My most favorite things on this trip were zip lining, rappelling down the waterfalls, and the intense games of marco polo at night. You can’t forget all the little things like the swimming with the Bri-Bri and the coconut expedition on the beach. I learned that it’s really hard to break a coconut without a specialized tool, like a machete would do it. Also, the food here is phenomenal. I couldn’t get enough of the chocolate:D HAHA! Anyway I had an amazing time and gladly I took a lot of pictures so I can remember this one in a life time trip. *JOE C.*
My summers are usually me on the computer or on my Xbox 360 playing games, but this summer was amazing; I got to go to Costa Rica. I got to do things that most people don’t do until they are in their mid 20’s. This was an experience I will never forget. I will look forward to doing an adventure like this again. Morgan M.
Costa Rica was amazing, we had so many fun activities and programs set up for us. My favorite was when we got to visit the villagers and learn about their family and culture. –Stephanie P.
Today our group did one of the most exciting things we’ve done this trip: repelling down the waterfalls.We rode 4x4’s out to where we geared up and headed to the first spot. We repelled down 5 different spots in the rainforest, and 4 out of the 5 we actually got to repel either next to or right on the waterfall. At the first spot, i was sort of nervous because I have never done something like this before. Zip lining is nothing like repelling down more than a 100ft waterfall. And repelling down rock walls is nothing like it at all. This was real, actual rocks in the middle of the rainforest. Getting fastened and starting to lean over the edge, was when the emotions really kicked in. Eventually I took a deep breath and did it. I knew once I did it once I could do it 4 more times effortlessly. And that’s how it ended up happening. Repelling down itself was exhilarating. I felt confident on the next four, even though I still wasn’t doing it right. I wasn’t the best at it, but it was still an amazing experience. I mean think about it, how many people can say they’ve been repelling down waterfalls in the middle of the rainforests of Costa Rica? Well now I’m one of those people who can say that I have.  
--Carrie & Cera
This is the last day of our adventure in Costa Rica. The country is by far one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. going to miss this beautiful place. Goodbye Costa Rica!  
Jon D.
1) Bri Bri visit and chocolate making 2) Sky Trek Zip lining 3) Kayaking 4) Waterfall Rappelling 5) Hot Springs 
1) Waterfall rappelling 2) Zip lining 3) Bri Bri and Chocolate making 4) Hot Springs 5) Lava Flows
Yesterday was an extremely jam-packed adventure. We started in the morning with an adrenaline rush by doing zip-lining through the treetops. There were eight ziplines in all, and we reached almost 50 mph on most of them! It was very very fun and the views were amazing. Next we went to a family farm and learned about the cheese making process. We got to help milk the cows, and this is where I think Ceara has found her calling. She went to town milking that cow! We then saw how fresh cow’s milk is turned into cheese. The best part was getting to sample the freshly made cheese. A trip to the pineapple plantation was next and after learning about and helping plant some pineapples we got to have freshly picked pineapple. It was the best pineapple ever. Our next stop was the hot springs. It was really relaxing, except for the really hot pool where the temperature was around 104-106. That was just too hot. But I have to say my favorite part of the hot springs experience was the smoothies Ceara and I got. She had a passion fruit and I had a soursop one. My soursop smoothie had to be the best smoothie I have ever had. Too bad we can’t get soursop in the US because it has become my new favorite fruit. And this day couldn’t have ended better: seeing Arenal volcano erupt. Four times. It was awesome! 
~Carrie
Yesterday we went to a hot springs resort. It was extremely fascinating that we were able to go and check out the different temperatures in the the different pools. One of the coolest parts of the hot springs resort was how “oddly” set up the pools were. I am unsure as to how this whole layout effecting the temperature works, but I frankly don’t care because the entire experience was heavenly. Their were some really cool waterfalls and natural jets in the pools. Actually, the first thing that I thought of when I was there, was that it seemed like a place were the “rich and famous” would hang out. I think that this was a very neat place. But today we went rappelling. We went down waterfalls and just plain old rocks, but it was really rushing. I believe that this was one of the most adrenaline pumping moments of the trip. We went down four rock cliffs. It was really wet and wonderful. The views were amazing. The thrill of knowing that their are only two ropes keeping you from dropping to the ground was so exhilarating. At first, it was slightly nerve-racking but after the first drop, you figured out how to do it, and it became very fun. The highest, and first, cliff was 165 ft from the bottom. I really liked this adventure. Overall, I think that today and yesterday were pretty cool and amazing. And I definitely liked all of the adventures we have done. ~~~Christopher Drummond
 We had an amazing time today on the ziplines. They were fast and they were high. The tallest one was over 200m above the ground and the longest one was over 1km long! I have the GPS track linked below. The first two lines were test ones where I didn't even get to 10mph. The last 5 were all over 40mph with the last one being close to 50mph. That was wicked fast! GPS Link
we’ve been staying at the base of the volcano Arenal. The view of the volcano Arenal has been amazing. The volcano is a perfect cone shape. though i haven’t yet scene it I’ve heard several people talk about the volcano erupting small amounts several times.  
today was a fun day we just got back it was a intense time most fun i had in a long time hope to do it again really soon . the view was fantastic for the height i was at i was the first one to go which i got to experience everything before anyone else. we went to the market and we bought 2.5 Coca-Cola they have 2 new containers of Coca-Cola 2.5 and 3 they are about the size of the regular Coca-Cola bottles back home. `Austin Lotts
We arrived in Arenal last night to our beautiful lodges nestled at the base of the Arenal Volcano. Despite our first experience of rain in a rain forest, we still were able to view the entire volcano, hear the sounds, and some even saw bright red lava flow as they relaxed in the jacuzzi!!! Hopefully we will all see lava tonight ( : The rain caused us to reschedule our canopy tour to this morning. As we woke up, and stepped out on our back patio, we looked up at the volcano and the calm skies and knew “today is the day” as Fabian says. We drove about a half hour to Sky Adventures and geared up for one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. Words cannot describe the views of the Arenal Lake, Volcano, and lush rain forest….and words surely cannot describe the RUSH from zipping 50 mph 200 m above ground! I am so proud of our fearless group. They continue to amaze me with their sense of adventure and thirst to learn and grow from this experience. This has been a trip of a lifetime. PURA VIDA! Tearney   
I bet you are wondering “What is ‘48.4’?” Well, 48.4 is our max speed, in miles per hour, that we hit during our zip lining adventure. This was a little bit less than what the company posted but none the less amazing! I think that the zip lining was epic! It was soo much fun. Going through the canopy of the rainforest with the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal next to you was pretty cool. You could see a lot of the highest canopy as well as all of the lake and half of the volcano. The zip lining was definitely well worth the wait. The stupid thunderstorm that happened yesterday near the volcano delayed our adventure. This was pretty angering because they told us that we couldn’t zip line after everyone got all suited up and were “pumped” for the adventure. But its still ok,we did it today and it was one of the best adventures so far. By: Alex LaLone
Today we went to a cheese farm and milked three cows. I have never seen a cow in person, let alone get the chance to milk one. So when i was presented with the opportunity, I made sure to take advantage of it. I am so glad I did. It was a bit gross for me to touch the cow’s utter, but once the farmer taught me how to milk the cow properly, it was like second nature. It was very easy and the cow was not putting up a fight to my surprise. I am so glad i had the chance to do this! - Tiffany Vera 
Today after the amazing zip lining experiance the group visited a local farm where they showed us the process of making cheese. They showed us step by step the process, then they prepared a small meal for us, where the main dish was cheese. We then headed over to a pineapple farm where we learned the process of growing pineapples. The farmers then let us taste some fresh pineapple which was very juicy. The farmers then let us into their home where they prepared a meal that was muy delicioso. The people in Costa Rica are very friendly and show so much hospitality. -Teyra A.  
Today we went zip lining. Although we were supposed to do it yesterday, we couldn't”t do it due to some storms :( But we did it first thing today, and it was AMAZI NG. First we went up a “sky tram”, which is essentially a gondola in the rain forest, and when we got off, we were treated with passion fruit juice(which was outrageously good). After that, we went down to test cables to figure out how we were going to do it. Then, we went on the first “actual” cable; It was amazing because it was foggy, which made it fun to look down at the rainforest. After that, we went down four more cables that were less foggy but faster and longer. Finally we got done, and we were all extremely proud and at a point of ecstasy. Essentially, it was one of the best “aabenture”, that is how our guide Fabian says it. We loved every moment of it. Gracias! ~~~ Christopher Drummond
When zip lining in the jungle today we went through fog. When in the belly of the beast you couldn’t see more than a foot in front of you. IT WAS INSANE!!!!! The whole zip lining process felt like it took only 20 minutes, but it actually took a little over an hour. The top speed of the trip was 48.4 mph. they should somehow engineer a zip line to do a loop-D-loop going over 90 mph. Now that sounds exhilarating to me:D Oh yes, and if you weren’t watching world cup witch I don't know why you wouldn’t be watching because soccer(el futbol) is an outrageously epic ball of fun…get it, “ball” of fun.HAA!! ok well Spain won, witch disappointed the soccer gods because we all know Italy is the king of soccer:) Blog out By:JOE CASTALDO
After we realized that our hotel was pretty close, and had an superb view of, the volcano, we decided to go swimming in the pool and chillax in the Jacuzzi. After about a half hour of swimming the pool, which has a waterfall and an infinity end, we thought we would jump in the Jacuzzi. So here we were in the Jacuzzi talking to some people from Arizona that said that you can only see the volcano erupt from the other side of the volcano. After those people left, we were discussing with Mr Hirschey of our mad we were that our hotel wasn’t on the other side of the volcano, so we could see it erupt. After about 10 minutes of that conversation, Mr Hirschey decided to leave to clean up for dinner. Shortly after he left, we were just sitting talking about some random topic when we saw this orange lava shoot out of the volcano. We instantly jumped up and said “Did you see that?” After we all agreed that it actually happened we ran to find Mr Hirschey because we thought about how mad he would be if he missed it. It turns out that he actually saw it as well. We all thought that this experience was so amazing that it wasn’t even funny. We are hoping that we will see more and that we will even capture it in photograph. I am so glad that our hotel is right next to the volcano because it is amazing.  ~~~Christopher Drummond & Morgan Miller
After zip lining today, witch was extremely outrageous, just for your information.HAHA:) Anyway we stopped at “Las Iguanas” witch is a nice little restaurant that has quite a population of iguanas. Here are a few photos taken by yours truly *JOE CASTALDO*  
During our trip to Costa Rica we have found many different amphibians. We have found newts, geckos, and iguanas. All of the students and leaders have found this extremely cool. The first day, we found a gecko. But when we got to the second hotel, we found many newts; some even on our doors and porches. And today we went to a “iguana hangout”, their were literally about 70 iguanas at this resturant/igunana park. Seeing so many amphibians on this trip has been priceless and amazing!  
~~~Christopher Drummond
i just got to try and see how to make cheese. I never knew there was so much involved. It’s really cool and different to see how they make the cheese. It takes a lot of time to make the cheese and how much patience is involved in it By:Austin Lotts
One of the kids in our group recently tried a dragonfruit ice cream flavor yesterday, so when we made a stop all of us tried the unique flavor. It is very fruity and has a neon purple color. It is very good, and unlike any other ice cream flavor I have had before. The place we stopped at also had many iguanas! Fabian threw out lettuce and bananas and all of them swarmed towards the food. There were so many!! Different sizes and colors, and we counted around 65-70 iguanas! Carrie got lots of great photos of them.  Ceara & Carrie
Day 4 brought the rain that we were anticipating as part of our Costa Rican adventure. It did not start out that way. After checking out of our hotel, we drove deep into the country to help the Costa Rican reforestation efforts. The group planted 192 trees on a family farm where reforestation will be key to replenishing a substantial home for the Green Macaw. We planted on the farm of Marvin and Maria and their adorable daughter Kimberly. Kimberly is 4 years old and knew her way around the farm. As a thank you for the work we did, Maria and Marvin served us fresh fruit (of course!) which included fresh pineapple and coconut juice. Marvin literally lopped the tops off of the coconuts, stuck a straw in and we drank. Very refreshing after a hard mornings work. Our drive to the Arenal volcano included multiple stops for food and fun. We watched the 1st half of the World Cup final at an amazing restaurant which served amazingly fresh rice pudding for dessert. The final activity was maybe the most anticipated. Zip lining. After seeing storms build on our way up the mountain, the skies opened up and an amazingly beautiful thunderstorm erupted. We watched the thunderstorm from the mountain then again back at our hotel. We caught glimpses of Arenal erupting in and out of the rain and storms. Zip lining has been delayed and we will be partaking in the amazing two-mile adventure this morning. More pics and stories to follow!
Today we visited the ocean. We went swimming,kayaking, biking, snorkeling, and body surfing! Although the weather wasn’t as sunny as we’d like it to be, we got some great waves coming into the beaches. Kayaking Although the waves stopped us from kayaking on schedule, we convinced the guides to allow us to go to the second beach; Where we decided that any “brave,courageous soul” could take out a kayak and try to go either into or past the waves. This provided a challenge to any person that decided to attempt to take on the waves. We definitely had an amazing time with the kayaks. Snorkeling Snorkeling was fun. Even though it was extremely wavy and shook up the coral and fish, we had fun. It was kind of fun because we were soo close to the coral and fish. Actually, some people even realized that as the stood up, they were on top of it! Body Surfing After kayaking, we decided to see if we could catch some waves. So, with our international orange colored life vests, we went out to the ocean to meet with the waves. The waves were an estimated 10 feet high! About 9 of us went out to meet the waves. The waves were…in one word, AMAZING! The only thing that I feel I can compare them to is the rouge wave in the movie Poseidon. I was amazed at how big and fun they were. This was probably the funniest part of the time we spent in the ocean and on the beaches. Today Overall, think that today was great! Some of us even want to come back, after we graduate, so we can track down some of the “gnarly” waves again! I think that the time spent on the ocean was,no doubt about it, the time of our life! Also… So far the trip has been great! And completely mesmerizing. I am think this goes with out saying but on behalf of every student, “ We are totally grateful and glad that al of the parents worked hard to allow us to go on this trip!” ~~~ Christopher Drummond
Today I went kayaking in the ocean. The waves were 10-15 feet high! We paddled out 240 feet, Then, we turned around to go back to shore. As we got about 80 feet from shore, we caught a big wave; And it threw us head over heels and I got hit in the back by the kayak. It was a neat experience. Morgan Miller
Motor boats took us on an hour and a half long boat ride through olive green water. We glided smoothly on the river that bordered Panama and Costa Rica. When the river became too shallow, the front boatman would use a tall bamboo stick to push off the ground and propel us forward. The scenery surrounding us was spectacular. I felt like I was in a travel magazine. I slowly took it all in, still amazed at the fact that I was in the middle of the jungle in Costa Rica. We arrived at a river bank and were greeted by a few very welcoming villagers, they held our hands firmly and helped us out of the unstable boat. We hiked through winding, narrow paths that were muddy from the monsoons that had occurred a few days earlier. A major leader and founder of the Bri Bri village and organization led the way through the thick vegetation. The sun played peek-a-boo between the leaves in the canopy and the spaces of visible sky. A variety of tropical trees and bushes loomed over our heads. At the village we learned about the cacao plants, ate lunch and made fresh 100% dark chocolate. The dark chocolate alone left a bitter taste in your mouth, but with just a bit of sugar it transformed into a heavenly treat. I bought a souvenir and drank authentic, black Costa Rican coffee with rock sugar. Before we had lunch, we had the opportunity to refresh ourselves and swim in the cool, crisp river water. I enjoyed climbing up the rocks and sliding down the rapids. I almost touched an ugly brown spider, literally the size my palm, while trying to find a big enough crevice in the rock to put my left hand. The villagers led a simple, uncomplicated life. Their economy revolved mainly around their exportation of chocolate and bananas. Three women founded the organization and village, now there are fifteen main women in charge. These women broke away from their suffocating, patriarchal society to from a productive, feminist society that produced all organic goods. They are all very proud of their work. The village also included an outdoor hotel, a primary school and a secondary school. The residents of the village were kind and hospitable. I had an amazing time visiting the Bri Bri village. ~ Nikita ~   
We got to go on a night hike last night. It was such a peaceful place, the nocturnal sounds of the forest provided a soothing backdrop as we looked for animals and insects. Below is a link to our GPS track. GPS track
The larger than life crashing waves of the Caribbean formed a problem for those of us who wanted to kayak. But it didn’t stop us from experiencing a true adventure. Even though it was tough, and it took several tries, we conquered the huge waves and kayaked in the Caribbean. It was an amazing experience! To know that we persevered through the challenges that nature presented and were able to come out successful was a great feeling. This experience is one that will last a lifetime. - Tiffany Vera 
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Programs Details
| Duration |
8 days |
| When |
July 7 - 14, 2010 |
| Focus |
Ecology/Conservation
Biology
Geology/Volcanology |
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