The parrot rescue project on the Osa Peninsula was founded by New Zealand-born Chris, who has called Costa Rica his home for many years. He’s made it his life mission to rescue, rehabilitate and release parrots and other birds. The newly established parrot center is being built with help from great supporters and donations.

The long-term plan is to build more aviaries, on-site volunteer housing, and a proper clinic to attend to sick birds right on the property. The rescue center also operates a breeding program using birds that were kept as pets and would not be able to survive if released into the wild. Their offspring, however, can be released and used to help restore wild populations that have been lost due to decades of poaching and deforestation. The program specializes in rearing these chicks in captivity and carefully preparing them for life in the wild. When they are ready, the program releases them at specially-selected sites around the country and continues to monitor their progress for many years.

Helping hands are always needed around the center, and as a volunteer you’ll be helping to collect and prepare bird food, assist with feeding the birds, collect monitoring data about both captive and wild birds, cleaning aviaries, and other maintenance and construction projects around the facilities.

• Clean cages
• Feed birds (3 times a day)
• Collect bird food around the beach and property (seeds, fruits etc.)
• Go on rescue missions with Chris and other staff
• Help with the release process of birds
• Help update facebook and social media
• Help with maintaining the rescue facilities

A volunteer on this project should be 18 years or older, and they should have a passion for birds. They should also be flexible and a team player. Spanish is not a requirement since the project supervisor and staff speak English.

Since you’ll be living in Puerto Jimenez at a host family, you’ll be traveling to the farm every day by the local bus. The local bus leaves very close to your host family housing, so it will be a 5 minute walk maximum to the bus stop. The bus leaves at 6am every day, and you’ll get to the farm entrance at around 6:30am. From there it’s a short walk along a dirt road to the rescue center. You’ll be working all morning usually until around lunch time, and receive either a ride back to town by rescue staff, or take the local public bus again. The afternoons are usually free, unless there is a special activity happening. The bus fees and any transport fees are included in the project fee.

Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. The farm is located around a 20 min drive from Puerto Jimenez towards Cabo Matapalo.

To find out more about Puerto Jimenez click here.

You’ll be living in the nearby town Puerto Jimenez in a local host family, hand-picked and approved by GLV.  Food will be cooked by your family for you, and served  around 5:15am for breakfast (because you have to leave at 6am by bus to head to the project site), lunch would be served around 12:30-1pm (and also optional you can receive a packed-lunch and eat it at the project site), and dinner is usually served around 6pm.

The costs for this project are:

• First week’s fee: $ 599
• Every Additional Week: $ 229 (It does not matter many weeks you choose, this fee stays the same)

FEES EXPLAINED: Our organizational fee of around $249 – $299 is included in the first week’s fee and covers the “behind the scenes costs”, such as staff salaries, office space rental, transaction and bank fees, and more. Our weekly fee for additional weeks covers the costs of your host family or project accommodation and food, the local staff on your project, and a donation to help with the daily running costs of the program you will help on. The weekly fee also includes your transportation on local buses to and from your host family to the project site.

NOT INCLUDED IN THE FEE: First and last night in San Jose in a hostel, travel to and from the international airport (airport shuttles are around 30$ each way to San Jose – We can set this up for you, just ask us during sign-up), travel to the project site (usually by public buses, which are from around 10-16$ one way), national/ International flights, travel insurance, visa costs, any additional food or snacks besides the host family meals, extra-curricular activities.