Science in Happiest Place on Earth - 7 Days

Upon arrival in Costa Rica, you will meet your Tour Manager and have your first typical lunch at a Costa Rican restaurant with options such as a "casado" plate with beans, rice, other side dishes, and your choice of meat.

You will enjoy scenic views as you head to your host community in a mountainous area south of the capital. On the way, your Tour Manager will discuss the wonders of Costa Rica with you.

In the evening, you will be welcomed into your host community and spend your first night getting to know your host families. The homestay experience and service project, the heart of your program, are an excellent way to bond with your host community and peers through service. 

On your first full day in the community, you will meet in the morning at the work site to be briefed on the service project and to meet the local leaders who will be working with your group.

In the afternoons you will have downtime to participate in activities and excursions such as playing futbol (soccer) with the local youth, touring the local fruit farms that help sustain the community, or hiking through the secondary forest. You will also have the opportunity to learn some Costa Rican cooking and Latin dancing from your host siblings and other community members. Finally, you will spend your evenings living and learning with your host family and gathering as a group to reflect upon your daily experiences.

This morning you will have breakfast with your host family and spend time working on your community service project.

Around mid-day, you will return to your host family to help prepare and enjoy lunch. After lunch, you will meet again to continue with the community project.

This afternoon and evening you will participate in activities with the Language Learning Center and spend time with the community. You will have dinner with your host family.

This morning you will have breakfast with your host family and spend time working on your community service project.

Around mid-day, you will return to your host family to help prepare and enjoy lunch. After lunch, you will meet again to continue with the community project. This afternoon and evening you will participate in activities and spend time with the community. You will have dinner with your host family.

For your final evening in the community, you will gather with the host families and community members to celebrate your time shared together and the completed project.

This morning you will have your last breakfast with your host family and put the finishing touches on your community service project. Around mid-day, you will return to your host family to help prepare and enjoy your last lunch with them. After lunch, you will meet again to prepare the stoves for transport in your bus.

This afternoon you will visit an indigenous settlement where you will donate, install and educate community members on the use and benefits of the stoves your group built during the last days. 

After saying goodbye to this community, you will continue your drive to the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, towards Manuel Antonio National Park.

After breakfast, you will visit Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the most popular national parks in Costa Rica! The volcanic-sedimentary cliffs rise steeply from the shoreline, providing scenic vistas and hiking trails which you will get the chance to explore. The forested hillsides are home to many of the animals, plants and flowers that are Costa Rica's unique attractions: monkeys, sloths, iguanas, toucans and scarlet macaws and the islands off the coast are important bird sanctuaries for brown pelicans, frigate birds and anhingas. Manuel Antonio is consistently nominated as one of the world's most beautiful beaches. You'll spend time walking on one of the trails and some time at the beach.

You will then enjoy a delicious lunch at a typical Costa Rican restaurant. After lunch, you'll have some optional beach time near Manual Antonio town.

You will board your bus and travel back to San Jose area. For your final dinner in Costa Rica, you will enjoy a delicious feast at a very special restaurant looking out to the Central Valley. During dinner you will reminisce about the time you shared together in Costa Rica.

Today your Costa Rica adventure comes to a close as you depart early in the morning for your flight home.