9-Day Naturalist Dream Trip

Welcome to Costa Rica!

This itin was made for Tim & Sean. From what we gathered Tim and Sean have a pretty solid backround of the tropics. When you have that type of backround one thing you want more than anything is to be in the middle of it all.

Because of this we customized an itinerary for Tim & Sean with some nature hikes where rubber boots are going to be used and stopping for any type of movement be it a monkey or just a small insect there will be something to be learned. Take a look everyone and we hope you like the Tim & Sean Itin:

Day 1 --------- Arrive and Travel to Sarapiqui (La Tirimbina)

Tirimbina Nature Hikes

Today we will meet you at the airport and your guide and driver will get your all packed in. We will spend the first day traveling to the Sarapiqui area where we will be staying at the Tirimbina. The travel time from the airport is around 1 hour and 40 minutes. The Tirimbina is a perfect place to bring any group interested in getting into the Tropical Rainforest. It is also the ideal area to start any educational trip to Costa Rica.  It has much of the same biodiversity that can be found in the world renown OTS, Organization for Tropical Studies which is just down the street from the Tirimbina. One of the highlights of the Tirimbina property along with the high concentration of biodiversity is the Sarapiqui River which runs right through the property allowing visitors to cross the river on the hanging bridge and take the well made trails deep into the lowland tropical rainforest of the area. (Meals: Dinner)

Day 2 --------- Morning Birding, Nature Hike, & Night Hike (La Tirimbina)

Eyelash Pit-Viper

Today is going to be a full day. Being in an area like this allows our program to involve some hands on time of learning. It will not be just lectures as we will have the full day and night to experience first hand some of the many wonders of the rainforest. The day will begin with an early morning birding where all are invited. After breakfast we will take off on a morning hike that will be the primer for the week on all the basic information and an introduction to the tropical rainforest. From here everyone will have lunch and then time to write and reflect on what was learned during the morning hike and first impressions of being in the rainforest.

After writing we will make our way to some more hands on activities as we visit some of the stations that have been set up in the property and students will be allowed to get their hands and feet dirty as we help out with some of the many projects the Tirimbina has to offer. In the evening it is time for the night hike. This is one of the highlights of trip and is a chance to see some of the most interesting critters of the rainforest that only come out at night.

After dinner we will have a briefing where the kids are asked questions by the guides and are given the chance to respond and reflect on the first full day in the rainforest and traveling abroad in a different culture.  (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 3 --------- Travel to Homestay (Homestay)


Today we will pack up and make our way to the village of Sitio de Mata. This is a village where the homestay program has been working to perfection and always looking to be the best host possible. The village is located on the mountains that surround the town of Turrialba. They call the village the Eternal Spring.

For an educational tour to Costa Rica it is here where the kids can learn so much. Not only seeing how the locals show interest in worldwide environmental issues but to see what living in a completely different culture is like. The students will be staying in the homes of the family and living in a rural setting in a very family developed atmosphere.

We will arrive around lunch time where we will eat lunch as a group and each student will be presented to their homestay family where they will be welcomed by a huge hug and smile. In the afternoon we will get a local soccer game going. In the evening it will be time for some culture activities such as dance classes. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Tubing some Rapids!

Day 4 --------- Enter River & Go Tubing! (Campsite on River)


Today we will enter the river for our 2-Day rafting adventure. The adventure will be done on one of the top 5 scenic rivers on the planet that is surrounded by rainforest from start to finish. We will leave the homestays around 8am and put in the river where day one of rafting will be around 2 hours. We will stop for lunch on the way and also stop in one of the rapids where we allow each student to make a run in one of our tubes. This is an amazing adventure and the kids absolutely love being able to run one of the rapids in tube.

We will arrive to the campsite after a delicious meal on the river and the everyone can get their tent and things organized. We will then have journal time where the kids will write about their experience on the river and the homestays. During this same time we will have a happy hour of fruit punch & Tropical fruits where we plan talking about the food of our planet and the tropics along with the very fitting topic of our Fresh Water Supply!

In the evening we will have dinner made for us by yours personally CRR-River Guide Chef Inc. and then it will be time for scary stories and a good nights sleep before the big day of rafting on the Pacuare Canyon. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 5 --------- Take out River & Travel to Veragua (Veragua)

Tent Camp Pacuare

Today we will be rowing just after breakfast. There will be no tubing today because we will be rafting the Pacuare Canyon. This happens to be what many of our students on their educational tour to Costa Rica call the best 2 hours of the week. Here the students will face some of the best class IV rapids in all of Costa Rica. It is a beautiful run filled with excellent rapids and mind blowing scenery of waterfalls, canyons, and tropical forest as far as the eye can see.

When we take out of the river we will have lunch and then make our way on the road that travels to the Caribbean. Here we will enter into the mountains where we will be staying at an area called Veragua. Veragua is an educational center where more nature hikes will be available along with learning about something and having the opportunity to step out of your cabin and see it. The Veragua has been doing educational tours in Costa Rica for only a few years on their property. It is very well desinged to make learning easy and enjoyable along with some amazing waterfalls and aerial tram which we will be visiting. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Veragua Aerial Tram

Day 6 --------- Morning hikes in Veragua & Travel to Caribbean Beach (Ecolodge Caribbean)

We will wake up and enjoy breakfast in the rainforest. We will have some time this morning to do some journal writing and a briefing of reflection on the entire trip. We are now on day 6 and the students will be asked questions regarding their thoughts on things they have learned and feedback on how they now feel about certain topics.

After the morning briefing we will be taking a nature hike and riding on the aerial tram where the kids will have a chance to hike to the Puma Waterfall. After the morning activities at Veragua we will make our way to the Caribbean Coast where we will be staying in an ecolodge on the Caribbean Beach. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 7 --------- Snorkel in morning & hike in afternoon (Ecolodge Caribbean)

Activities of today will allow you to see all the wildlife you have not yet seen. You should have seen a good amount of wildlife by now but just incase. It will also allow you to see some ecosystems that your children might not have the opportunity to see if we do not make immediate changes to the way we are running our Planet and our relationship to the natural world. The ecosystems I am referring to are the corals of the world. We will be taking a snorkel trip off the shore of the beach we are staying at where the students will have a chance to see the corals of the Caribbean of Costa Rica.

After the Snorkeling we will dry off and have a chance to eat lunch as a group. During this lunch we will be discussing the ever so important topic of global warming and it's effects on biodiversity in the tropics. Then we will talk about how losing biodiversity in the tropics effects your everyday lives in the USA.

After the discussion we will make our way to Grandoca-Manzanillo where we will have the chance to experience where the rainforest meets the sea. This is a chance to take a hike and learn about the many different species of animals we will find along the way in just a short distance. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)



Day 8 --------- Travel to Bribri Indigenous Tribe (Ecolodge Caribbean)

After a full day on the beach we plan on making today a chance to learn about the environment but from a bit of a different perspective. Here we will put down the textbooks and get some knowledge that has been passed down from generations of the many tropical plants in the area. We will start the day with an indigenous tour of the Cacao fruit. One of the members of the Bribri tribe will explain to us the process in a hands on demonstration where the kids get to see and touch first hand chocolate from it's stages on the trees to it's stage of deliciously sweet chocolate. After the chocolate tour we will take a boat ride to cross the rivers that are hidden deep into the reserver of the bribri. We will then make our way to the ceremony cultural center of the bribri tribe where we will have a chance to learn about the many different plants of the tribe. Here we will also enjoy an indigenous dinner along with song and dance of the culture that is fighting to be preserved in the Bribri tribe.

We will arrive back to the Beach hotel in the evening where we will have a farewell dinner and a final briefing on the days activities. The topic that will be discussed in deforestation and how all if this is changing the lives of indians and affecting the global economy and fight for stopping climate change. Also during this briefing there will be a reflection on the entire trip where students will be asked to write and talk about the experience. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)


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

Today we will make our way back to the San Jose airport where you will catch your flight home! (Meals: Breakfast)