Costa Rica Sports and Teaching

Costa Rica
Central America’s most peaceful and bio-diverse nation, a significant percentage of Costa Rica’s 51,000 sq kms is dedicated to national parks and reserves. For such a small area of land, there is an enormous amount of variety in Costa Rica in term of flora, scenery, wildlife and climate.

These environments offer a great deal for tourists to do. There is brilliant hiking, be it up mountains or through rainforests and rainforest canopy, a choice of beaches- Pacific or Caribbean, both of which offer excellent diving, river rafting, hot springs and much, much more. After all that, you can just collapse on one the many tropical beaches!

Matapalo
Playa Matapalo is located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica between the tourist resorts of Quepos/Manuel Antonia and Dominical. Set on a stretch of white sandy beach, the village has managed to retain a Costa Rican charm that has been lost by places that are popular with travellers and has a typical laid back atmosphere.

Overlooked by tourists, volunteering in Matapalo gives you a genuine Costa Rican village experience but with the convenience of being able to explore the surrounding tourist areas.

Climate
Temperatures in San Jose and other mountainous areas are 60° - 80°. It is warmer in the lowlands and at the beaches. The hottest months are March & April and there are two distinct season; the dry season from December - April, and rainy season from May to November.

During rainy season mornings are usually sunny and clear with only a couple of hours of rain in the afternoon – it may also rain during the night. The Caribbean Coast tends to be fairly wet all year round.

School Holidays
The main Costa Rican school year is from mid-Feb to mid- Dec. During January and the other halves of December and February, schools are closed. Schools are also closed during other notable public holidays/ religious festivals. These include:

• Holy Week (Easter) – one whole week on holiday
• 11th April – National Hero’s Day
• 1st May – Labour Day
• First 2 weeks of July – midterm holiday
• 25th July – Guanacaste Day
• 2nd August “Virgin de los Angeles Day”
• 15th August – Mother’s Day
• 15th September – Independence Day
• 12th October Columbus Day

There is also a week in October when primary and secondary teachers have a week of training/activities/conferences. Although attendance is not mandatory, most teachers do attend and so schools are shut.

Getting There
Flights will need to be arranged into Alajuela, to Juan Santamaria International Airport. You will be transferred for San Jose and taken to your accommodation so you can begin your language course on the Monday.

If you are not attending the language school and are only volunteering, you will be met at the airport and given instructions as to how to get to Matapalo by bus.