.

People: This is the best of all, you meet different people from all over the world and you make new friends then continue it on to be a long-lasting friendship.

38 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Joanna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

10-week Expedition as Project Manager

Before I signed up with Raleigh International, I wasn't really sure where Nicaragua is and the only thing I knew about Costa Rica was #PuraVida. The last time I had slept in a tent was before puberty and my Spanish skills were pretty much non-existent. So it's safe to say that I had absolutely no idea what to expect!
During our 2-week induction training someone said that during the phases we will experience our "highest highs and lowest lows" and boy, were they right!
I did the 260-km Trek in Nicaragua and it was one of the best experiences in my life. Yes, mentally and physically challenging, but walking through the breathtaking landscape of Nicaragua and getting to know locals on the way was truly humbling. In the evenings we'd ask in the community if there was a nearby plain in which we could camp and most of the nights we then ended up sleeping in someone's garden or even house, just because they loved to share!
My second and third phase were Natural Resource Management in the Rincon de la Vieja National park and it was there where I learned what it means to be connected to Nature.
We helped the Park Rangers with their day-to-day work and also improved the infrastructure in the park and my favourite project was turning some forgotten Hot Springs into a nice-looking Tourist Destination.
One of my favourite aspects was spending time and getting to know the In-Country Volunteers, who were more than willing to share about their lives, their countries and their language.
13 weeks later I feel like I am a new person! I am more self-aware, more confident, can put on a 20-kg backpack in less than 10 seconds and can comfortably have a whole conversation in Spanish!
To anyone who wants to challenge themselves, have an impact on the lives of young people and experience new cultures - Sign up!

44 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers