- Program
- Pura Vida Service, Costa Rica
- Traveled
- June 2025
- Hometown
- Dorado, Puerto Rico
- Program Leaders
- Danni, Dan, Annie, and Gaby
In this first-person account, Camila of Dorado, Puerto Rico, looks back on Rustic Pathways’ Pura Vida Service program in Costa Rica in June 2025, with photos from the trip.
Camila describes the locals and friends met along the way, zip lining, rafting and hot springs, a bond formed in one week, and the mission of helping others and creating a cleaner, safer environment.
Camila’s Welcome Home From Costa Rica: Pura Vida Service
Hello! My name is Camila, and I just arrived back home to Puerto Rico from the Costa Rica: Pura Vida Service! I truly cannot express how grateful I am to have been a part of this trip.
All of the wonderful connections I made will stay with me my whole life, from the locals I met in Costa Rica to the friends I made with Rustic Pathways. Randy the nicest bus driver ever, the leaders (Danni, Dan, Annie, Gaby) and the people I got to hang out with everyday are what made the experience truly unforgettable. We got to spend time together having fun zip lining, water rafting and chilling in the hot springs.
A Bond Made in One Week in Costa Rica
I will miss the fun and chaotic car rides and Dan taking photos at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of all I will miss my friends, just in one week we created a bond that is unbreakable and I will cherish it forever.
Camila on Traveling Alone and the Mission in Costa Rica
Last but not least, traveling alone was not easy but this program made you feel right at home and that is why I will tell everyone they have to participate in it at least once in their lifetime! Not only because of the people you’ll meet, and the places you’ll see but because of the mission you’re trying to accomplish. That mission is to help others and create a cleaner, safer and better environment for the visitors, citizens, and kids.
Thank you for this opportunity Rustic Pathways!
Camila describes the friends, the leaders and the mission of helping others that came home to Puerto Rico. The memories concern the June 2025 session, and Camila first shared them on the Rustic Pathways Instagram account on July 4, 2025.
The program still runs as Costa Rica: Pura Vida Service. It runs 8 days for students ages 14–18 and includes about 16 hours of community service near Arenal Volcano, helping improve local schools and maintain park trails. See the program page for the current itinerary, dates and activities.
