i-to-i www.i-to-i.com/Gap-Year

I attended the project in December 2013 and it was one of the best experiences in my life. All my questions were answered prior to departure and the in country orientation was also very helpful.

The location of the project, the accommodation, the food - all of it was brilliant. Walking with lions as well as playing with the cubs was simply amazing. Besides lions, there were other animals as well such as tigers, cheetahs,caracals, so if your lucky you can also get to be around their cubs as well.

The entire trip was well organized and would definitely recommend this place as a volunteer option.

i had an amazing time while away and i really wish i had gone for longer than 6 weeks! the people I met were amazing as was Tofo, where we were staying. all the locals were welcoming and the kids were adorable!

Tofo had several nice places to eat out, which meant we had great food during the week when provided in the house as well as on weekends!

however there were a few details that could be improved - when i arrived in Maputo with another volunteer who i met on the plane we were not picked up as we had both been promised. luckily i found the number for our in-county person, however our phones were not working in the airport so we had to find an english speaking person to allow us to borrow theirs! unfortunately he was in Tofo - 8hour bus away. so told us to go to Fatimas where they should be expecting us. this situation could have been a lot less stressful if we had been told previously where we were going to be staying and if we hadn't been expecting to be picked up. My parents are also very unhappy with the possibility that we could have got into an unreliable taxi and we should have had advise on what to do if something went wrong, as it did.

we also had to pay for the taxi to fatimas from the airport, although this wasn't too expensive neither of us had expected to spend money in this part of the trip.

when leaving Fatimas we were given a receipt of the rest of our bookings made my i to i for our return journey. i first noticed that the dates where not right as they would of got me to the airport 3 days before my flight, then when trying to change them at Fatimas in Tofo I realised they were in fact dated a month early! trying to change this with little chance of getting internet and with the relaxed pace of everyone there was not easy. it did all get sorted in the end but again was an unnecessary complication. However I had no written confirmation so just had to hope the message had gone through from Tofo to Maputo as I did not have enough money left to pay for accommodation if it had not.

there were a few other things that the details i was given of the trip got slightly wrong, none of which affected my trip dramatically but would have been nice to know before hand! for example needing to get food for ourselves on weekends, shorter working hours (which actually worked very well in the heat) and that we were volunteering for "All Out Africa" not i to i!

like i said i had an amazing trip, despite these complications and i would recommend the trip to friends - but i would suggest flying to Inhambane if possible to save yourself an unnecessary day of travelling!

Bottom Line: Don't waste your money doing the surf and sea turtles program through I to I. I went in 2011 and am extremely dissatisfied with my experience. They offer minimal (and wholly expendable) "additional benefits" compared with just working directly with the turtle conservation site. It will cost you around $250 per week if you work directly through the conservation site. If you run a search, you'll see many (less costly) programs advertising for the same beach--they're generally for the same site near Samara.

Cons of I to I:

Expensive, even in comparison with other US/UK programs running in costa rica. This is clearly a for-profit organization, and they have no qualms about providing only $250/week to the volunteer site and pocketing the other (roughly) $900 you'll pay for "other expenses." The I to I workers visit the sites rarely, if at all. The meals provided by I to I before the project are small and clearly meant to be at minimal cost (not the ones on the volunteer site, provided by the actual program, those are basic but big and great). They'll transport you to the site, but on their times and terms. If you're ill, expect to wait until they have scheduled another drive--usually a week or so--and plan on being stuck in San Jose. The workers aren't friendly and the welcome briefings aren't particularly informative about Costa Rican culture. They advertise this as a surf and turtles program, but the program only includes one surf lesson per week. If you're there on your own, you can purchase individual lessons from the same folks. Really, please don't spend your money with them. You can get so much more if you go through a different organization or if you go out independently. I to I is a FOR profit company-- go with someone else to make your hard work AND money both work for the volunteering program directly.

Pros of the volunteer program itself (NOT connected with I to I)

As for the site and volunteering program, I had an amazing time. The work is difficult but rewarding. The accommodations are basic but the people are a blast. Be prepared to get nature all over you. The waves are decent, but the surf lessons could have been a bit more helpful. I loved the food. Samara was fun to visit. Ultimately, I'd love to go back and stay for a month volunteering here again-- 2 weeks was too short!

I helped out building homes in the Western Highlands in Honduras and had an incredibly rewarding experience working alongside the locals. The i-to-i team that helped me organise the trip were just amazing and so were the co-ordinators in country. There is no way I could've had an experience like that if I tried to do it on my own even though I speak spanish! The support I had was great, always felt that I could call on them if I needed. Its great too that the locals are not dependent on volunteers as a source of income ie they don't equate the help of volunteers with money. What you pay for is support, assistance and guidance where you need> Im glad I knew this before heading off.

I went to the elephant village in Thailand and absolutely loved it! I wasn't sure what to expect when they said hands-on but this was the real deal. I was lucky as well, as there was a baby elephant which was just amazing. Gave him bananas which was gone in a second.

Working with the mahouts to care for the elephants is great and a real good experience. They don't speak English and I didn't speak Thai but still we had so much fun, having drinks and amazing food at the campfire! 2 weeks go fast and would love to go back one day - who knows...

I went to Cape Town last summer with i-to-i to work at the Animal Rescue project which was amazing. I've been with a few different volunteering companies and I thought i-to-i was the most helpful before I went and never too busy to answer all my questions! I hope to go again next year after I finish uni to Costa Rica maybe to do a building or turtles project and am saving hard already!

I went to Honduras with i-to-i last year and loved it! I wanted a company that would help me arrange as much as possible before I travelled as I'm not confident at this and was travelling on my own...

Had no problems with them, loved my t-shirt and am looking to go back as soon as I can afford to go again! Would recommend them and Honduras to anyone :-)

I have travelled with I-to-i twice now, and hope to enjoy further trips with this company. When booking, they provide excellent help and advice, right up until when you leave for your chosen project. Both of my trips were definately once in a lifetime experiences, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Travelling with I-to-I is a great way to see another country and culture, and help out with projects in the local community, while knowing that you have support every step of the way from their helpful and friendly team. Onboth my I-to-I trips, I have made alsting friendships, both with other volunteers and with in country coordinators and local people. I would throoughly recommend travelling with this company if you wish to do volunteer work. :)

I had a very bad experience with this company. The place they put us with had no heat, mold, outside doors didn't lock, etc. People where getting sick and asked them to get heaters or wood for the fireplace and they refused. We were also 8 people crammed into a small room. There were numerous other problems and the in-county coordinator essentially did not care about the volunteers. The worst part was the fact that most of the money you pay does not go to the local programs. There was even an article in the local newspaper after a volunteer complained about the large amounts of money not going to the programs. I suggest you look for a non-profit organization or go directly through the local program you are interested in. The local people are so happy to have you there and I had a good experience with the people at the local program. A group of volunteers tried to find out how much of our money went to the local program and we never got a straight answer from i-to-i. It is so sad that the thousands of dollars I paid, I suspect that less than $100 went to the program. Further, they do not provide food, transportation to the local program, etc. Basically, the money you pay to i-to-i is for housing (which could be easily found on your own) and to make money for the company. I also volunteered with a non-profit at Dago Village in Kenya, Village Volunteers, and the experience was so much better and most of the money I paid went directly to the local program. Further, they provided food and transportation while I was in country. I highly recommend volunteering abroad as it is a life-changing experience, but I suggest you go through a non-profit program so your volunteer money can make a difference.

I went with I to I to Peru last year. The country itself was great much more then could be said for I to I. I paid them £800 and the School I went to got nothing? Makes you wonder where the money went.