- Program
- Pura Vida Service, Costa Rica
- Traveled
- Summer 2024
- Hometown
- southern California
In this first-person account, Gabi of southern California, looks back on Rustic Pathways’ Pura Vida Service program in Costa Rica in summer 2024, with photos from the trip.
Gabi describes new friends made while ziplining and white water rafting, service work with local kids, and lifelong memories.
Gabi’s Pura Vida Service Trip: Friends, Ziplining and White Water Rafting
Hi! My name is Gabi, and I went on the Costa Rica Pura Vida Service trip this summer. During this trip, I met tons of new friends. Not only did I get to experience super fun times with them such as ziplining and white water rafting, I also had an amazing time doing service with them.
Gabi’s Favorite Part: The Kids in Costa Rica
My favorite part was getting to see how happy and inviting the little kids we worked with were, which is something I don’t think would happen where I live in southern California.
What Gabi Took Home From Costa Rica
I would highly recommend this trip! I will have lifelong memories and friends that I try to still keep in touch with today, months later.
Gabi describes the new friends, the service work with local kids and the lifelong memories. The memories concern the summer 2024 session, and Gabi first shared them on the Rustic Pathways Instagram account on April 9, 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, with improvements at Escuela Linda Vista, a local elementary school, and trail maintenance in Arenal Volcano National Park. See the program page for the current itinerary, dates and activities.
