We urgently need help with grant-writing. If you have experience & are interested in helping, please send MARY an email.
Students of forestry, botany, and other related fields: we need to inventory the trees on our farm AND the Reserva Cabo Blanco for our Re-Introduction permits. Please send MARY an emai if you are interested in this task.

Lodging, Meals, and Benefits for Rainsong Volunteers:

4 hour workdays, 6 days a week (animal care, landscaping, gardening, construction)
$3/day for camp-huts at the Sanctuary
$10/day for Hotel el Ancla de Oro (=50% off the normal price)
Kitchens provided.

Volunteers enjoy many free activities: fishing and snorkeling excursions to Isla Cabuya, jungle and waterfall trips, wildlife hikes, and other group activities.

Plus, enjoy volunteers' discounts for nature tours by horse, fishing and snorkeling trips by boat, boat tours, entrance to Montezuma Butterfly Gardens, and other activites.

WWOOF-ers click here

Rainsong Volunteer Program Travel Options:

Traveling in Costa Rica requires time and patience. An adaptable attitude helps immensely. Bus schedules tend to be unreliable and often change. Also, it is easy to be misled by untruthful taxi drivers.

There are many options for traveling to Rainsong. The best option for you depends on various factors:
   1. Ability to speak Spanish.
   2. Travel budget and time factor.
   3. Flight arrival time.
   4. Number of people traveling together.
   5. People with limited Spanish, traveling alone, should avoid stay-overs in San Jose.

AIRPORT TAXIS -- Avoid using the orange airport taxis. They over-charge, they mislead, and they lie to coerce passengers. There have been several serious incidents in the past year with Rainsong volunteers. So ignore them when you come out of the airport terminal. Walk down the ramp to the bus stop (San Jose / Alajuela ). Get on a bus there, or get a red taxi there.

FAST, NO-HASSLE, NOT CHEAP:

Airflight from San Jose/Alajuela International Airport to Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula. $70 to $80
Then by taxi to Rainsong - $30

   Sansa Airlines - 011 (506) 2221 9414
   Nature Air - 011 (506) 2299 6000
   Reserve your flight at least one week in advance. Then re-confirm the day before.

   Taxi Service, call Carlos Chavarria--.8823 8633 CELL·#, 2642 1064 home #
   Since Carlos doesn't speak English, Mary will make your taxi reservation for you. Send an email 2 weeks in advance,
   subject title: MARY - CARLOS- TAXI
  
   

DIRECT SHUTTLE:
The past few years we have had bad experiences with the shuttle companies we have tried to work with.
Budget travellers should take the direct bus from San Jose.
For those of you who would like the convenience of a door-to-door shuttle transfer service, we can offer another option.
Our good friend Carlos Chavarria can pick you up at the International Airport (Alajuela/San Jose). or at Margarita's, or at any hotel in the San Jose / Alajuela area, and bring you directly to Rainsong (or Hotel el Ancla de Oro ) in Cabuya.
This personal shuttle is costly, $160, but we're hoping the volunteers could network to share the cost of the charter.
This is an excellent option for groups. Limit per van -- 8 persons. For large groups we'll send 2 vans.
For 4 persons or less, the charter is $160 US. For 5 or more persons, the fee is $35 US each.
Mary has to make the reservations for this shuttle, so send an email (subject title:MARY-- SHUTTLE) 2 weeks in advance, with your full name, airport arrival time, airline company name & flight # .
We are trusting you to not complicate our lives with no-sho's. If you make the reservation, you will be legally obligated to pay the fee.
The driver will be holding up a sign ''Rainsong'' at the glass wall as you come out of the airport terminal.
We can't foresee all circumstances (car trouble, traffic accidents blocking the highway, ferry breakdowns, etc.), but we can
guarantee you will be met , so don't panic !!!
In case your flight arrival is delayed, we will wait at the airport til your flight gets in.
The passengers always have to pay the parking costs.(approx. $5 per hour).
We hope offering this new option makes for a more enjoyable and relaxed transfer to Rainsong.
Neither Carlos nor Doniceo speak english, but here are their phone #'s (in case you don't see them immediately at the airport)--Carlos - 8823 8633,Doniceo 8367 5368

Doniceo

AIRPORT TO FERRY TRANSFER -- $85 charter. Our good friend Carlos Huertas Rodriguez in Puntarenas will pick you up at the Intl. Airport or any hotel and drop you at the ferry . From there you can catch a bus, or take a taxi (call -Carlos Chavarria from the ferry to meet you at the Paquera docks - $40). Carlos' car can carry 3 passengers. He offers a 24-hour service. Send an email to MARY--CARLOS TAXI.
OR CALL CARLOS -- 375 3545, 661 2212 Carlos H.R. doesn't speak english, but Mary can help you make your reservation.


OTHER SHUTTLE OPTION -- We don't recommend this service, but it is the cheapest option amongst the shuttle services to our area. Montezuma Expeditions -- $40 per person. info@montezumaexpeditions.com - Phones - 642 0919, 440 8078. One of the reasons we don't work with this company is the fact that often the driver doesn't want to drive all the way to Cabuya, so they sometimes try to leave the passengers in Cobano or Montezuma. Just stay in the van until you are delivered to Rainsong or the Hotel Ancla de Oro.

If your flight comes in later than 1pm, (to make the 4pm ferry), Rainsong recommends you stay at Margarita's Guest House in Alajuela. $18 per person (for Rainsong volunteers). Includes wonderful meals. Friendly homey atmosphere. Arrange ahead for your lodging. Mary can also book your reservation, as margarita seems to have problems with her email service. Send an email in advance to MARY--MARGARITA'S.
Phones: (506) 441 1464, or 430 3074 English spoken.
Email: margaritaw@costarricense.cr

While staying at Margarita's, if time allows, you might like to visit the exotic bird sanctuary nearby, Amigos de los Aves, pioneers in the re-production for re-introduction of scarlet macaws in Costa Rica. Also, many other bird species. Have Margarita arrange for a tour. A $20 donation is requested. This is not a public rescue center, and is a very worthy cause that deserves support.

Also in Alajuela, ZooAve is a very active NGO in rescue and rehabilitation for Costa Rica's wildlife. Visit their zoo if time allows. Very nice.

DIRECT BUS TO MONTEZUMA - $10,
Then by Cabuya bus - $1
Or taxi - $8
To Rainsong / Cabuya.
Departures daily from downtown San Jose (Coca Cola Market)- 7:30am , 2:30pm, & 5:00pm.(no 5pm bus on Sundays). You have to take the morning bus for bus connections thru to Rainsong. The 2:30 bus puts you into Montezuma late.. You have to rent a room in Montezuma, or pay a taxi to bring you to Rainsong.
Bus office phone # - 389 7177, 642 0992, 642 0740. Schedules change without notice, so you may want to call to confirm the times. Also, Coca Cola Market is a bad neighborhood, so watch your stuff at all times.
:


SLOW AND CHEAP:
By regular bus. $4 , plus taxi in Puntarenas, plus ferry fee, Montezuma bus fee, & Cabuya bus fee or taxi.
This option involves a lot of transfers and some taxi rides, so it doesn't always come out so cheap. Not recommended for people limited in Spanish. Down in front of the airport there is a bus-stop where several bus companies come by on their way to San Jose. Make sure you get on a bus GOING to San Jose, not going to Alajuela.

From the airport - take a bus to San Jose (or taxi), then taxi to the Puntarenas bus terminal. Direct buses to Puntarenas leave every hour or so. Last bus leaving San Jose is at 10:30 pm.

In Puntarenas, take a taxi to the ferry landing . It's too far to walk, especially with gear, or after dark. Make sure you get a ticket for the Paquera ferry. There is another ferry that lands at the same place that goes to Playa Naranjo -Guanacaste. Lots of people end up on the wrong ferry, so be alert. Also, the ferry office is a favorite hangout for thieves, so keep a good eye on your stuff. The last ferry to Paquera with bus connections thru to Rainsong/Cabuya leaves Puntarenas at 2:30pm. You can still take a later ferry, then pay a taxi from Montezuma to Rainsong/Cabuya, for $10.

Public phones in Costa Rica require a phone card, so buy one at the airport, or at the first opportunity.

If a stay-over in Puntarenas is unavoidable………..

Hotel Pacific Palms offers a discount to Rainsong volunteers -$5 per person.
Phone # 661 3147 English spoken.
This hotel is not ritzy, it's for budget travelers. Friendly homey atmosphere. Our all-time favorite ' soda' (café) - Soda La Giralda - is a block down from hotel Pacific Palms. Enjoy an excellent Tico meal there, good prices.

If you are traveling alone, try to join up with others going the same way.

We hope these suggestions make your trip more enjoyable and less stressful. Please mention that you are a Rainsong volunteer at the hotels and when calling Alfredo for Taxi Service (See above for #s).

HAPPY TRAILS !!!!!!!!!

For urgent messages or EMERGENCIES you can call Ed at Hotel el Ancla de Oro in Cabuya. He can get a message to Mary or any Rainsong volunteer.
011 506 2642 0369
There's no phone at Rainsong (we've been waiting 14 years for a line !!!), and no cell signal in Cabuya. So it's impossible to talk to Mary by calling her cell phone (8387 3607). It's voicemail, you can leave a message.


Suggestions of Things to Bring:

   sunscreen and a shady hat
   good hiking shoes or boots
   a flashlight
   travellers' water filter (if you don't want to buy bottled water -- it's $2 for 1 1/2 gallons !!!)
   some bedding (blanket, sheet, pillow, sleeping bag or air mattress-thermarest )
   a light rain poncho (in rainy season--may thru october )
BRING U.S. DOLLARS AND/OR A BANK CARD (VISA). Don't bring travellers cheques, BIG HASSLE !!! and you lose money every time you change them, even at the bank..

OPTIONAL :
   long pants if you like riding horses
   binoculars for observing wildlife
   a snorkel mask is handy for swimming the small reef off cabuya island
   a tent if you like camping
   bird & wildlife guides, plant guides, etc.
   arts & crafts supplies (cord for macrame art, etc.)
   watercolor supplies (watercolor paper, brushes, & watercolor tube paints )
   musical instruments
   good reading materials (books & magazines )--to trade or donate to the rainsong library
   a good spanish dictionary ( & textbook ) for FREE classes in conversational spanish

NOTE: Helping Hands can bring :
   wildlife stickers for the schoolkids in our Conservation Education Programs
   new or used stuffed animal toys for our orphaned babies in the rescue center .
   used pots & pans (stainless steel or cast iron ) for the rainsong communal kitchens.
   heavy-duty leather gloves
   kalaidescopes (cheap dime-store ones) for the schoolkids
  watercolor paper for artcamps with the schoolkids (if you can find rolls of wallpaper pad paper, it´s much cheaper !!! )

Rainsong Volunteer Lists: 2005-2006