Join our Eco-Adventures program in Costa Rica for an educational travel experience with your students. Explore the Sarapaqui rainforests, the Arenal Volcano hot springs, and the Monteverde canopies with a local guide. Learn STEM concepts and experience field ecology firsthand.
This student travel program is designed to incorporate all elements of STEM learning. Check the itinerary for activities designated with S, T, E, or M, as those have special emphasis on that area of study.
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Itinerary
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Costa Rica
7 Days
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
Night Bat Tour at Tirimbina Rainforest Center
Sarapiquí River White Water Rafting
Arenal Volcano National Park
Monteverde Cloud Forest
Red-Eyed Tree Frog at Monteverde Frog Pond
Take a look inside our Costa Rica travel programs!
Your adventure, day by day
Day 1 :
Welcome to Costa Rica!
Arrive in San José
Meet your WorldStrides representative before embarking on your once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Orientation
Course leaders provide an overview of the program’s key concepts you’ll learn, as well as the sites you’ll visit throughout the program.
Dinner and Hotel check-inOvernight in San José
Day 2 :
Discover the Sarapiquí Region
Breakfast and Hotel check-outDepart for Sarapiquí RegionTirimbina Color Challenge
Participate in a team challenge where you’ll search for beautiful and exotic species of plants and animals of a specific color. You’ll be amazed by the vibrant hues of the birds, flowers, and frogs that call Costa Rica home.
LunchTirimbina: Rainforest Center
Get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a field ecologist by going out into the field and constructing ecological hypotheses, collecting data, and analyzing the results. Learn how bats are farmers of the tropics by viewing their interaction with the rainforest habitat.
Hotel check-in and DinnerTirimbina: Nighttime Bat Observations
Learn what it takes to be a field researcher in the tropical rain forest, by working with researchers to set up mist nets and catch individual bats for identification and documentation. When possible, observe the process for bats being released from the nets.
Overnight in Sarapiquí
Day 3 :
Examine Costa Rican Ecology
Good morning!
Start off by meeting outside the research center to learn about native bird species.
Costa Rican Bird Activity & Hike
Learn how to identify basic bird physical characteristics and behaviors and improve your bird watching skills in the garden areas of the Lodge.
Seed Traps
Check seed traps and evaluate the material collected from the previous night’s bat tour activities.
BreakfastTirimbina: Macroinvertebrate Survey
Spend time looking carefully at the macroinvertebrate population in the rainforest. Learn to measure and count, analyze the biodiversity of a sample, and report the findings. If possible, gather water samples from the river and perform water quality tests.
LunchSarapiquí River: White Water Rafting Adventure
Paddle the rapids through the lower Sarapiquí and its tributaries from the Braulio Carrillo National Park. View the stunning scenery and wildlife at the river's edge!
DinnerOvernight in Sarapiquí
Day 4 :
Adventures in Arenal
Breakfast and Hotel check-outDepart for ArenalExperience Costa Rican Culture
Gather with community members for a hands-on cooking lesson. Students will learn to make a traditional Costa Rican dish for lunch.
Cultural Excursion
Take a short walk through town to grab a snack or souvenir, and get a taste of typical Costa Rican life.
Arenal Volcano National Park: Hike the Lava Flows
Hike the lava fields of this 4,000-year-old volcano and learn
how plants and animals have become reestablished after
volcanic activity.
Natural Hot Springs
Relax at the base of the volcano and enjoy the Baldi Hot Springs.
Dinner and Hotel check-inOvernight in Arenal
Day 5 :
Examine Monteverde
Breakfast and Hotel check-outScenic Tour around Arenal Lake to Tilaran
Transfer to Monteverde
LunchIntroduction to Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
Service Project
Lend a hand to the local Costa Rican community by volunteering. Projects will vary based on the needs of the ecological communities.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
Explore the most well-known cloud forest in the world and learn how the variable climate and large altitude changes helped produce an extremely high degree of biodiversity.
Monteverde: Frog Pond
Students will experience many species of Costa Rican frogs up close (including poison dart frogs, glass frogs and toads). They will learn about the species that are unique to the tropics of Costa Rica.
Dinner and Hotel check-inOvernight in Monteverde
Day 6 :
Zip into Biodiversity
Breakfast and Hotel check-outMonteverde Canopy Tour
Hooked to a zip line, soar through the forest treetops and see jungle life in the Costa Rican rainforest from a bird’s eye perspective!
Lunch and Return to San JoséSouvenir Stop
Stop along the way and pick up a souvenir in one of Costa Rica’s local shops before heading home.
Farewell Costa Rican DinnerExperience Costa Rican Culture
Gather with community members to participate in a dancing lesson and experience vibrant, tropical Latin dance.
Hotel check-inOvernight in San José
Day 7 :
Departure to the U.S.
Breakfast and Hotel check-outDepart San José for the U.S.
*This itinerary may be modified and inclusions and airports substituted depending on your travel dates, arrival and departure times, national holidays, hours of operation in Costa Rica, and events beyond WorldStrides’ control.
Please note: Prices vary depending on departure city and
duration of program.
By Phone: Some programs may be eligible for phone registration. Visit our Contact Us page to find the phone number!
By Mail: If you received a trip letter distributed by your program leader, complete the registration form and fax the front and back with your credit card information to the number or address provided in your letter.
Some WorldStrides programs offer incentives for early registration, so please refer to the information provided to you by your program leader for complete details.
When registering, you'll need to use the Trip ID assigned to your program. Each ID is unique and can also be found on the registration information provided to you by the educator leading this program.
*Note: Some groups may have special registration procedures. Please check with your program leader if you cannot find a Trip ID associated with your trip.
Can students earn academic credit from their travel programs?
Yes! We love when students get credit for learning. This helps them get a step ahead, whether its for a college application or for a future career.
All middle programs include the opportunity to earn free high school credit. Our Perspectives programs offer high school students the opportunity to earn three free college preparatory credits. Most of our higher education programs include credit from the academic institution of record.
Our online courses make it easy to earn credit at a student's own pace. WorldStrides offers coursework that has been carefully designed to combine the field experience with online assignments that demonstrate achievement of learning objectives. Acceptance of credit is always at the discretion of the receiving institution. Click here for more information.
Or, you can contact our Curriculum & Academics Team at discovery@worldstrides.org
What's included in the cost of a domestic or high school international program?
Every program is customized and what's included may vary from trip to trip. A typical program includes transportation (air or motor coach), hotel accommodations, meals, a daily guide (Course Leader or Tour Director), sightseeing activities, and immersive educational content. All programs also include all of our safety provisions and support.
The registration letter provided by the teacher leading your program has all the inclusion details for your specific program.
Class is in session. And, by that, of course we mean
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