REVIEWS

i had an amazing time at Jakera, the accommodation was great and the staff were so lovely, welcoming and kind, especially the fabulous Kirsten and Elinor!! such an amazing place, made amazing by the people that work there. thank you all so much for an incredible experience.

Such a great way to meet new people. The food is amazing and the rooms are clean and modern. The atmosphere is fun and friendly and i have always felt comfortable.

Made so many awesome friends and the group leaders are amazing as well! Sometimes there were problems but everyone tried their best to fix them asap, really feel like I got my moneys worth! However I would say that it might be nice to be notified in advance about the prices of the activities, because i would have no idea that those would be an extra 350€, so maybe if all the activities were listed somewhere in an email with corresponding prices, people can prepare for that

I think I spend too little time in Santa Teresa. I only went out three times in the whole trip, wish there were more opportunities.

Really delicious food and community vibe here

Loved everything about Jakera, accommodation and food were both amazing.

I miss jakera so much. The food, people and setting are all amazing. They make such an effort to be sure everyone’s healthy and happy

Good sfeer

Cind peaple

Beautiful location

i had an amazing time in santa teresa. our room was beautiful and clean, the surfing lessons were great, spanish teachers were all so nice and funny. i highly recommend doing the isla tortuga tour!

Had a great time! Hostels were nice and clean. The group leaders were amazing!

Surfed 4 times a week. Learned a lot. Very good teachers. Also my spanish teacher Erika was very good and so much fun. The lunch meals I liked a lot, but the breakfast could be better. Al and al I like my stay here a lot it is a beautyfull place and the staff is always helpfull.

I stayed in Jakera for a week and it was definitely the best part of my trip. The rooms are nice, the staff are so nice and will help you at any time. There is a pool and it’s only a 10 min walk from the beach.I Would 100% recommend staying there and would also come back.

Most amazing stay at jakera! The staff felt like family( love you car) l, the place is just beautiful and felt like home, never wanted to leave! Amazing food- especially the pizz night and dream about the guacamole still! Thanks for the most incredible start to my travel adventures, PURA VIDA

Loved staying at Jakera!! it is in a really good location close to shops and the beach and restaurants. The food was amazing and the staff were so nice (especially Carlijn she is the best ever). Everyone was very friendly and there to help if you needed anything. Overall definitely recommend staying at Jakeraaaa

Our 3 weeks at Jakera was the perfect start to our trip, the staff were all so so lovely and the venue was gorgeous. The Valentines party was great, and the food and drink was all amazing

I had such a great time in Guatemala! Although I was the only person in the programm, which wasn’t ideal (but obviously wasn’t Jakera‘s fault), it was totally worth it and I had experiences that I will never forget. Thank you!

I had the best time there, the place and camp is beautiful. You meet a lot of amazing people like the staff members, the group, locals etc. The vibe and program is really good. I enjoyed everything!

I really enjoyed my stay at Jakera. The people working here are so nice and amazing, and the program was perfectly organized! I have made friends and memories for life, and I highly recommend!

I had such an amazing experience with the whole group! the activities were amazing and well-organized and so was the food! overall I had a really nice stay here in Jakera and made friends for life.

Such a fun and welcoming experience. A great balence of support and freedom to form some great memories!

Jakera is so so so fun. The vibe in the camp is amazing and it’s so easy to meet lots of new people. The food is also 10/10, especially the pizza nights!!!! Would 100% recommend.

I had the best time ever. Jakera was such a nice place to stay. The program was really nice and we had enough time to organize trips by our self. The food was so so so good and it really felt like home. They arranged everything so good that we really didn’t had to worry about a thing.

I’ve led multiple trips over the world and can say Jakera has the correct formula for a great stay.

The food, accommodation, staff and activities where brilliant. There was multiple guests staying, all with different itineries and agendas, yet the staff made it all work in harmony.

What makes a great place superb is the staff. Jakera hit the nail on the head here. Nothing was an effort and they were superb and went the extra mile offering more than we had booked in for. I would like to thank all staff, but particularly Jack and Meli for being first class.

The food was outstanding and plentiful, catering for our groups special dietary needs.

Keep going with the winning formula and I look forward to bringing another expedition.

I had the best time with Jakera in Costa Rica. The staff was really nice and the food really good. I’ve met really nice people who I had the best time with. We had a nice program with great activities but also enough free time. I will never forget my time here. Very much recommendable!

Santa Teresa house was veryyyy nice! Good food, lovely staff and nice swimmingpool. You’re really free to do what you want so you can have a nice time going out and enjoy the party’s:)

Part of a review and probably the most important information is the bad experiences or negative points about something in the camp. I‘ve been now thinking for a few minutes straight and I really cannot say one negative point.

Accomodation; very clean and comfortable with a lot of various and inviting common rooms. Food; local, healthy and Riiico! (Delicious in Spanish).

Quality of the Spanish and Surfing Classes amazing; the teachers and surf instructor took time for every student, explained everything in a proper way and organized the lessons in way it was a lot of fun.

The Staff was kind in a way i‘ve never experienced at all. Everybody was genuinely nice, helping, caring and fun.

I would definitely recommend to experience the time with Jakera, no matter what age or level in Spanish/ Surfing.

I had a great time in jakera! Its the perfect way to start your solo travel adventures. I really enjoyed surfing and the food at jakera, the chef is amazing! Credits to angel! She really helpt us with the information that we needed.

Before I went to costa rica, I had a budget in mind. After 4 weeks of costa rica I went way above my budget:

Renting surfboards, going out for diner, drinking and bunging jumping and ziplining and all the taxi’s were the cost of that!

Jakera was really great! But costa rica was a little bit expensive!

Pura vida!❤️

I had a great time at Jakera in Costa Rica. The people were friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed the surfing and Spanish classes. We also had the best personal chef, the food was delicious !!! Also a big shout out to my favorite leader Angel 🫶🏻

I went on the Costa Rica plastic oceans trip which was fused with a trip to Guatemala.

I had the most incredible time. All the UK organisers were fabulous and so helpful especially given the extra stress of covid. All the camp leaders in Costa Rica were so kind and organised fantastic activities especially our group leader Chris. I met so many new people and would highly recommend this trip to anyone interested. It was a really safe way to be introduced to travelling an a pleasure to do it with such an amazing team.

I have really enjoyed my time with the LEAP / Jakera – the programme was varied with a mixture of fun and volunteering in range of beautiful locations in Costa Rica.

Takes the stress out of travelling as most things are organised for you. Thank you.

My time in Guatemala was absolutely awesome!

We where in a group of 5 doing the whole trip together and I made friends for life. I saw so much of the country and the culture. The project we did for volunteering in Antigua was so cool and the people working there as well so lovely. Our guides where so friendly and showed a lot of insiders you wouldn’t see as a “normal” tourist.

Loved the set up from Jakera also, good communication and felt well prepared for every destination.

My friend and I were really excited to go to Jakera. We booked the arrival package. When booking this we got no information about who was picking us up when arriving to the airport. We waited and looked around. We also called the camp but no one answered. I had to email the “communicator” myself to get information. What I find incredible is that the camp had no interest whatsoever asking for our telephone numbers. They had no interest asking if we were ok, if we arrived to the hostel or if the transportation the next morning came. We were quite nervous arriving to Costa Rica since we have never been in Central America before. There was a another person who was travelling by herself/himself who was going to the camp, we met at the airport and told us that he/she didn’t get anything of the information that we had. If you are going with this company I do recommend to make sure that you email them to get all information before leaving. The arrival package just states pick up and the name of the hostel. The person who travelled alone, that we met at the airport, wasn’t even emailed this.

The day when we were going to Santa Teresa we were told the shuttle would pick us up at 6.30. We were really worried we missed it even though we came to the pick up place a long time before. It came 7.30, when we worriedly texted the camp, they just read the message and didn’t answer. When we arrived in Santa Teresa (they told us to wait at a cafe and someone would pick us up) we had to wait 45 minutes. My friend had written to the camp, they read it and didn’t answer. We texted again and called, we got no answer. I found another number which I called and she said someone would pick us up in 10 minutes. I get that there’s “Tico time” here but when you have paid something in advance I don’t think this is ok. When we arrived to the camp no one approached us to say “sorry” or anything, the only thing we got was “ok we get it, you waited”. We soon realised that the camp was full of Dutch people. I don’t know if Jakera is a big thing in The Netherlands but the whole camp was filled with Dutch people except 4 of us. We are very outgoing people but it is extremely difficult socialising with people who only speaks Dutch with each other. There was no effort from the camp to get to know each other. Maybe it could have been written somewhere that Jakera is popular in the Netherlands? You can book through a agency called “The Leap” which was mostly British people. Anyways, it didn’t matter for me because I went there with a friend, so we had a good time but for the people who came by themselves (2 people) it wasn’t as fun. We also heard from other non Dutch people who had been there that it was difficult for them to get to know others as well. So if you are Dutch and want to go to this camp, great for you!! On a positive note, the surf lessons were great!! We learnt a lot and we’ve developed an interest for surfing. The surfing school is not owned by Jakera. The Spanish lessons are really good too!! There’s different levels depending how good you speak. I really liked my Spanish teacher.

The camp leaders are ok. I’ve worked at camps before and I’ve always strived to make people feel comfortable and safe. I can’t stand when strangers says “we are one big family” or “my number one priority is your safety”. It feels very shallow when they actually don’t care about you. That is how we felt. One time I was asking help from the American camp leader (don’t want to mention names) and I didn’t get any help. Instead she went to another leader and laughed at me. I really couldn’t care less but I still don’t think it’s a nice thing to do. Extremely unprofessional. There was no interest in getting to know the people who came to the camp, even my Spanish teacher knows more about me than they do. One camp leader took us on a “hike” (I’d call it a walk on the beach) didn’t even ask us anything, it felt like I was an interviewer. If I was a camp leader I would be interested in asking where everyone’s from, etc. They didn’t seem to be in control of things. The British camp leader forgot to tell us the first day that we had surf lesson. We were standing by the parking lot waiting, at the end we went down to the town as we guessed the shuttle might be down there, which it was but we missed a lot of valuable time surfing. When we came back she simply said she “forgot”. Yes I get here again, there’s tico time, which can be a little charming but hey, if you are a camp leader and this is something we paid for this is absolutely not ok. There was a few times we were picked up a long time after surf lessons ended and where we lost time.

You might feel there’s things we should have solved ourselves since we are adults but it is extremely difficult knowing what to do and not since we felt a bit insecure in a place we never been to. We didn’t bring our phones when surfing so we couldn’t call anyone. It would’ve been nice if we would’ve gotten more help. The “hikes” are not actual hikes, it’s walks on the beach, which we can do ourselves. There are other hikes which you have to pay for. It says on the websites that other “activities are included”, I do not know what activities that was. On a nicer note, the location of the camp is good. It’s a few minutes down to the centre but walking back up is a pain.

In conclusion I believe that the camp could have been much better. It’s cheaper than other camps we considered but in the end it might be the same price as a lot of things wasn’t included for example dinner and the fun hikes.

The hostel in Santa teresa was very nice and clean! the help really sucked, one of our friends was bitten by the dog and no one would help her and let her walk alone at night!! in cirenas the house was wat too small for the amount of people and the water was dirty so everyone got sick! monte verde was really nice tho!! overall the programme and hulp could have been better but the location was amazing!

Amazing stay and so many nice activities. Thankyou for everything

The guides are excellent, the trip planning and coordination allowed us to see the best of costa rica, and there was an extremely cozy and accepting atmosphere amongst the group and the leaders.

First of all; the staff in Jakera is amazing! Everyone is super helpful and loving and I think, definitely if it’s your first time being away from home, Jakera is a really safe haven to start your trip. Thankful for all the beautiful souls I got to meet!

Only thing: at Cirenas the organization wasn’t perfect. The location was more than incredible but our schedule was unclear and also the staff over there didn’t really know what to do with us, that’s how it felt… Anyway, the location was so pretty that it didn’t really matter! And we did see turtles which was so special!

Jakera in Santa Teresa is a dream, honestly I can’t say one bad thing about it. The staff there were so nice and so welcoming and felt like home for the 8 weeks I was there, special thanks to Angelo he always had good vibes and always fun to be around. Definitely the best place in Costa Rica. Thank so much for a life time change😊

Jakera is a very nice start up if you want to travel further after the program!! Also if you are not going to travel further it’s an good program. You will meet a lot of people and do a lot of fun things 🙂

I decided to go to Guatemala for the four week program two weeks before the program started, and therefore I had almost no knowledge about what to do, where to go and where to stay. Jakera mad a very broad and detailed program of things to do in Guatemala, including Spanish lessons sunrise hikes, local cooking class, many day trips and much more. In the afternoon and evenings I had a lot of time to explore for my self, and socialize with other backpackers.

If I could should improve on the program, I would have liked to stay an extra night in semuc champai, and in Flores, but the program is very hard to improve on.

If I ever needed any information or documents Jakera was very helpful and quick to reply. I could definitely recommend this program to other travelers.

Had the best time ever. Our group leader Amelia is amazing and she always looks out for us. Everything we have done has been so much fun

I love JAKERA! So many Nice people Who can help u.

Special thanks to Angelo in JAKERA club in Santa Teresa!

Loved my stay

The staff here was very kind and warm-hearted! They were very open-minded and respectful. It really felt like a “home away from home”. The food was delicious and the accommodation was really neat. Thank you so much for these past 4 weeks!

The accommodation and the food was so great! The staff here was really nice. I want to thank Angelo especially for al his hard work and kindness. It has been so nice overhere and there was a good vibe.

Amelia has been brilliant! I feel grateful to be here in Costa Rica with The Leap and she represents the company in the best way – with excellent people skills and interpersonal advice as two of her stand out attributes. In spite of her youthfulness, Amelia shows a great depth of knowledge about Costa Rica.

Keep it up Amelia! Way to go🤙🏽

Staying at the Jakera for the past three weeks has been nothing but great. From the amazing food chef Maikol cooked us every day to the amazing drives we had with Brandon. Special mentions have to go to Amelia who has been nothing but caring and supportive these past weeks. Thanks for all the time you spent with us and all the amazing recommendations. Can’t wait to be back next week!

Jakera is an incredible camp, super peaceful, clean, friendly and surrounded by wildlife. Not only are all the other groups easy to get on with, but so are the group leaders and all helpers around the site. The chef is incredible, and both Amelia and Angelo, two of my group leaders, are always there to help or have a good time with, and make you feel more at home than ever. I am definitely going to miss those two the most as they were always around us and felt more like friends than leaders.

Absolutely loved my 3 weeks spent at Jakera. All the staff are so lovely, special shout-out to our group leader Amelia who looked after us all so well!! Ali, Caroline and Meli are so fantastic. The food was SO good especially the focaccia. Staying in the new monkey house was really cool too.

My first 3 weeks at Jakera camp on my Leap programme was better than I could ever have expected. I loved the home from home vibe and how safe I felt traveling for the first time with the guidance of the people there. My group leader Amelia was an amazing example of leadership and showed amazing amazing commitment towards a great cause, as well as being great fun. We couldn’t have asked for a better leader, and she made our experience 10x better. The accom was stunning and we were very lucky to stay in such a lovely place.

Had an fantastic first 3 weeks at Jakera, stayed in the new monkey house: really good facilities. Leaders are very helpful and friendly – we had Amelia who was amazing 🙂

I had an amazing time at Jakera! Good service, place and food

Good communication and super Nice people

Loved everywhere that i went with Jakera. My first two weeks were in an Animal rescue center, where i Got to see live jungle animals up close- however since i was only there two weeks, i didnt get to deal with the animals myself. From there on, trough seeing Montezuma, Santa Teresa, Cirenas and Monteverde, ive seen and experienced so many cool things. Ive talked to and met other tourists and locals, ive eaten good food and had the time of my life with Jakera as my center of safety and new family away from Home. Because of this i Also decided that i wanted to travel further trough the beauty of Costa Rica.

The only complain i Will say About my experience with Jakera, is that there unfortunately were a lot (too much) noise and disturbance from the construction at the Jakera Camp in Santa Teresa all trough the Four weeks i spent there. A shame that the peace was disturbed at our “Home away from Home”, but i would definitely still recommand Jakera to anyone that wants a form of safety-net and guidende while travelling alone trough Costa Rica.

Had an amazing 2 weeks at Jakera in Santa Teresa. Really nice staff (Carolina, Fernanda, Peggy, Lilly, Meli, Emily and Angelo), excellent chef. Enjoyed the surfing and Spanish classes.

Pura vida!

I had such a great time, learned so many things, met a lot of amazing people and just had the best time there. Extra shout out to Peggy and Lily for being amazing teachers as well as amazing people!

I did the leap Plastic oceans trip in 2021 and stayed at jakera for 3 weeks. The guides were amazing and so helpful, especially Amelia and Diego. Santa Theresa is a great town and a lovely atmosphere

I had a good time at Jakera. The staff was so nice, and very helpful with everything. I don’t think the price matches the facilities. The cleaning and the rooms were not that good, and I don’t think it should be that expensive compared to what you got out of it. But it was very nice, to be around so many nice people 🙂

Absolutely loved my time at Jakera during the three weeks I was there!

The staff are the best, I felt welcomed and cared for every day, knowing I could easily go to them for anything I may need. It was great to meet people from all over the world and create a community to go out and have fun with. Would recommend to everyone!

I had the time of my life here in Costa Rica with Jakera. The staff was very helpful and so sweet. The food was amazing and the activities were also really nice ♥️

Spent three weeks in Jakera with the leap plastic oceans during November. The guides were all so friendly and helpful, it was like a home from home. 100% recommend, amazing town with great atmosphere and amazing facilities at Jakera! Also big thanks to Amelia and Val our group leaders who were super supportive and fun

Jakera is such a fun place and there is always something to do from surfing to Spanish lessons, weekends on the beach or volunteering! Food never disappointed and you will make memories that stay with you for life.

Absolutely loved it here. Felt like a home away from home 🙂

This program really has been a perfect mix for me and I have felt very safe and taken care of at all times. I have gotten as much help as I have needed (and probably more) and have had so much fun during surfing, meeting new friends, volunteering and staying with Jakera. Great food and service, thank you so much!

I had such an amazing time at Jakera! The staff were super nice and the food was amazing. I learnt how to surf, speak Spanish and did volunteering. I would recommend it to everyone! Pura Vida 🙏🏻

Frederikke, you became a star actually in the video you helped us doing! check it out; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0xNgGjrYGs&t=33s

Thank you so much for everything, hope to see you soon

The Jakera Family

Jakera is an absolutly amazing experience. I spent 7 weeks there, and i loved it.

The people who works at Jakera are the nicest people and are very good at what they do. They make you feel welcome and it is just like a home away from home.

and they do everything to make you happy. There is something for everyone. The town Santa Theresa is also really beautiful and the vibe is just the best! The parties in here are also very very nice! I was there for only one week unfortunately but I could stay there much langer for I will recommend this place to everyone! Pura vida🤙🏽!

Amazing Food, lovely people, anti stress vibes, lots of parties, surf whenever, wherever you want, drive quads to the limit threw the dusty city, doing yoga at the beach and sleeping in the hammock afterwards surrounded by palm trees. Sounds amazing? It is! Pura Vida 🌴🌈🍹

I’ve had the most amazing time of my life at Jakera. I’ve had surflessons and learned some Spanish, did volunteering and had the change to meet the most amazing people ever. It was an experience I will never forget and I can’t wait to go back someday!

You will feel immediately feel at home at Jakera❤️

Definitely recommend it for anyone feeling timid about leaving their country for the first time. Jakera has a huge group element and handles a lot of logistics when it comes to going on new and exciting adventures. Already recommended it to my younger sister for when she decides to start travelling.

It was one of the best months in my life. Being in the camp felt like being part of a family. Everyone of the stuff is so nice and so caring. The program was a perfect mixture of learning Spanish, enjoying surfing and exploring Santa Teresa/Montezuma and Monteverde. I made friends there which will last for a lifetime.

In the 4 weeks Program, I experienced a lot of unique things that I haven’t done before, such as surfing on beautiful playa hermosa, practising yoga at the beachfront or volunteering at the local community and recycling center. One of the highlights was the 4-days trip to Monteverde, where we saw the raw beauty of the cloud forest and got our adrenaline kicks at the longest ziplining cable in Latin America. In the turtle project, we rescued several hundres of turtle eggs from thieves and could even touch the wild turtles, an experience that I will never forget. The Camp in Jakera is a very nice place that is situated between palms, trees and a river. Next to the family’s two lovely dogs and a cat, howler monkeys, squirrels, iguanas, all kinds of birds and many animals more are your direct neighbors. The Host-family and staff is very cheerful, caring and happy to help with everything. The freshly made food is very good too. In Santa Teresa, there are lots of possibilities for having dinner and a drink as well as enjoying live music or beach parties. Talking about the beach; the one in Santa Teresa is without a doubt one of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen. I enjoyed myself a lot during the last four weeks and am happy to have collected so many nice memories of this beautiful country. Whoever wants to learn some spanish, do something nice for the enivornment and the community and experience an unforgettable time is totally right at Jakera Costa Rica. “Lena Waldisphl’

I’m an 18 year old who was looking for a way to travel within the new restrictions set by the UK Gov. I came across the 4 weeks plastic oceans programme and decided to book. In the end I actually ended up extending to the 6 week programme because I fell in love with the extraordinary vibe Chris and his team have created in their camp, making their home feel like our own. I would definitely recommend this programme to any young people who are looking to explore a new side of the world, learning about and helping the local community. I would say I gained a new found confidence that I never thought I was capable of whilst being on the programme; it helped me find my feet and has left me feeling empowered, independent and ready to further exceed my comfort zones.

The activities are well organised by the group leaders who also lead amazing trips on the weekends are on offer. My personal favourite was the bioluminescence tour!

Jakera has a brilliant in house chef who makes the most delicious healthy food and is able to cater for all different dietary requirements. The camp community areas are always clean and they have a lovely pool to cool down in during the peak heat hours of the day.

I can’t thank Chris, Meli and their team enough for making the experience so amazing for us all!

“I had one of my best times here where we learned spanish and also did voulenteer work. My best memory is when we saw the change from my second week cleaning the recycling station and then on my 8 week and the neighboorhood finaly understood how to recycle the trash 👏 And of course the hospitality in the family and the cute turtle babies we sat out in the ocean ❤” Anne Førde Blom

As a former Travelling Classroom student at Jakera Venezuela, 3 years on we decided to see the new camp here in Costa Rica. The camp is fantastic, open plan and laid back (with a couple of additions that we never had in Playa Colorada of a pool and WiFi). Breakfast and lunch was absolutely delicious, restaurant quality. Hats off to the chef! Having only a fleeting visit of 5 days, we were welcomed in and joined in some of the volunteer work, including a river clean up, door welding and best of all, painting the start of a new mural. Jakera is a company doing amazing things – I would highly recommend to all looking for adventure and conscientious travel. Looking forward to visiting Jakera camp #3 in Colombia in the future! Stephanie

Very welcoming and friendly staff. Very knowledgeable and helpful with advice on what to do and where to travel. Food was good with fresh salad served at each meal. Spanish lessons very well taught, good structure and always fun making you want to learn more. Activities always good and worth the money spent. Would recommend :))

I decided to go on the Costa Rica / Guatemala trip only a few weeks before leaving and it was the best decision ever! It really is a once in a lifetime experience, made so easy by having everything organised for you. I met amazing people on this trip and have memories which I will never forget.

It was so rewarding to take part in volunteering and seeing the impact it made. All the places were so beautiful and I can’t fault the accommodation, Spanish & surfing lessons or the guides!

Warm welcome, nice people, good spanish lessons, fun activities and important volunteering for the environment. Also beautiful nature and good food!! ❤️✨🌴

Was there a month and I have so good memories from it! Got to meet som amazing people who love travelling and experience new things

Great surfinglessons, Spanish lessons and people. The volunteering and trips was so much fun! Highly recommend

Deciding to book a month with jakera, is one of the best choices I have made! The jakera family was open and welcoming, making sure that everyone felt the pura vida vibe and felt comfortable in the new surroundings. The program was filled with amazing and completely unforgettable experiences, which you get enjoy in the company of a group of new and amazing friends from all over the world.

I cannot suggest booking a trip with jakera enough, even though it at first can seem pricy! It is an incredible investment with the chance of making friends for a life-time!!

I also kickstarted my Spanish at jakera’s and am now so grateful for it!

I had the best time at Jakera!

Surfing, spanish lessons, turtles, best food ever, a lot of sunsets and super nice people from all over the world.

The family and staff were amazing and helped us whenever we needed something.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Lovely place filled with good energy. Friendly people from the staff to other volunteers, spanish lessons, activities and volunteering. Good food, music and laughter.

You get help everytime if you need. I definitely wanna go back there, the place was something else. I strongly recommend!

I really liked the program at Jakera. I met a lot of new friends. I learned a little bit spanish from the best teacher and we did great activities. I would recommend this program to everyone who doesn’t want to travel alone at first or at all.

I spent 4 weeks at Jakera this january. My expectations were high they were exceeded in every way!

The program is the perfect mixture of everything so you’re really able to make the most out of your stay. From spanish lessons, to surfing, to volunteer work both at the turtle conservation and with the community, and so many different adventures. But despite the really busy schedule you still have a lot of free time to explore Santa Teresa and fall completely in love with the place and the vibe. The Jakera camp itself is beautiful as well, the staff is so helpful and sweet and the food is amazing (and so is chef Maikol). It’s crazy how fast the camp starts to feel like a home and how close you get to people in just a few weeks or even days. It was my first time travelling alone but I didn’t feel lonely for even a minute!

I’m so glad I went on this trip and I can absolutely recommend it to anyone, this place really has something for everyone. I met so many amazing people and had some of the most incredible experiences of my life. I will definitely be back!

My experience at Jakera was amazing. I highly recommend booking this program. The founder and his family are great people and truly care about all of their guests. There is so much to to and learn in the beautiful town of Santa Teresa. The food was excellent, all organic and fresh. The accommodations were always clean. The staff felt like family. 🙂

(German)

Ich habe alle Jakeras besucht und bin so begeistert über diese 18 Wochen voller Abenteuer, Freundschaften und Eindrücke. Mein Herz blutet, wenn ich daran denke wie es um Venezuela steht und jauchzt, dass sich Chris dazu entschlossen hat weiter zu machen, wenn auch an anderen Orten. Auch jetzt haben wir wieder eine schwierige Zeit durch das Corona Virus, aber ich bin überzeugt, dass Costa Rica, Cuba und Colombia auch das überstehen werden, weil das Konzept überzeugt und mit viel Liebe gelebt wird. Wie sollst du dich entscheiden wohin du gehst? Bist du jung, relaxed und möchtest einen neuen Teil der Welt entdecken, dann könnte es eventuell in Costa Rica passen. Bist du kulturell interessiert, hast Musik im Blut und magst Grossstädte, wie wäre es mit Kuba? Du bist ein Adrenalinjunkie, Backpacker durch und durch oder du warst bereits in Venezuela, möglicherweise passt dann Kolumbien am Besten. Wenn du wie ich die Zeit findest und gerne mit Gruppen unterwegs bist, würde ich den Backpacker packen und alle drei Länder mit Jakera bereisen.

Very welcoming and friendly staff. Very knowledgeable and helpful with advice on what to do and where to travel. Food was good with fresh salad served at each meal. Spanish lessons very well taught, good structure and always fun making you want to learn more. Activities always good and worth the money spent. Would recommend :))

I spent 6 weeks at Jakera and I couldn’t have imagined a better experience. From the moment we all arrived the staff worked tirelessly to esnure that we all had everything we needed to have the best time possible. Unlike other organisations Jakera felt warm and personal which made me feel truly immersed into the Costa Rican lifestyle and culture.

I had Spanish lessons for 5 of the weeks (after which I was able to speak to the locals confidently), a week of volunteering at the ASVO turtle conservation camp in Montezuma, a week of local community volunteering and 4 weeks of surfing (I really caught the surfing bug – and the instructors were sensational!)

Although the camp was homely and casual, the Spanish lessons were highly professional and delivered by incredible teachers who provided bespoke lessons for every level of speaking ability. The staff are also happy to speak to you in Spanish which is great for pushing you out of your comfort zone. After Spanish and lunch we would either surf or volunteer.

The surfing lesson were at Playa Hermosa, which has gentler waves for beginners! The instructors were so full of life and so patient. We all stood up on our first lesson and they gave us the confidence we needed to just go for it! Having one instructor for just two students meant that the lessons were adapted to each of our capabilities. There is also the option for extra surf lessons and the staff went out of their way to organise your schedule around all the different activities.

During week 3 we went to Montezuma to help with the release of baby turtles during the evening patrols. It’s an experience I could never forget seeing the turtles emerge out of their nest and helping them make it to the big blue. It was also a fantastic way to encourage the community to be aware of the modern day dangers facing the turtles and how we can work together to protect their species.

During the community volunteering at Santa Teresa I took part in local rubbish collecting, beach cleans, painting a community centre and some gardening as well as helping out at a recycling station. There is also a Friday kid’s club which is a brilliant way to teach English to the local children and teach them about the importance of looking after the environment. The volunteering really opened my eyes to the huge difference a few people can make which goes such a long way in the local area.

In addition, we were offered the opportunity of several other activities such as waterfall hikes, Quad bike tours, a snorkelling trip and horse riding along the beach. Santa Teresa is a beautiful, laid-back and eco-conscious town that has several cafes, restaurants and shops all within close distance of Jakera as well as a few local supermarkets for buying anything you need. Although breakfast and lunch are included at Jakera on weekdays you have the chance to try the different eateries during the evening as well as the option for pizza and burger night and Israeli and Mexican themed evenings at Jakera a few nights a week.

I didn’t want to leave Jakera at the end of my six weeks – I met such incredible people and had such amazing experiences – I couldn’t recommend enough that you go to Jakera and fully embrace the Pura Vida lifestyle!

Thinking about going here? Stop thinking and start booking! I had one of the most amazing months in Jakera, the staff is nice, the activities are amazing, plenty of free time for yourself and the food is the best ever!!! Don’t hesitate to go there! I can promise you you will have the time of your life. You probably will cry when you have to leave! (Not me ofcourse, I am a cool boy 😉😅)

Thank you again Jakera for this amazing time. Hope to see you guys again very soon!!

PURA VIDA 🤙🏼