Fork Union Academy: Costa Rica 2024

Day 1: Welcome to Costa Rica!

Arrive into Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) or Liberia (LIN) and meet your 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.

Overnight: Hotel in San Jose or Liberia

Day 2: Venture to the Coast

Depart to Camaronal Wildlife Refuge after a delicious Tico breakfast. Enjoy the beautiful drive over the mountains and along the coast, and arrive at Camaronal Wildlife Refuge to receive an introduction to the week’s service project with the turtles. After you get settled in and enjoy dinner, start your expedition with a night walk along the beach patrolling for turtles in the dark.

Overnight: Hotel Hacienda del Mar in Carrillo Beach

Days 3 – 5: Turtle Conservation and Beachside Exploration!

Wake up surrounded by nature, gain energy from a tasty breakfast, and get ready to protect sea turtles. The next several days you will live as a Costa Rican Park Ranger and understand how important — and often challenging — it is to work in a conservation project. But all the hard work will be worth it as soon as we meet these incredible species, if we are lucky!

This turtle expedition will involve nightly walks looking for sea turtles, working in the hatchery, and participating in beach clean-ups. All of this just to protect the turtles nesting on Camaronal Beach.

1. Night walks: During high tide and in the company of the park ranger, the group will walk all along the beach looking for turtles. If we’re lucky, we’ll see the whole process of turtles coming out of the ocean, looking for the right spot to lay their eggs, laying eggs, and finally coming back to the ocean. When a nest is found, the park ranger will decide if it is necessary to move the eggs to the hatchery, and then plant the eggs in the hatchery. 

1. Work in the Hatchery: It is very important to keep the hatchery in good shape, things like airing the sand, raking the sand, cleaning it, and keeping the fence in good shape for stopping anybody or anything to come inside and destroy the nest.

1. Beach clean-ups: All the labor is important in order to protect sea turtles, and beach clean-ups are one of them — removing garbage, driftwood or any other objects that can become an obstacle for sea turtles laying the eggs. 

In your spare time, enjoy the natural beauty of the area with fun activities such as hikes through the Wildlife Refuge, walks through the forest to a river, soccer games on the beach, and surfing. On day four, we will take a break from service to take surf lessons.

Overnight: Hotel Hacienda del Mar in Carrillo Beach

Day 6: Zipline and Guanacaste’s Culture

In the morning we will go ziplining on top of the trees! Then, we will enjoy lunch, and in the afternoon we will learn about Guanacaste culture with some traditional dances and tortilla making classes. We will have time to sit at the beach and enjoy a beautiful sunset before enjoying an evening with your group, eating great food and listening to music under the light of the first evening stars. Join your group for a post-service debrief in the evening, discussing what you experienced and learned through hands-on work in the community. 

Overnight: Hotel Hacienda del Mar in Carrillo Beach

Day 7: Art class with local women group and back to San Jose

After breakfast, we will travel along local dirt roads to visit a women’s cooperative where we’ll learn woodworking and traditional skills during an art class. After lunch, it’s time to say goodbye to the beach and start driving to San Jose or Liberia. 

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. 

Overnight: Hotel in San Jose or Liberia

Day 8: ¡Adiós, Costa Rica!

We hope the people you’ve met, perspectives you’ve gained and lessons you’ve learned will serve you well as you head home to use your new Spanish skills in your own community. Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your departure as you say goodbyes and reflect on your adventure.