What You Should Know – Ara Manzanillo

Frequently asked questions about volunteering at Ara Manzanillo

Click on a question to display the answer:

1What will be expected of me?

Highlighted below are the typical daily routines at the station. Keep in mind, volunteer duties vary depending on the time of year, highlighted at the end.
- Daily food preparation and feeding for both the pre-release macaws in the aviary and supplemental feeding of the released flock via raised hanging feeders;
- Regular site maintenance includes daily aviary cleaning, providing enrichment for captive birds, maintaining visitation area and bathrooms, and other tasks as necessary;
- Provide/ participate in daily tours or other site visitation;
- Forage natural foods, including beach almonds and mountain almonds;
- Assist with education and outreach activities, as needed.
- Fieldwork: depending upon the season this may include: construct/ repair nest boxes, tree climbing assistance to monitor nest boxes, conduct health checks on captive and released birds; and assist with arising needs at the station.
- Different tasks may be assigned depending on our current needs and the skills/ abilities of volunteers, such as hand feeding young chicks, conducting tree climbing nest box checks, etc.

2What is the work schedule?
The work schedule is generally 5 ½ days a week. Work hours may vary and are arranged by the site supervisor. Typically, workdays start around 7:00 AM and end around 4:30 PM with appropriate breaks, including a long lunch break.

3What are the required qualifications?
The minimum age is 18 and the job requires being physically fit and active. Volunteers with a background in biology, ecology, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine or like fields are encouraged, however not required.
Volunteers should be highly motivated, responsible and in fit mental and physical condition. Costa Rica is a tropical country and the weather can be very hot and wet. Fieldwork in the tropics is typically physically demanding and tedious (rain, mud, bugs, cultural differences, solitude, plentiful hiking and long hours). Please check in with yourself if living amongst large insects and wild animals is a good fit for you.
Recommendation letters and a CV are not necessary. But you can send us your CV if you wish.

4Do I need to speak Spanish?
Some basic Spanish is definitely helpful to get around and enrich your experience, but fluency is not vital. If fluent in Spanish, a basic level of English is preferred. German and French are also useful for assisting tourist visitation.

5How long do I volunteer for?
We require a minimum stay of 1 month to be mutually beneficial for both Ara Manzanillo and yourself. There is no limit on the length of your stay, though we encourage longer duration, such as 3 months, as most volunteers wish they could stay longer. The longer you volunteer the more you will learn and be able to work on your own, gain hands on experience working with an endangered population, and and get the most from your experience.

6What travel arrangements do I need to make?

Please check the Costa Rica Tourist Visa requirements for your country. Generally, you will be able to stay up to 90 days in Costa Rica on a tourist visa. If you are staying longer you can renew this visa for an additional 90 days by leaving the country for 3 days (we are very close to the Panama border and most volunteers chose this option). We can help you make arrangements if a trip is necessary. Make sure that your passport is up-to-date and valid for at least 6 months after entry to Costa Rica.
If you travel by air, you should fly into San José International Airport (SJO). Depending upon your arrival time to San José, you might have to overnight in San José and travel to the project on the next day. The public bus transportation cost from San José to the site is about $22. There are several other options available including tourism vans small planes.
Once you have confirmed your stay, we will send you more detail travel options and instructions. There are very many hostels and hotel options close to the bus station or airport if you stay overnight in San José upon arrival.
Having medical/travel insurance is required.

7Do I need Medical/Travel Insurance?
Yes! Having medical/ travel insurance is a must. There are risks and dangers inherent to the habitat and the work we do. Upon your arrival you will be required to sign a Waiver/Release Agreement and to include emergency contact information. Ara Manzanillo will NOT be responsible for your medical bills. That being said, we actively take precautions to keep you out of harms way. There are both private and public medical services available close by.
If you take any medication, make sure to bring enough for your stay or confirm that it is available in Costa Rica. Let us know if you have any special medical condition or allergies that we should be aware of. There are small clinics close relatively close to the station in case of emergencies.

8What are the living conditions like?
The Ara Manzanillo field station is in the Limón Province, along the South Caribbean coast. You will share fully equipped cabin with two-bedrooms, three-beds, one-bathroom, shared kitchen with up to two other people. Accommodations are basic, though set with cooking utensils, bedding and bath towels, as well as an open-air porch – volunteers’ favorite room of the house. We supply housing essentials, as well as a washing machine on site.
It should be noted, the station is 1 km (straight up) a hill, and 10 kilometers from the main town of Puerto Viejo. This makes social events more limited. If you are looking for a very active social life, this is probably the wrong project for you. Ara Manzanillo is better suited for volunteers who love the outdoors, beautiful beaches, and jungle hikes. The site is located on a remote hill (1 km straight up) and 10 kilometers from the main town, Puerto Viejo. This makes social life is limited. If you are looking for a very active social life, this is probably the wrong project for you. This station is better suited for volunteers who love the outdoors, beautiful beaches, and jungle hikes.
Costa Rica is generally safe and you are unlikely to have any serious problems. However, petty theft is becoming more common. Be careful with your personal belongings, do not leave them unattended while traveling.

9How is the weather?
The Ara Manzanillo site is located in a humid tropical forest where temperature can go from cool nights (18°-20°C) to hot days (26° - 34°C) with occasional tropical thunder, wind and rainstorms, high humidity combined with hot sun. Depending on the time of year, you might get a lot of rain or dry spell. The volunteer house is equipped with fans, warm water shower, screens and mosquito nets.

10What will I eat? Is it hard if I have a special diet?
Having a special diet is not generally a problem. The staple food in Costa Rica is easily adapted to suit most diets: vegetarian, vegan, lactose free and even celiac diets can be accommodated. If you take supplements, bring enough for the length of your stay.
Basic general food supplies for the week are purchased once a week at the nearby town. If you need to get a specific item for your dietary requirements or want to buy personal treats you probably can find them in Puerto Viejo. You will likely spend $60-75 per week on, depending on your habits and dietary requirements. There are also mini-markets closer to the site where you can purchase most things. All staff and volunteers are expected to cook and do dishes for themselves.
Eating in restaurants gets expensive as taxes and services bring up prices, however, we do have excellent and diverse restaurants in the area.

11What will I need to bring?
Clothing and equiptment we recommend you bring:

Closed toe shoes (lightweight hiking or walking shoes with treads)
Sandals (waterproof)
Rubber boots (available at station)
Sunscreen and insect repellent (also locally available)
Waterproof rain jacket or poncho (especially during rainy season)
Dry bag or backpack
Informal warm weather work clothes – (shorts and tops that can get dirty) Laundry is available on site, so try your best to travel light! We supply uniform t-shirts.
Long, light-weight field pants and long-sleeved shirt.
Sweatshirt, sweater, light sweatpants (can get chilly at night!)
A few pieces of nicer clothing for special occasions
Swimwear, hat, and sunglasses
Prescription drugs (if needed)
Beach towel
Bed sheets/ pillow (optional - provided at station)
Camera/phone/ tablet (adaptor cable for 110v US outlets)
Binoculars (also at station)
Flashlight/head lamp
Entertainment (games, books or art)
Ear plugs!

12Will I have mobile signal and internet access?
The station provides Fiber Optic Wi-Fi that works quite well. We still advise you to purchase a local SIM card upon arrival at the airport. Before arrival, insure with your cell phone provider your phone is unlocked and compatible.
There are several pre-paid mobile phone service providers in Costa Rica, Kolbi, Claro and Liberty, among others. We recommend at the Airport you purchase a Kolbi card near baggage claim, as it is the main provider with the strongest signal throughout the country. Some international mobile services do not work in Costa Rica and/or charge high roaming fees. Check with your provider, though purchasing a SIM card is easy and affordable. If needed, we do have a smart phone and laptop at the station you can use.
Bring your own laptop if you wish but consider that humid conditions require special care. Our electric voltage is 110v and take standard American 2 prong plugs.

13What about money?
Costa Rica is relatively expensive in comparison to other Latin American countries, as groceries cost a similar price as the United States and most of Europe. The currency is ¢ Colones, but $ USD are widely accepted. The exchange rate is slightly more favorable at the bank - do NOT exchange money at the airport.
There is no need to travel with large amounts of cash. Costa Rica has banks and ATMs in most towns that accept the major international cards such as Visa or Mastercard. Do not use the ATM at SJO Airport as they are sometimes rigged to scan your information. Check with your bank before traveling to ensure sure your credit/ debit cards are activated to make international withdrawals. Please have photocopy of passport, and bring original passport for bank transactions.

14What wildlife will I see?
Costa Rica has a bewildering array of birds, mammals, amphibians and insects. If you are lucky you might see these beautiful creatures in the wild: Great Green Macaws (yes!), Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, White-faced Capuchin Monkeys, toucans and other parrots (over 300 species of birds), Coatis, Agoutis, Raccoons, Kinkajous, possum, a rare cat such as ocelot or puma or tayra, and perhaps sea turtles – nesting on the beaches or if sea is clear enough, while snorkeling the coral reefs! We also have snakes, iguanas, geckos and bright colored dart frogs living all around the station.

15How do I confirm my participation?
After applying on our Volunteer page, we review your application and requested time of stay. We may ask you for additional information to determine whether your goals and experience align with the project. Once you receive an invitation to participate at the Ara Manzanillo Volunteer Program, you will need to confirm the exact dates before the given deadline. We process applications in the order we receive them, and usually respond within 2 weeks.
In order to confirm your participation, you should follow these steps:

Make the payment for at least the first month ($300 per month) of your stay. You can pay through PayPal here or wire transfer to our Costa Rican bank, provided upon request)
Send us a copy of your air or bus travel ticket receipt and itinerary.
Provide emergency contact information and proof of medical travel insurance.

We will reserve your space for the indicated dates once we determine that you are fully committed to the project by receiving this information.

16How can I pay?
You can pay the $300/month donation for lodging and administrative costs in advance here. The payment can be made monthly if you are staying for longer than a month. Fees will be reduced if you stay for 3 months or more.
The one-month fee is nonrefundable even if you cancel your trip or if you do not stay for the entire time you had committed to.

17What happens if I am not able to come, or if my plans change?
If you are not able to come, or must change the dates, please let us know as soon as possible to allow us to fill your place. If you have already made your payment we do not provide refunds.