Sarapiquí Service Adventure

Arrive into San José International Airport (SJO) and meet your Rustic Pathways Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Head to the hotel and settle in, relaxing after your long flight. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture.

Meet with La Organización para Estudios Tropicales (OTS), which you’ll partner with for your next few days in Sarapiquí. During their orientation, learn about the research they do and some of the initiatives that make Costa Rica famous for its incredible expanses of tropical spaces and unique species across the ecosystems that make up the surrounding area. Conclude your day with your first Tico dinner of gallo pinto at La Selva.

Join your group for a demonstration of the process that turns cacao into edible chocolate, and taste the result! After lunch back at the center, join the La Selva crew for a discussion about how plants adapt to different ecosystems in Costa Rica. Learn about these adaptations and understand how to classify and identify them in this environment. Get hands-on training on basic research methods that are used in the field to assess reconnecting once contiguous forests impacted by tourism. Spend your evening searching for and classifying nocturnal insects.

Wake and spend your morning working in San Ramon de Sarapiquí on a service project alongside members of the local community to help build a home and bathroom facilities. In the afternoon, learn about the Audubon Christmas Census and how it has contributed to understanding avian populations and movements around the world. Learn about bird counts and the species you’ll identify by sight and sound. Have dinner before another night excursion, building on what you’ve learned about nocturnal species.

After breakfast in La Selva, continue your service project. Join your group for a post-service debrief in the evening, discussing what you experienced and learned through hands-on work in the community.

Rise early for breakfast before departing for a two-hour bus ride to Cahuita for lunch on the beach. After a short safety lesson, spend the afternoon snorkeling and exploring the reef ecosystem. Learn from your Program Leaders about the species that inhabit this part of the Caribbean sea.

Depart after breakfast for a one-hour bus ride to Puerto Viejo, another beach with a very different vibe. Surf and enjoy this part of the island. If it’s your first time, no problem! Our Costa Rican professional surf instructors will have you riding waves within an hour! Enjoy some souvenir shopping and relaxation on the palm-lined beaches before heading back to San Jose.

At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds. During or after their closing discussion, groups participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories and learning moments of their program to process and share with their communities back home.

After some final group photographs and high-fives with the Tico team, your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your departure as you say goodbyes and reflect on your adventure. Pura Vida!