Earthwatch Institute Expeditions

Earthwatch, a nonprofit organization that does ecologically oriented scientific field research around the globe, has maintained a strong presence in Costa Rica for more than a decade. Travelers who want to do their part to preserve the country’s wildlife can join expeditions where they help monitor the nesting cycles and new hatchlings of leatherback sea turtles; study rainforest caterpillars and troops of howler and capuchin monkeys; and conduct field experiments on improving the sustainability of coffee cultivation. Volunteer researchers make their home base at Earthwatch field stations, where they lodge in communal cabins and share meals.