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Step one · Pick your place

You are deciding where. This page covers what service looks like in Costa Rica, when the cohorts run, and how to apply — and nothing else. Every other detail is one click away at the bottom.

A Proven Model

You’re joining something with a 20-year track record.

Since 1995

Serving communities in need

Year-Round

Local leadership on the ground

Decades

Of international service and education

Ethical

Locally guided project design

Your Costa Rica immersion is run by leaders who draw on decades of experience in international service, cross-cultural learning, and global education, working only on projects the community itself asked for. Meet the people behind the work →

About These Programs

Where Meaningful Service Meets "Pura Vida"

The communities you'll serve in Costa Rica face real challenges — and may lack access to basic resources including quality education, adequate healthcare, and environmental support systems. Yet their warmth and resilience are extraordinary. Both adults and children welcome you quickly, and their energy becomes part of your own transformation.

In Costa Rica, the wellbeing of communities and the wellbeing of the surrounding environment are deeply connected. Clean water, healthy forests, and stable livelihoods are inseparable — making every service project here feel genuinely purposeful and structurally meaningful.

Costa Rica Immersions are open now for Winter 2026/27, Summer 2027, and Winter 2027/28, with Early Planning Applications also accepted for 2028 and 2029. Your $500 deposit is subject to our refund terms.

Program Quick Facts

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Destinations

Heredia · Volcán Arenal · Rincón de la Vieja · Playa Sámara · Tortuguero

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Available Dates

Winter 2026/27 · Summer 2027 · Winter 2027/28 · Early Planning 2028, 2029

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Focus Areas

Integrated Service-Learning · Community Development · Wildlife Conservation · Health & Wellness

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Cohort Model

Interdisciplinary cohort · Local expertise + Help2Serve.Care leadership · Peer-to-peer collaborative learning

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Academic Credit

Structured documentation supports independent study, internship, and service-learning credit applications

Built by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers—bringing the spirit of Peace Corps immersion into two or three unforgettable weeks.

This isn’t just a trip. It’s the kind of experience you’ll be talking about for the rest of your life.

Two or three weeks. A new country. And local students who don’t just meet you there—they become part of your group.

They share your interests, your ambitions, and your appetite for adventure—and they experience it all with you.

As an example, for nursing-focused immersions, local nursing students live the experience alongside you: staying with the group, sharing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, serving together, exploring together, heading out in the evenings, talking late into the night, laughing, discovering, and experiencing all the moments no itinerary could ever plan.

You don’t just see another country. You begin to know it through the people who call it home.

Somewhere between the first hello, the shared meals, the adventures, the late-night conversations, and the final goodbye, something happens: a place that once felt far away starts to feel personal. Friendships become real. Perspectives change. And you come home with stories, connections, and memories that can stay with you for a lifetime.

Live the days. Own the nights. Share the culture. Build the friendships. Remember it forever.

Choose Your Immersion

Phase One

14 DaysAll Inclusive

14-DAY SERVICE-LEARNING IMMERSION

$2,650–$3,300

Arrive together. Stay connected. Make a difference.

Build lifelong friendships with local students, educators, community members, and fellow travelers while experiencing meaningful service, cultural exchange, and everyday life in a new place.

This is more than a service trip. It is an immersive international experience built around meaningful service, cultural exchange, exploration, friendship, and everyday life in a new place. Participants serve, learn, share meals, explore, socialize, experience evenings and local life, and build relationships with local peers and fellow travelers throughout the immersion.

For nursing-focused immersions, local nursing students become part of the group throughout the experience—sharing service-learning activities, meals, exploration, evenings, social time, and everyday moments together. Rather than simply meeting local students during a scheduled activity, participants experience the destination alongside peers who are studying the same field in another country.

It is the difference between visiting a place and experiencing it with people who call it home.

Each day, participants learn, serve, explore, and grow together with support from local professional mentors, peers, and experienced U.S.-based educators and professionals—including U.S.-licensed health professionals for all health-focused programs.

YOUR PROGRAM FEE INCLUDES:

Culturally rich housing
All meals
In-country transportation and airport transfers
Service-learning programming
Local students from your field embedded throughout the experience
Cultural exchange and community engagement
Cultural activities and local partnerships
Professional and educational support
24/7 in-country support

Serve together.

Eat together.

Explore together.

Experience it together.

Experience daily life in a supportive group environment where local students and fellow travelers share service, meals, exploration, evenings, conversation, friendship, and the spontaneous moments that often become the most memorable parts of being abroad.

NO ADDITIONAL PROGRAM FEES. NO ADDITIONAL MEAL COSTS.

Phase Two

21 DaysAll Inclusive

SIGNATURE 21-DAY IMMERSION

14 DAYS+7 DAYS

$3,950–$4,950

EVERYTHING IN THE 14-DAY SERVICE-LEARNING IMMERSION

PLUS 7 DAYS OF GUIDED CULTURAL IMMERSION & EXPLORATION

Go deeper. Stay longer. Experience more.

Continue the journey as a connected group while discovering more of the people, places, traditions, and everyday life that make each destination unique. The additional seven days create more time for exploration, cultural experiences, shared meals, evenings out, social activities, and deeper friendships with local peers and fellow travelers.

Seven more days. More places. More experiences. More time together.

ALL-INCLUSIVE ON THE GROUND FOR ALL 21 DAYS.

Program fees vary by destination and immersion design, including accommodations, local partnerships, transportation, program activities, cultural exchange opportunities, and the level of professional and faculty support provided.

International airfare, required travel insurance, passports/visas when applicable, and personal purchases are not included.

Program provider & payment details →

$500

Phase One Deposit

Paid exclusively to Help2Serve.Care and credited only toward Phase One.

45 Days

Refund terms apply

Pricing applies to all published 2026–27 immersion departure dates.

Prices exclude international airfare and required travel insurance.

See the FAQ for additional details.

Transparent. Structured. No Surprises. We do not advertise a low base fee and add charges later. Your acceptance email will confirm your selected immersion experience and provide all applicable payment details. Your acceptance email will clearly identify the experience you selected and the amount due within the published price range (e.g., 14-day or 21-day immersion), or the applicable cost for a custom immersion based on your group’s specific program details, including any additional cost for the Spanish Language Week, if selected. Your acceptance email will also outline the deposit requirement, payment instructions, due dates, total program cost, and available payment-plan options, if needed. We are proud to offer an all-inclusive experience. Your program cost includes all meals, scheduled activities, experiences, accommodations, transportation, and program support, so you should not expect additional on-the-ground costs beyond your own discretionary spending. The only standard exclusions are airfare, required travel insurance, and any applicable visa fees.

Why there is a program fee. Help2Serve.Care is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 93-3620516). Your Phase One fee covers only the direct cost of delivering a safe, well-supported immersion — in-country housing, meals, transportation, supplies, mentorship, and on-the-ground safety systems — in support of our charitable mission. Program fees are payments for the participant experience and are not charitable contributions. Tax-deductible gifts to Help2Serve.Care must be made separately through our Donate page. Participants may wish to consult their own tax adviser regarding any separately paid unreimbursed expenses. Cost should never decide who can serve: every participant receives a fundraising playbook, and need-aware scholarships are funded by donors. Make a tax-deductible gift →

Phase One · Service in Action

14 Days of Immersive Service — Costa Rica

Beyond the three pathways — the real moments, relationships, and community bonds that define Phase One.

Volunteer & Community Connections

The relationships built during 14 days of service are among the most enduring outcomes — for volunteers and communities alike.

One-on-One Impact

The personal connections formed during service are what volunteers carry for the rest of their lives.

Service in the Community

Every day of Phase One is structured, purposeful, and documented — contributing to the long-term wellbeing of the communities we serve.

Volunteers and local builders laying concrete block and setting rebar on a community construction site

Immersed in the Country

Phase One fully immerses you in Costa Rican community life — committed partner in service and sustainable change.

Cohort & Community Bonds

The bonds formed between volunteers and local community members during 14 days of shared service endure long beyond the program.

Sample Detailed Itinerary

Help2Serve.Care PHASE ONE · 14-DAY STRUCTURED SERVICE-LEARNING IMMERSION Path 2- Single-Track Specialized Immersion Health-Focused Example A worked example of a single-track Phase One — all 14 days, day by day. PDF · opens in a new tab

Phase Two · Cultural Exploration

Beyond the Project — Costa Rica

Beyond the Project — 7 days of guided cultural exploration designed to deepen reflection, strengthen cohort bonds, and place your service experience within a broader cultural context. This is a structured continuation of your transformation.

Phase Two is optional and available only to participants who complete Phase One, keeping service at the heart of the experience. Program provider & payment details →

🌋Volcán Arenal thermal springs & Strategic Reflection Forum

🛶Class III–IV whitewater rafting through jungle canyons

🧗98 ft + 165 ft rappels alongside Pino Blanco Waterfall

🏄Surfing Playa Sámara · Sea kayaking to Isla Chora

🌊Rincón de la Vieja · Simbiosis Mud Spa

View Full 7-Day Itinerary

¡Pura Vida!

Volcanoes, rainforests, reefs, and warm communities await.

Next · Step two

Costa Rica chosen. Now pick your focus.

Health & Wellbeing Community clinics, health education, community assessment Choose this → Conservation & Sustainability Habitat, water, species and restoration work Choose this → Community & Education Classrooms, youth programs, community development Choose this → All three — Integrated Try every focus area and find where you fit Choose this →

Apply

Costa Rica Application Schedule

Cohort	Season	Status	Apply
CR’26–’27	Winter 2026/27 Dec. 26, 2026 – Jan. 16, 2027 · Conservation only · Applications close October 25, 2026	🟢 Open Now	Apply Now
CR’27	Summer 2027 May 16 – June 6, 2027 · Conservation only	🟢 Open Now	Apply Now
CR’27–’28	Winter 2027/28 Dec. 26, 2027 – Jan. 16, 2028 · International Transition-to-Practice Nursing Service Immersion available	🟢 Open Now	Apply Now
CR’28	Summer 2028 Exact dates published approximately one year in advance	🟡 Early Planning Open	Apply Early
CR’28–’29	Winter 2028/29 Exact dates published approximately one year in advance	🟡 Early Planning Open	Apply Early
CR’29	Summer 2029 Exact dates published approximately one year in advance	🟡 Early Planning Open	Apply Early
CR’29–’30	Winter 2029/30 Exact dates published approximately one year in advance	🟡 Early Planning Open	Apply Early
CR’30	Summer 2030 Exact dates published approximately one year in advance	🟡 Early Planning Open	Apply Early
CR’30–’31	Winter 2030/31 Exact dates published approximately one year in advance	🟡 Early Planning Open	Apply Early

Track-specific dates may vary within each cohort window. See the application page for full Track-by-Track dates.

Want the detail?

It is all here — just not in your way.

Nothing has been removed from this site. The depth moved to its own page so this one stays a decision, not a document.

How the 21 days workTwo phases, specialization days, cohort structure, both pathways Phase two in Costa RicaThe full seven-day guided cultural itinerary Academic creditDocumented hours, reflection journals, capstone Cost, inclusions & fundingWhat is included, fundraising playbook, scholarships Costa Rica questionsThe answers people ask for most

Serve. Grow. Transform.
Costa Rica

You’re joining something with a 20-year track record.