Experience Costa Rica from the inside: a family that welcomes you, a meaningful project, and human support from the first message until your return.
Our mission
Living a volunteering experience is not just about a change of scenery: it’s about changing your perspective.
At Pura Vida Interculturas, we accompany you so that your experience in Costa Rica is simple, safe, and deeply human.
We believe that you only truly discover a country by sharing the daily life of those who live there.
That’s why we work directly with local host families, committed projects, and communities that allow you to integrate naturally, day after day.
Here, you don’t follow a ‘ready-to-consume’ program.
You meet people, you learn a language by living with it, you find your place in a team that relies on you, and you return with a new confidence.
Our mission is simple: to allow you to experience authentic volunteering, far from mass tourism, but never far from those who watch over you.
Who are we?
We are Thomas & Tania; two different backgrounds, one same conviction:
volunteering must be beautiful, simple, and deeply human.
Thomas discovered Costa Rica as a volunteer.
Tania had been welcoming volunteers for years.
It was in an encounter, and in an obvious realization, that the idea was born to create a more human alternative to large impersonal platforms.
We saw what is too often missing: true support, sincere immersion, projects that really matter… and especially, a reassuring presence from the first step at the airport.
So we decided to build Pura Vida Interculturas around a simple idea: to welcome each volunteer as we would like to be welcomed ourselves.
Our programs
Education & tutoring
Accompany local teachers, help children with their learning, and participate in creating a positive study environment. An ideal mission to share your energy and promote equal opportunities.
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Microfinance & financial education
Support local initiatives by helping community groups develop their projects, understand financial management, and gain autonomy. An immersion at the heart of Costa Rica’s solidarity economy.
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Health & support
Participate in prevention, health education, and logistical support actions with local medical centers. A human mission, where your presence contributes to the well-being of communities.
Learn moreHow it works
Contact us, we’ll get to know each other
You tell us about your project, your desires, your dates, your level of Spanish…
We listen, we guide you, and we get to know you to orient you in the best way possible.
We find the mission that suits you
Together, we identify the program in which you can thrive and be useful. Each proposal is personalized, never automatic.
You choose with full confidence
You validate the mission that speaks to you the most, or we adjust, without pressure.
The important thing is that you leave with the right energy.
We accompany you through all the procedures
Documents, certificates, practical info, checklist:
we prepare you for a simple and serene departure, step by step.
Why choose us?
No hidden fees, no vague promises. You know exactly what you’re paying for, what you’re experiencing, and how your stay supports local projects. It’s simple, clear, and reassuring, for you as well as for your parents.
We welcome few volunteers to maintain real proximity. We know your name, your story, and your project.
The result: a more serene, more personalized, and much more authentic experience.
With us, you are never a number. We accompany you before, during, and after your stay, just as we would for a loved one. From the first message to the greeting at the airport, you know that someone is looking out for you.
You live at the rhythm of a host family, you progress in Spanish, and you discover the country from the inside. Here, you don’t do ‘tourist’ volunteering: you share real daily life.
Your Costa Rican adventure
Your adventure begins as soon as you land. You step out with your backpack, heart beating a little faster… and you see a sign with your name. Smiles, ‘bienvenido’, a few words exchanged: first relief, you are not alone. That same evening, your host family is waiting for you with a warm gallo pinto and a fresh juice. You understand your first word of Spanish, you laugh despite your hesitant accent: the immersion truly begins.
The next day, we teach you how to get around, we accompany you to your project, you meet your team. Within a few days, you find your bearings almost without realizing it. The week flies by. Your mission requires energy, but it nourishes you as much as it exhausts you: smiles, exchanges, small daily victories. Your Spanish awakens. One day, without warning, you tell an anecdote… in a language you barely knew when you arrived.
On weekends, you explore: immense beaches, volcanoes, waterfalls, bus rides, shared meals. And little by little, you understand what pura vida really means.
Then comes the moment of departure. You leave a family that has become your own, friends from everywhere, and a language that now sounds familiar. You repars different: heart full, mind open, ready for what comes next.
Our partners
Your frequently asked questions
We work with Costa Rican families we know personally.
They are selected for their hospitality, reliability, and desire to share their culture.
You have a bedroom, a safe space, and a warm atmosphere.
In all programs, you are provided with room and board at your host family’s home (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). It’s the best way to experience immersion, practice Spanish, and discover real local life.
No need to be bilingual! Many volunteers arrive with a beginner level.
In total immersion, progress is rapid, often from the first week. And we help you get by and adapt your program according to your level.
We work directly with schools, associations, health centers, community projects, and local initiatives. Our missions are useful and adapted to your profile: you are never ‘placed’ at random.
You receive a complete checklist: clothes suitable for the climate, basic pharmacy, adapter, useful equipment for your mission. We help you prepare a simple and efficient bag.
Yes, depending on the university. We provide all the necessary certificates, reports, or signatures to validate your internship or academic project.
Yes! Weekends are often an opportunity to discover the country: volcanoes, beaches, jungles, waterfalls. You can travel alone, with your host family, or with other volunteers.