(For other information on solo travel with no single supplements and solo-priced lodging, go to our free search tool, the SoloTravelPricingTracker.net, and for our complimentary “Updated 2020-2021 Solo Travel Guidebook”, be sure to register while there.)

More Green Travel-Volunteer Destination Costa Rica + LATAM:

Options to check out:

Blue Ventures:

Blue Ventures | Award winning marine conservation Blue Ventures

Focus:

Fisheries, blue forests, aquaculture and conservation

Gender equality: For example, Belize, economic empowerment project producing lionfish jewellery, which also supports conservation efforts by increasing demand for, and thereby reducing the number of this invasive species.  In Belize, red lionfish eat other young fish and invertebrates. Organized efforts at reducing the lionfish population attempt to prevent them from suppressing other local species of fish  and other native species.

Blue Ventures: Overview:

• Founded: Approximately 20 years ago
• Focus: On vulnerable communities, especially those reliant on fishing
• Location: 14 countries with coastal tropics
• Active options include diving

One volunteer’s experience: Coastal conservation: From Sarteneja Village to diving the reefs of the Caribbean Sea: my journey with Blue Ventures – Blue Ventures – Beyond Conservation blog

(In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Blue Ventures’s upcoming expeditions have been suspended per UK government. Contact their team directly by going to our SoloTravelPricingTracker.net tours; click LATAM and “volunteering” under the “Specialty Tours” drop-down menu.)

Frontier Gap:

Founded: 25+ years ago. First projects were in Tanzania with the World Wildlife Foundation

Focus:

Marine conservation

Animal preservation

Climate and Environmental issues

Biodiversity

Sustainable livelihoods

Inspiring impactful travel for all ages

Locations: The Americas

Update:

To date, Frontier has grown to operate over 400 projects in 70+ countries across 5 continents. Since it was founded, Frontier has worked with volunteers from 30+ nationalities take part in projects worldwide.

For more information, see:

Gap Years and Volunteering Abroad with Frontier (frontiergap.com)

Contact their team directly by going to our SoloTravelPricingTracker.net tours; click LATAM and “volunteering” under the “Specialty Tours” drop-down menu.

PLAY it Forward® Adventures:

Focus:  Combining adventure travel with volunteer vacationing

Goal: Providing empowering and enriching tours that are built on serving, exploring and connecting.

Style: Athletic, active trips

LATAM:  Guatemala and Peru

Contact their team directly by going to our SoloTravelPricingTracker.net tours; click LATAM and “volunteering” under the “Specialty Tours” drop-down menu.

Sea Turtle Tours:

Founded:  2008  as the world’s first effort to protect sea turtles through ecotourism. Since 2017 an independent non-profit.

Goal: Working to protect endangered turtles throughout Latin America and globally  by supporting
ecotourism, education, and fundraising through Billion

Focus: Conservation. Protecting sea turtles on beaches and in the water. They have generated $1+ million and saved more than 3 million hatchlings and brought 1,000+ people to see sea turtles.

Locations: Costa Rica, Mexico, Belize, Galapagos + LATAM

Opportunity:

• Work with local researchers to study and help protect sea turtles and a leatherback nesting beach.
• Assist researchers in catching green turtles at sea.
• Help guide hatchlings to the ocean on your next vacation.
• Volunteers on our trips have completed more than 5,000 work shifts at turtle conservation projects.

Their recommendations for eco-friendly travel:

Tip One: Reduce Plastic Use:

• Bring reusable water bottles.
• Ask for no straws with your drinks.
• Pack souvenirs in reusable tote bags.

Tip Two: Reef-Friendly Sunscreen

• Avoid those with “oxybenzone”.
• Buy those without that or are labeled as “reef-friendly.”
• Use zinc oxide which is considered safe.

Tip Three: Reduce Carbon Emissions

• Leave electronic devices at home.
• Turn off  fans, lights, and AC when not at hotels or cabins.
• Use public transportation if possible.
• Get a solar powered charger for recharging small electronics.
• Purchase carbon offsets, such as “Seagrass Grow”.

Tip Four: Turtle-Friendly Diving Tips

• See the same sunscreen advice as to reefs.
• Avoid touching or stepping on coral.
• Don’t touch or chase  after wildlife since stress can injure them. Stay 10 feet away and quietly let them pass.
• Avoid using flash photos and keep Go Pro and selfie sticks out of the way.

Contact their team directly by going to our SoloTravelPricingTracker.net tours; click LATAM and “volunteering” under the “Specialty Tours” drop-down menu.

THE VACATION PROJECT:

See Costa Rica beyond just beyond the tourists’ path and beaches.

Volunteer at the Piro Biological Research Station [Osa Conservation]:

• According the National Geographic, Costa Rica is “the most biologically intense place on earth.”
• The Osa Peninsula covers 700 square miles on Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast.
• Because of the Osa’s geological history, it has an almost unparalleled amount of biodiversity.

Contact their team directly by going to our SoloTravelPricingTracker.net tours; click LATAM and “volunteering” under the “Specialty Tours” drop-down menu.