Costa Rica
Program Summary
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Costa Rica
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| Trip Highlights |
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Adventure Highlights
Limón, Costa Rica
- Meet a famous rainforest resident—the sloth—at Aviarios del Caribe, the only reserve with a unique rehabilitation center for these unique creatures. Learn from your expert guide about the role and behavior of the sloth population.
- Encounter the reserve’s other inhabitants—including monkeys, iguanas, and 255 species of tropical birds.
- Uncover hidden mysteries during a rainforest nature walk—learn to identify the region’s many medicinal plants, surround yourself with exotic sights and smells, and taste incredible fruits you never knew existed.
- Load up your snorkeling gear and kayak to the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, a tropical paradise boasting 10,000 acres of beach and 5 sq. km of protected coral reef.
- Explore the refuge and learn about the many species preserved there, such as crocodile, tapir, pacas, manatees, keel-billed toucans, and ornate hawk-eagles.
- Dine with a local family and settle in to your accommodations in Limón, a small and laid-back Caribbean city.
- Watch a timeless ritual as leatherback turtles lay their eggs on a moonlit beach.
- Experience sheer adrenaline as you zip above the rainforest via a system of cables—reaching heights of up to 524 feet.
The Bribri People—Yorkín, Costa Rica
- Paddle a traditional dugout canoe to Yorkín, a small village along the spectacular Yorkín River.
- Meet the Bribri, an indigenous people who maintain their own language and way of life that has been virtually untouched by Western civilization.
- Taste Bribri traditional cuisine, as well as a fresh chocolate sauce that you’ve made yourself.
- Understand everyday life for the Bribri people and the ways that they continue to use local resources for their survival.
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
- Spot fantastic creatures in the crystal-clear waters. Your guide will show you the best spots to observe brain coral, fire coral, and boulder coral. You may also see sea rods, sea fans, parrotfish, angel fish, groupers, lobster, and crabs.
- Gain a completely different perspective on the rainforest as you walk by the light of the moon at the Tirimbina Reserve to glimpse nocturnal species like sloths, kinkajous, porcupines, opossums, and frogs.
- Spend a night in Puerto Viejo, which has grown from a fishing village to an exciting hot spot because of its golden beaches and excellent surfing conditions.
Arenal Reserve
- Witness the spectacle of one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world, Arenal volcano. Arenal is a nearly perfect example of a cone volcano with fairly constant moderate explosions of sound, gas, and ash.
- Understand the importance of the volcano to the region’s ecology, and compare the wildlife here with the species you encountered on the Caribbean coast.
- Give back by taking part in a half-day reforestation project, a clear environmental need in the rainforest. This activity provides an important lesson about grassroots forestry, community awareness, and human impact on the environment.
- Reach new heights on the Sky Trek. Board the Sky Tram that will take you up over the rainforest, and then test your resolve by strapping into the Sky Trek. Sky Trek is a system of zip lines taking you high above the rainforest and down through the trees—the longest zip line in your track is more than a half-mile in length.
- Feel a rush of adrenaline as you zip above the rainforest at heights of up to 524 feet.
- Spend two nights in homey cabins at the foot of Arenal.
- Interact with a local family in Juanilama de Poco Sol, a town of friendly people who will share with you their way of living.
- Participate in the process of cheese-making, from cow to curing, under the guidance of local farmers.
- Learn how to plant such crops as cassava, ñampi, and ginger and why they’re important to the community.
- Trek through the rainforest to enjoy a dip in a waterfall pool.
- Experience a tropical paradise and observe colorful amphibians—your guide will be sure to point out the blue jeans poison dart frog and the black and green poison dart frog.
- Watch the treetops for howler monkeys.
- Journey to Eco Termales Hot Springs to enjoy the curative mineral waters heated by the Arenal volcano.
- Hike through the rainforest to find hidden natural treasure in some of the most spectacular waterfalls in Costa Rica.
- Challenge yourself by rappelling down the waterfalls (or a nearby dry rock face) to the beautiful canyon below.
* Trip itinerary subject to change.
