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Volunteering

Wild Cat Conservation in Costa Rica

Track wild cats in Costa Rica’s rainforest while building conservation skills.

Durations: 2 - 12 weeks
Fieldwork hours35 hrs of fieldwork per week
Participant ratio1:6 staff to participant ratio
4 participant reviews
GVI experiencesIncludes GVI Experiences
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Travel flexibility, because life happens! Modify your booking, even up to 48 hours before departure. T&Cs apply.

Program information

Embark on a conservation adventure in Costa Rica’s Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve. Track elusive wild cats – ocelots, margays, jaguarundis, and pumas – as they navigate the dense rainforest. You’ll work with local conservationists to set up camera traps, gather data, and develop strategies to protect these iconic species and their unique habitats, contributing to community-led conservation efforts.

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Program overview

Immerse yourself in Costa Rica’s lush rainforests and join local conservationists and Indigenous community leaders in safeguarding wild cat populations within the Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve.

As a volunteer, you’ll take part in hands-on research that directly supports long-term conservation goals. Your efforts will help protect elusive jungle cats like ocelots, margays, and jaguarundis, as well as the diverse habitats they rely on.

Costa Rica, covering just 0.03% of the planet’s surface, is a biodiversity hotspot that hosts over 5% of the world’s species. The Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve, located on the Caribbean coast, is home to a range of wild cats and other vulnerable wildlife. Your work here will involve collecting data on feline populations to support local conservation initiatives and develop effective management strategies.

Your primary task will be setting up and monitoring camera traps to capture footage of wild cats in their natural habitat. These traps are positioned in key areas to record movements, feeding habits, and habitat use. You’ll regularly hike through dense rainforest trails to check traps, download footage, and record findings, gaining practical skills in wildlife monitoring and data analysis.

Living with members of the Bribri community, you’ll gain insight into their way of life and their commitment to conservation. Participate in immersive experiences like a traditional chocolate-making workshop and conversational Spanish classes led by native speakers.

Highlights

 

 

Contribute to wild cat research
Contribute to wild cat research
There’s very little research on wild cat species in Kekoldi. Learn monitoring techniques from experts, and help uncover more about these elusive cats.
Feel the rush of the jungle
Feel the rush of the jungle
Live in a protected indigenous reserve, surrounded by abundant wildlife species like jungle cats, monkeys, tropical birds, birds of prey and reptiles.
Be part of the real deal
Be part of the real deal
Contribute to ongoing environmental projects that address critical challenges aligned to the global United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Join ethical initiatives
Join ethical initiatives
Work with local conservation partners and qualified professionals to ensure your efforts are highly ethical, meaningful and sustainable.
Experience unreal adventures
Experience unreal adventures
Venture outside typical travel itineraries to get exclusive access to extraordinary remote habitats, rare species and unique ecosystems.
Make friends for life
Make friends for life
Share epic experiences with like-minded, passionate changemakers from all over the globe.
Enjoy a hassle-free, safe trip
Enjoy a hassle-free, safe trip
With expert staff and 24/7 support at every step – you can relax and enjoy the experience stress-free.
Take a break
Take a break
Disconnect from the digital world and reconnect with nature, yourself and your purpose.

Activities

Some of the example typical activities you could participate in on this program.

 

Fieldwork training
Fieldwork training
Learn how to identify species, collect data and monitor species. You will also receive health, safety and conservation ethics training.
Wild cat conservation
Wild cat conservation
Contribute to wild cat research (species like puma, ocelot, jaguarundi and margay) by setting up and checking camera traps in the rainforest.
Biodiversity surveys
Biodiversity surveys
Conduct forest biodiversity surveys focused on key plant, insect, bird, mammal and reptile species.
Reptile and amphibian conservation
Reptile and amphibian conservation
Support research focused on reptiles and amphibians, including the eyelash palm pitviper, fer-de-lance and red-eyed tree frog.
Bird conservation
Bird conservation
Conduct bird point counts to assess species in the reserve. Assist in raptor research during migration season, one of the world’s largest migrations.

Skills

  • Data collection
  • Population ecology
  • Species identification
  • Survey research
  • Wildlife conservation
  • Volunteering

Partners

Some of the partners we work with on base.

Kekoldi Indigenous Family

Program details

 
Included in your program, at no extra cost.

Make the most of our unique programs with these exclusively curated local adventure and wellness experiences.

Offered once a month, expand your adventure with GVI Experiences. These are just some of the activities offered on your program!
Traditional chocolate workshop
Traditional chocolate workshop
Waterfall hike
Waterfall hike
Moth and butterfly trapping
Moth and butterfly trapping
Sunrise in the rainforest
Sunrise in the rainforest
Conversational Spanish class
Conversational Spanish class
Stargaze in the jungle
Stargaze in the jungle
Wildlife photography workshop
Wildlife photography workshop
Yoga in the rainforest
Yoga in the rainforest
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4 reviews

Gianni Buschini

6 Feb 2025
Very nice experience and immersion in the nature. The adventure is worth it. 

Polly Clark

24 May 2024
I took part in the big cat and wildlife conservation programme in Costa Rica. This was an incredible experience set in the Kekoldi rainforest reserve, however the programme title is a little misleading as you are mainly doing biodiversity research not so much a focus on big cats. This is overall an amazing opportunity and I have no regrets about the location I picked (tough choice between Limpopo and Kekoldi). I also managed to help out with the turtle programme in Cahuita during my time there which was a huge highlight for me - I was extremely lucky to experience a leatherback in labour, see turtle hatchlings and save an entire nest of eggs in one day! The GVI team are fabulous and so knowledgeable, we really managed to get a lot done and see a lot in the 2 weeks i was there. Definitely worthwhile!

Thomas Casey

10 May 2024
I had a once in a lifetime experience. All of the staff were very kind. I was very impressed by the knowledge that the staff have of the Kekoldi area.

Adam Rap

31 Aug 2023
Kekoldi, Costa Rica is a beautiful location to visit. The remote location and the wildlife in the surrounding area made it the trip of a lifetime. The GVI Team in Costa Rica are awesome and have contributed to an unforgettable experience in the Rainforest. 

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