Costa Rica 3-Week

Our experience begins in a San Jose Central Valley B&B, where students get to know one another and establish goals for the weeks ahead. Here we will learn more about Costa Rica, take a Latin dance class, and loosen our muscles with an overnight rafting trip on one of the spectacular scenic rivers. We will also participate in some basic Spanish lessons so please come ready to learn some key words and phrases!

After settling in, we travel to work with local park rangers in one of Costa Rica's pristine tropical cloud forests. A challenging trek will bring us to a comfortable eco-lodge, our home for the next several days. Time will be spent on a combination of environmental projects, night hikes to view wildlife, and day hikes to swimming holes and waterfalls. The work projects consist of trail maintenance, small bridge construction, and painting. The work is physically demanding but critical to the upkeep of this special land. If the weather cooperates, we may have a spectacular view of the active volcano, Arenal, and adjacent Lake Arenal. It is very common to spot monkeys, anteaters, parrots, coatimundis and dart frogs in the cloud forest!

After our stay in the cloud forest, we head south into rural highland Costa Rica for our community service projects in a small village. While staying in a paired homestay (two students per home), we will work on projects chosen by the community itself.  Participants can choose between small construction and/or educational projects each day.  Typical small construction projects include: pouring the foundation for a community center, planting organic school gardens, painting and tiling a community kitchen, constructing a plant nursery, completing a sidewalk around the town square.  Educational projects include teaching English lessons and organizing and leading a "Día de Actividades" – an event for the community that includes field day competitions, art workshops, music, games and more!  Inevitably "los niños" become an integral members of our group!  We also take time to relax in the afternoons and weekends as we play soccer with locals, prepare special dinners, participate in a traditional game and dance night, or go for excursions with families to nearby swimming holes.

Time to hit the beach! We depart from our homestay community, promising to stay in touch with our new families and friends. We travel to the Pacific Coast, famous for its unique combination of rainforest and ocean settings. We spend two days boogie-boarding, enjoying zip-line canopy tours, and viewing wildlife. We also get to challenge ourselves with surf lessons taught by professional surf instructors. The wave conditions on this beach provide the perfect opportunity for all levels to hang ten!

Leaving paradise is always sad, but our trip back to the Central Valley gives us time to share our memories before we fly home. At a celebratory dinner in a nice restaurant we have an "awards ceremony" to reflect upon our last three weeks together. We realize that Costa Rica and the friends we have made will always be with us!