Discover And Protect The Wildlife Of Costa Rica

With the highest density of species in any country in the world, Costa Rica is a wildlife enthusiast’s paradise. With 500,000 species within its borders, you can find everything from jaguars and pumas to monkeys and turtles, so it makes for the perfect place to research and survey the global effects on the wilderness.
The Costa Rica Big Cats, Primates & Turtle Conservation project with Frontier involves finding out how to best protect just a fraction of the species found here and their habitats. Activities undertaken to enable this include turtle monitoring, tracking big cats, swamp visits, bird and butterfly surveys, primate surveys, otter surveys and reforestation.

The Costa Rica Big Cats, Primates & Turtle Conservation by a volunteer

We spoke to volunteer, Vicky Armstrong, to find out more about The Costa Rica Big Cats, Primates & Turtle Conservation project from someone that has experienced it..

What did you want to get out of the experience?
I have always wanted to do research with big cats and also wanted to travel to an exotic country. During my four weeks, I carried out mist net surveys for butterflies, river walk surveys and camera trapping for otters, paw-print casts for big cats and behaviour studies on the local pack of capuchin monkeys. I also completed a BTEC in Advanced Level 3 Tropical Habitat Conservation. I set up my own project to research leaf-litter frog distribution in Piro. I thoroughly enjoyed setting up my own project and researching the local area, then carrying out the surveys to gain practical experience.
What were some of the most memorable moments of your experience?
I enjoyed the freedom of being in the forest. It was nice to be away from the hectic lifestyle back home and experience something completely different. I also enjoyed carrying out my own research that went with my BTEC project. It gave me a taste of what it would be like to manage my own research and projects.

How involved was Frontier from booking to the end of your experience?
I came across Frontier in 2007 whilst I was studying my BSc in Bangor. I went to a presentation about what was on offer and thought about going on a trip after I’d finished my exams. After going on a few field courses abroad (Tenerife and Tanzania) with university, I felt like I wanted to go on a trip by myself – I remembered Frontier and how friendly they seemed so I went on their website and looked at projects – I found the trip to Costa Rica and read all the information on the website – I knew it was the trip for me.
Were you part of a group?
As well as the research, I also enjoyed the daily camp tasks such as cooking for the staff and other volunteers – the food was delicious in camp. The facilities at the camp were great – a real toilet was a surprise! – and showers with running water straight from the river.

If you could do your trip again, would you do anything differently?
I thought that the most challenging part would be the travelling – but this was actually very easy. I think the language barrier was the most challenging – I would definitely recommend learning some Spanish before you go. I was lucky as I was always with someone who was fluent.
One week on the Costa Rica Big Cats, Primates & Turtle Conservation project is £695, two weeks is £825, and three weeks is £1,095. Volunteers can choose the number of weeks that suit them – all the way up to 20 and more. Included in the price is accommodation, camp food, orientation, equipment, airport pick-up, in-country emergency support and 24-hour international HQ backup. Before you head off on your adventure, you’ll also receive a free Frontier t-shirt, advice on visas and flights, and, for those taking in part for 10 weeks or more, a briefing weekend with training, food and accommodation in the UK.
Click here to find out more about the Costa Rica Big Cats, Primates & Turtle Conservation
For more projects from Frontier, visit Frontier.com