Look after children and teenagers in Costa Rica

Here you will spend your first night and depending on which project you have registered for as a volunteer, you will then drive to Ojochal or Puerto Viejo. If your volunteer project or your language course takes place directly in San José, this is your accommodation for the entire period.

The Volunteer House has two rooms for two participants each and one single room. All residents share two common bathrooms and the living room.

Your accommodation is located in downtown San José and within walking distance of restaurants, museums, theaters, parks, supermarkets, shopping streets, banks and stops. A laundry service is available on request.

Groceries are provided for breakfast and dinner and the volunteers prepare their own meals.

San José is the capital of Costa Rica and is located in the middle of the country. From here you have the opportunity to drive to all regions of the country within a few hours.

The convenient location means that both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts are a short distance away, as are the cloud forests inland. Around 340.000 people live in San José itself – 1,6 million in the entire metropolitan area. The city sits at 1.170 meters above sea level, giving it pleasant spring-like weather all year round. The temperatures vary only slightly and are around 15 to 26 °C. However, San José also has a rainy season from May to November; the rest of the year it is dry.

For those interested in history, art, architecture, and culture, San Jose is a great place to start a Costa Rican itinerary. But San José is also an excellent starting point for all outdoor and nature enthusiasts, because you will find rainforests, tropical islands and volcanoes nearby. There is so much to discover both in the city itself and in the surrounding area!

San José or "Chepe", as Costa Rica's capital is also called, is embedded in the beautiful nature of the country. The city itself offers a variety of sights that you should definitely visit. Buildings in the Spanish colonial style are characteristic and in the historic district of Barrio Amón there are rows of magnificent villas that have been converted into galleries. In other neighborhoods, colorful graffiti adorns the walls of buildings and enlivens the cityscape.

San José is considered the cultural center of Costa Rica: you should definitely not miss the National Theater in the heart of the city. You can take a guided tour there during the day and enjoy excellent performances in the evening. In addition, San José has a high density of museums. For example, visit the National Museum, the Jade Museum or the Gold Museum.

You get a culinary experience when you visit the Mercado Central. Delicious fruit and vegetables, fresh fish, meat and fragrant herbs, spices and coffee beans are piled high in the market hall.

Similar to New York, San José also has a “green lung”. The La Sabana Metropolitan Park invites you to take long walks and you will also find the national stadium there, where football matches are regularly played.

Due to its central location, the capital is an ideal starting point for excursions in the surrounding area. How about a trip to a coffee plantation, for example? After all, Costa Rica is notorious for its excellent coffee. But also the national park around the active volcano Poás with its green lagoons and deep crater lakes is an absolute must-see. For even more action, you can also go whitewater rafting through the jungle or swing through tropical rainforests on cable cars and ziplines.

You can also enjoy the beach and the sea. You even have the choice between the Caribbean and the Pacific: Both coasts can be reached within two to four hours and invite you to relax with their white beaches and palm trees.