Cave, River Camping, Homestay, & Caribbean

Day 1 ----------- Arrive & Stay in Central Valley (Central Valley Hotel)

Welcome to Costa Rica! You will be met by your guide outside the airport. From the airport we will take you to your first hotel where you will have an orientation of the program and things to expect for the rest of the week. (Meals: Dinner)

Day 2 ----------- Visit Orphanage & Enter Cave (Sleep Behind Waterfall)

We will have breakfast at 7:30am and drive to the Orphanage. Here the students will have the chance to spend time with local teenage girls who have been living in the home for years. It is an amazing experience and even if no English is spoken, it is still a great opportunity of the kids to interact and share some time. One of the activities we do at the Orphanage is allow the girls to do a cooking class of a typical food. The cooking class will take about an hour and then we will be on our way. We'll then drive to the Central Pacific where we will get our hiking boots out and get ready for the adventure of hiking into the cave. This is an intense hike but well worth it,  hiking to one of Costa Rica's most beautiful areas. When we get to the cave we will be sleeping behind a waterfall and living in the jungle for two nights. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 3 ----------- Hike to Pool & Rappel Waterfall (Sleep Behind Waterfall)

This is a full day of activities. After you wake up to the sound of three enormous waterfalls we will eat a hearty breakfast and then get ready for another hike. This hike will take us to another beautiful waterfall where the kids can jump off the waterfall into a crystal clear pool. We will make our way down to the other larger waterfalls but this time we will be rappeling them. The rappel is a 120ft descend by rope and is one of the most adrenaline pumping adventures we have. In the evening we will watch the sunset at the Diamante Waterfall which is Costa Rica's tallest waterfall at 600 ft. We will be at the top of the falls and will see the sunset on the Pacific. In the evening we will enjoy some music sitting around the campfire. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)


Day 4 ----------- Hike out of Cave and Travel to Turrialba (Turrialba Hotel)


Today it will be time to say good-bye to the cave. We will make the hike out which is quite a bit easier than the hike up. We'll board the bus and drive over Costa Rica's tallest mountain range, Cerro de la Muerte, home to the second tallest mountain in all of Central America. The road we will be on will get up to 9,000ft. After we cross the mountain range we will descend into the town of Turrialba. This is a beautiful little town located towards the Caribbean side. It is known for its whitewater rafting. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)


Day 5 ----------- Enter Homestays & Community Service (Homestays)

Camping in the Rainforest

Today after breakfast we'll go to Sitio de Mata and have a full day in the homestays. It will be an amazing experience and a chance to spend time with the best part of Costa Rica and that is the people. Sitio de Mata is a majestic mountain village with views of the smoking Turrialba volcano and a  climate known as the Eternal Spring. During our stay in the village we will take part in some community service work and also join in on some cultural activities. In the evening there will be a full blown party with plenty of dancing and local cuisine involved. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)





Day 6 ----------- Enter River (Pacuare Camp)


National Geographic has this listed as one of the top five rivers on the planet and that is why we feel it is necessary to spend two days on the Pacuare River. Today we will leave the homestay after breakfast and make our way to La Cruz. Here you will get geared up with your life vest, helmet, and paddle and get ready for 2 hours of rafting. We will stop for a river lunch on the way that will be prepared by your CRR-River-Guide-Chefs. After lunch we will raft for another 40 minutes, then arrive at the camp site. It is a beautiful camp that is not roughing it by anymeans. Everyone will have their own tent above ground and there are showers and toilets. The camp site is located with a beautiful view downstream of the waters of the Pacuare and the green canyon that lines the river banks for as far as the eye can see.  (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Caribbean Costa Rica

Day 7 ----------- Take out of River and Travel to Caribbean (Beach Ecolodge)


After breakfast many consider the next two hours of the trip the best two hours of their lives. Today we will raft the Pacuare Canyon. This is a two hour run of action-packed class IV rapids. Not only is this section filled with fun rapids but it is also the most scenic part of the river. You will raft past 200 ft waterfalls that fall into the river and float down one of Costa Rica's most beautiful canyons.

After we take out of the river we will be on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. We'll then drive for two hours to our Ecolodge on the Caribbean. Staying at this ecolodge is like staying in the middle of a national park with all the wildlife and only steps away from the beach. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)





Day 8 ----------- Visit National Parks & Snorkel (Beach Ecolodge)



The Caribbean side of Costa Rica is known for it's wildlife and beautiful coral reefs. This is a day we plan on seeing the wildlife on land and the marine habitat. We will start the day by visiting Manzanillo-Gandoca, doing an easy hike to see sloths and monkeys. After the hike we'll drive to Punta Uva where you have the chance to snorkel. The Caribbean of Costa Rica is 212 km of coastline and home to 35 different species of corals and 500 different species of endemic fish. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)




Day 9 ----------- Fly Home!


Today we will transfer you back to the airport to catch your flight home! (Meals: Breakfast)