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FAQ’s

About the Organization

No. Sustainable Bolivia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization registered in both the United States and Bolivia. We do not have any political or religious affiliation.

We do not offer a formal Spanish school, but we can help arrange a local teacher for volunteers who are interested. Rate of pay is set by the teacher and the volunteer covers the cost of their trasportation to and from class.

Sustainable Bolivia does not provide insurance but we recommend all volunteers/interns to purchase some form of insurance prior to departure. Travel insurance is always a good idea, as a plan with extensive coverage may cover everything from theft, to doctor’s bills, to emergency return. We recommend that you inform yourself as to the details of your policy, especially if you want to do extreme sports such as mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking or even trekking. A policy that provides emergency airlift evacuation is highly recommended. Please refer to our Volunteer Information Packet which lists a couple of recommended travel insurance providers
Sustainable Bolivia has agreements with local organizations in Cochabamba and Riberalta; the majority of which are small non-profit foundations. We provide support to our local partner organization through the provision of human resources (i.e. volunteers and interns) and financial resources (through our mini-grant system and donations).

Both before and during your volunteer stay, Sustainable Bolivia offers advice, support and information regarding your voluntary work, your accommodation, and life in Bolivia. Sustainable Bolivia aims to ensure that its volunteers are placed in appropriate organizations which benefit most from their skills and experience. We take an active role in projects that volunteers are involved in and provide advice whenever needed. We wish to foster a reciprocal relationship between each volunteer and their placement organization, whereby the volunteer learns from, and is able to contribute to, their placement organization.

We accept volunteers over the age of 18. We have no upper age restriction on volunteers and have had volunteers of many ages, with mid 20s-mid 30s being our most common age range. We’ve had volunteers and interns from over 50 countries and accept individuals interested in making a difference.

Sustainable Bolivia organizes social and cultural events for volunteers, including lectures, travel, film evenings, and parties. We believe that volunteers should have the opportunity to learn as much as possible while having as much fun as possible, during their stay in Bolivia.

 Volunteer Hugo worked with us in 2025 and wrote a thoroughly description of his time with us, and advice for international volunteers in South America. You can find his post here.

About Your Role as a Volunteer/Intern

The number of hours you work per week is dependent upon which of our partner organizations you work with. Most positions are all day with a long lunch ‘siesta’. Plan on averaging between 30-35 hours a week but we can arrange for more or less depending on your preference. 

Yes. Part of the experience here is having the opportunity to travel and explore Bolivia. We encourage travel and will work with you and our partner organizations to arrange for periodic time off, though travelling to other major tourist sites in Bolivia for weekends is not generally convenient as bus trips are long and flights are expensive and infrequent (generally 5 flights a week come to Riberalta). 

This depends entirely on your position and which partner organization you will work with. If you stay in Riberalta and work with one of our partners, you will likely be the only volunteer. If you stay on the reserve, as many as 8 volunteers can be present, though at times we have only 1 or 2.  We can provide a more detailed response to this question on a case by case basis.
The only required vaccination is against Yellow Fever. In Riberalta you will not need any additional medication or vaccinations. Please take into account that Riberalta is in a pandemic region for malaria, although cases are not frequent in our area of the jungle, many people chose to take antimalarials. For those planning to travel to other areas of Bolivia and or South America, or in the rural areas in the Amazon, we would recommend other precautions. Please see the heath section of our Volunteer Information Packet for more information.
Yes, we will have no problem accommodating special dietary needs and allergies. Generally our cooks prepare meals 5 days a week, and we will ask beforehand about any allergies. If you choose to stay with a host family, we work with many families with experience accommodating dietary restrictions and this will not be an issue. Some flexibility is always appreciated but we will make the necessary arrangements prior to your arrival to assure dietary restrictions will not be an issue. For any additional restrictions, please contact a staff member and we will address these inquiries individually.
Yes, our organization is ‘family-friendly’ and we often receive couples (married or unmarried). We also have experience working with children under the age of 18 but will not do so unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Sustainable Bolivia organizes social and cultural events for volunteers, including lectures, travel, film evenings, and parties. We believe that volunteers should have the opportunity to learn as much as possible while having as much fun as possible, during their stay in Bolivia. The cost of off-site activities are covered by volunteers.

About Living Abroad

The two international airports in Bolivia are La Paz and Santa Cruz. You will probably fly into one of these locations and wish to carry on directly to Riberalta, you then have two options. You can fly with EcoJet to Riberalta or Guayamerin. You can sometimes get a cheaper price if you message them using their Whatsapp number. Please inform us of you flight so we can arrange a taxi to pick you up. The drive to the reserve from Riberalta is about 45 min-1 hr, and the drive from Guayamerin is closer to 2 hrs. 
 
 We do not recommend the second option which is traveling by bus. It will take about 40 hours from either La Paz or Santa Cruz and the roads can get dangerous, especially in the rainy seasons. Please contact us for more specific information regarding your flights and how to get to Riberalta.
Yes, in most instances you will be living in close proximity to your volunteer site. Volunteer housing on the reserve is about 2.5 km from the community classroom. Sometimes volunteers walk, most of the time we arrange transportation. If researchers need to use the boat regularly for long trips or a motorbike to access their research site, they may need to cover the cost themself. But most researchers simply walk into the jungle using our hiking trails as access points. For volunteers in Riberalta, they will need to use public taxis to get to their volunteer site.  
Bolivia’s standard electric output is 220V and the electrical outlets are typically of the two pin variety but vary. For those coming from countries which use 110V as the standard, a small travel converter might come in handy for certain electrical devices such as a hairdryer. Otherwise adapters are quite common and can be purchased in many locations in Riberalta.
All bedding (blankets, sheets, pillows, etc.) and general housing supplies will be provided. Please bring your own laptop if you need it for your project. The office on the reserve has wireless internet access via starlink. Do not bring more than one laptop as entry customs could levy a charge. A packing list is included in our volunteer information packet.
All housing situations will provide comfortable shower/toilet facilities with access to water. In all instances you will have access to electricity and internet. On the reserve our wifi is limited to the shared office building. Our electricty is solar and subject to running out when a few overcast days in a row occuss. Cell service is limited on the reserve, but a bar or two can be accessed from some places. 
Volunteer cabins on the reserve are simple, though comfortable with a view of the lake and a hammock. Up to 4 volunteers share a cabin.
3 home-cooked meals are provided when staying with a host family. On the reserve, 2 meals a day are prepared by our cooks 5 days a week (when more than 3 volunteers are present, otherwise volunteers share cooking responsibilities). Weekends and breakfasts are prepared by volunteers from our fully stocked kitchen. If one chooses to stay in one of the volunteer houses, then food is not included and must be purchased and prepared by each volunteer/intern. In both cases most dietary needs can be accommodated. 
We will accompany you to the hospital in case of an emergency. There is a small clinic in the community of Warnes, about 3km from research centre. Emergency services and larger hospitals are only available in Riberalta.
Riberalta is in the Amazon and is generally hot and humid. However, if you travel in other parts of Bolivia, the climate can be very cold (especially in high mountains). If you plan on doing a lot of travel in Bolivia, and South America in general, be prepared for extremes of both hot and cold and pack accordingly. Generally the rainy season is from Oct-Apr, with June-Sept being much drier and dustier. Please note that we do not have AC on the reserve. There are fans in the office but not in the cabins. Expect to take some time adjusting to the heat. Most volunteers feel physically settled in after 2 weeks or so.

This varies from country to country and is dependent upon exactly how long you plan to volunteer/intern with us. Generally speaking, individuals do not need a visa before coming to Bolivia as they will be granted a 90 day tourist visa upon entry.  As of 2008, US citizens do require a visa and this can be purchased at the border, airport, or in the US prior to departure. Visa requirements are subject to change without warning. Please contact us or check embassy sites for up to date requirements.