Ann Bermudez Sample Itin

Day 1 ----------- Arrive and Travel to Homestays (Sitio de Mata Homestays)

MEET HOMESTAYS

Today we will meet you at the airport and make the 2 hour drive to the homestays. If you arrive from Tennessee to Costa Rica on a mid-afternoon flight we will have time to make the drive directly to the homestays on day 1. When we arrive we will have a central meeting area where everyone will meet their homestay families. We will have different activities to break the ice and get everyone introduced to the village and the visiting guest. The first meal we will all eat together upon arrival giving more time for everyone to get comfortable with everyone. After the ice breakers and dinner you will go to your homes and spend the rest of the evening with your family. (Meals: Dinner)

Day 2 ----------- Homestay Activities (Sitio de Mata Homestays)

Today we will wake up and all eat breakfast at our homestays and then meet up for the day activities. The day will start with visiting a local school. Many of the kids in the homestay will be attending school and chances are we will be visiting their school. We will do an activity of culture exchange where we pair the students up with local kids and learn about different things in their culture. This is a great day to get to know more people in the community and use those Spanish skills. After a morning in the school we will make our way to our homestays and enjoy lunch. After lunch you will have some rest time and a chance to enjoy your family or just walk around the village. We will meet back at 3pm when we will do tortilla classes & gallo pinto classes. This activity will take us into dinner time where we will eat the food we prepared. Today your students are cooking for their homestays which is always fun and interesting considering some of the tortillas usually come out shaped like Tennessee and not the perfect moon circle the locals have mastered. In the evening we will have a meeting where we will talk about the experience so far and try and get some feedback from the kids. After the meeting it is time for dance classes. It will be a full salsa and merengue class. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 3 ----------- Turrialba Scavenger Hunt (Sitio de Mata Homestays)

Today is another full day of activities of experience the culture. Everyone will enjoy breakfast at the homestay and then you will be given 100 colones (20 US cents) from your homestay mother where you will have to wait outside of your house to catch the local bus to Turrialba. We will all be traveling together as a group. We will then arrive to the small town of Turrialba where teams of 4 will be given list of things to buy along with a member of your homestay to help guide along if it is too difficult. This is a true immersion of kids having to use their Spanish in a real setting of out in the real world. IN the evening we will have dinner and then do dance classes again. Our plan is to master a dancing skills for the final night fiesta.  (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 4 ----------- Community Service (Sitio de Mata Homestays)

Today we are going to give back to the community after they have given so much to us. Our community service project will depend on what you are looking to do. We often do different eco-projects which the community really enjoys getting the kids outside. There are a number of things to do and help is always welcomed. The community service will be a morning activity and then lunch at their homestays. At 3pm we will get a soccer game going which is often the highlight of the trip. After the soccer game you will make your way to your homestays and shower up for the last night fiesta. This is a full on show of local culture, food, and dance. We will be pro's at salsa dancing and ready for the fiesta with all of the friends we have made in the last few days. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)


Day 5 ----------- Enter Pacuare River (Pacuare Tent Lodge)

Today we will say good-bye to our families and make our way to what National Geographic has listed as one of their top 3 rivers on the planet for scenery. We will spend the afternoon rafting through the tropical rainforest and sleeping in a beautiful lodge on the side of the river. We sleep in tents but they are above ground tents with bathrooms, showers, and a dinning area. It is camping but it is not roughing it by any means. We will be your cooks for the night and will prepare for you a river lunch and dinner during your stay. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 6 ----------- Leave Pacuare & Travel to Arenal Volcano (Casa Luna Lodge)

A night in the jungle!

Today we will raft the famous Pacuare Canyon. This is the most scenic part of the river that is filled with waterfalls and canyons. It also has some of the best rapids on the river which will keep everyone student soaked from start to finish. After we make our way out of the river we will drive to the famous Arenal Volcano. Here you will be staying in the Casa Luna Lodge which is a beautiful hotel that has views of the volcano from every room. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 7 ----------- Zipline & Visit La Fortuna Town (Casa Luna Lodge)


Today we will be doing the zipline. This is a chance to zip through the rainforest and have excellent views of the Arenal Volcano. The kids always love this adventure and makes for a great thing to do on the last day. After the zipline we will have the afternoon to enjoy the pool at the hotel and visit the town of La Fortuna where they can souvenir shop. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 8 ----------- Fly Home!


Today we will make the 2 1/2 hour drive to the airport. It would be best to not have a very early morning flight on this day if possible. (Meals: Breakfast)

Oak Hall Round 3!

Itinerary Option #1

Day 1 ------ Arrive & Drive to Arenal (Casa Luna)

Irazu Crater

Today we will meet you at the airport and make our way to the Arenal area. This is really the spot we need to be in order to make the Cano Negro trip. We will stay at the Casa Luna hotel or if you wanted to mix it up a little bit we could stay somewhere different like the Arenal Observatory Hotel. (Meals: Dinner)

Day 2 ------ Visit Cano Negro (Casa Luna)

Today will be the day trip to Cano Negro. It is a full day on a private boat with a chance to see plenty of wildlife. We will spend around 3 hours on the boat just floating around the wetlands seeing different birds, mammals, and reptiles. In the evening we will head back to the hotel in the Arenal area. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 3 ------ Canyoneering Drive to Tirimbina (Tirimbina Sarapiqui)

Today we will start the day with the canyoneering as I feel everyone would like to get that in since it was scratched last year. The morning will be filled with the canyoneering adventure and the afternoon making the 2 hour drive to the Tirimbina rainforest area. This is another area where wildlife is plentiful and an excellent learning environment for students. When we arrive we will get situated and then take part in the night hike. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 4 ------ Travel to Casa Turire (Casa Turire)

When we wake up we will do some of the best birding in the country along with another nature hike looking for some critters and animals of all types. After lunch we will make the drive to the Casa Turire hotel which is one of Turrialba's finest. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 5 ------ Raft Duckies to Camp (Camp Pacuare)

Today is your day for rafting in Dukies. Here everyone will get their own duckie or they will have the option to raft with a guide. You can decide to do a full day of duckie rafting and we return to the Casa Turire hotel for another night or we can do the night on the river and raft out in rafts on day 2 of the river. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 6 ------ Raft Out and Travel to San Jose (San Jose Hotel)

Today we will raft out and travel back to the San Jose area. If you decided just to do the day trip of rafting we can get up in the morning and head to the Irazu Volcano crater which is at 9,000ft and has some excellent views of looking into the crater. If you decided to camp on the river we will raft the big rapids of Pacuare and then head straight back to the San Jose area. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 7 ------ Fly Home!

Today we will catch your flight and go back home!!! Always hate to see Maria Leave!!!


Itinerary Option #2

Day 1 ------ Arrive & Drive to La Cusinga (La Cusinga)

Today we will meet you at the airport and make the 3 hour drive to La Cusinga. This is one of the most unique spots in Costa Rica. It is a true ecolodge developed by one of the pioneer conservationist that came down to Costa Rica from the US 40 years ago. When it comes to views of the Pacific this place can not be beat. (Meals: Dinner)

Day 2 ------ Zipline & Nature Hike at La Cusinga (La Cusinga)

Today you will zip probably my second favorite zipline in the country. One part about it that beats all other ziplines is that it has a tarzan swing. This swing is amazing and the kids will love it with a view of 1,000ft above sea-level it gets the adrenaline going. After the zipline we will head back to La Cusinga where we will take a hike on the reserve and look for some wildlife. In the evening we can do a bon-fire on the property and do one of Maria's great ideas of who knows what you will come up with next for evening activities for outdoors! (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 3 ------ Raft Savegre River (La Cusinga)

Why Raft when you can TUBE!!!

Today we will raft the Savegre River. This is a great day trip and something different than Pacuare. We  have a section of it that is class IV where we will raft in rafts and then at the bottom section where it is just class II's we will let everyone get their private inner-tube and we will make our way down on tubes that are actually made for whitewater. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 4 ------ Travel to Drake Bay (Drake Bay Lodge)

Nature Hike

Today we will leave La Cusinga and make our way down to the Osa Peninsula. Here we will drive for around 1hour and then be transported by boat. We will make our way through mangroves where we have a chance to see wildlife and then out into the Pacific getting through the mouth of the river is an adventure in itself. We will then arrive at Drake Bay where we will be staying for the next few nights among complete jungle and wildlife. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Hola Maria!!!

Day 5 ------ Nature Hike (Drake Bay Lodge)


You will wake up to the sound of the Scarlett Macaws that are everywhere down here flying in pairs up and down the coastline. After we get some breakfast we will get into the jungle and start to learn about the rainforest. We have developed some great games that I think you would enjoy when we have a full day like this in the jungle we have teams and different activities where they compete against each other while finding different species and things of such and then we tally up in the afternoon. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 6 ------ Activities at Lodge (Drake Bay Lodge)

Eyelash Pit-Viper

After a full day in the jungle today we can plan on doing some water activites. You have the option of renting kayaks or we can do a Cano Negro Trip where we head out to the island and do some snorkeling. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 7 ------ Fly to San Jose Airport to catch flight home!


Today we will fly off the peninsula and into the San Jose airport where you will connect to your international flight. (Meals: Breakfast)

Kennedy Catholic High School Sample Itin 2012

Day 1 --------- Arrive and Drive to La Cusinga (La Cusinga)


Today you will arrive in San Jose and continue to travel south to the the Central Pacific area of Costa Rica. You will be staying in one of the most amazing eco-lodges in the country. It is situated on the edge of the Pacific where everyone will have a view of the ocean. The lodge is called La Cusinga and is surrounded by 500 acres of primary and secondary rainforest. It is a great place to be for a few nights and do an intro to the rainforest from the lodge. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 2 --------- Intro to the Rainforest & Zipline (La Cusinga)

Today we will allow everyone to sleep in. We want you rested after your long first day of travel. We'll have breakfast with views of the Pacific where we might catch a glimpse of the humpback whales who often visit these waters. Then we'll take a nature hike into the rainforest and start observing first-hand the biodiversity and basic ecology of the tropics. After a morning in the jungle we'll have lunch at the hotel and then head to the zipline. This is a great zipline with 14 cables and a tarzan swing. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 3 --------- Enter Cave (Sleep Behind Waterfall)


Today we will travel inland to the base of the ridge where we will make a hike to one of the most beautiful areas of Costa Rica. This is an intense hike that we often take school groups to, but we do ask that everyone is ready for about a 1 1/2 hour hike in hot and humid weather that is pretty much uneven stairs the entire way. You might be asking yourself if it is worth it and the answer we always get is YES! When we arrive at the cave,  lunch will be ready for us and then we'll spend the afternoon rappeling a 150ft waterfall. In the evening we will be sitting around the campfire and just enjoying the sound of the rushing waterfalls. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)



 Day 4 --------- Hike out of Cave and Travel to Sitio de Mata (Homestays)

The morning will be spent hiking to visit some more waterfalls in the area and then we will be hiking out of the cavern and making our way to the homestays. It is a beautiful drive to the homestays as we pass over the tallest mountain range in all of Costa Rica and pass through the region of the Paramo getting up to almost 11,000ft. We will descend down to the Turrialba area and the homestays in Stio de Mata. We will be staying here for two nights. Our homestay families will welcome us warmly.


Day 5 --------- Sitio de Mata Activities (Homestays)
Today will be a full day of activities at the homestays. We will be visiting our local farm where we will do some environmental activities such as planting and learning about sustainability. The students will also spend time with their families, playing games and taking part in  different cultural activities. We'll have a Ticos vs. Gringos soccer game for the kids and then in the evening it will be a full-out fiesta of local food and dance. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 6 --------- Raft Pacuare River (Central Valley Hotel)

Today will be some of the best three hours you can find anywhere in Costa Rica. We will be rafting the Pacuare River which this past weekend was the site of the World Rafting Championships. So you will have bragging rights now, saying you not only rafted what National Geographic has listed as one of their top five rivers on the planet but also where the pros run their competition. The section we will be running is the lower commercial section that is filled with beautiful canyons and waterfalls from start to finish. After the rafting we will make our way back to the Central Valley where we will celebrate all the great adventures we had in Costa Rica. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)


Day 7 --------- Fly Home!
(Meals: Breakfast)