Depart Home for San Jose, Costa Rica
Arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica
Airport Transfer
On-Ground Briefing
Orientation Walking Tour - The group will become oriented with their neighborhood. Additionally, an in-depth safety briefing will be provided for what to do incase of an emergency.
Welcome Dinner - The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a wide variety of menu options to cater all diets.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Travel to Irazu Volcano - Here you can discover the grandeur of the highest volcano in Costa Rica. Easily accessible and close to the city, it has five craters and breathtaking views. With a beautiful mountain setting, low vegetation and very wet and cold weather, this site presents fog most of the time making the flora & Fauna mostly endemic to the region.
Visit Lankester Botanical Garden
Continue to Travel to San Gerardo de Dota - Area with a High concentration of Endemic plants & Birds.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Driving up to the Highlands of Costa Rica - Surrounded by mountains at an elevation, House of the Resplendent Quetzal one of the many endangered species of the Cloud Forest. We will study of the most fragile Life zones Costa Rica have.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Travel to San Antonio - Staying just 5 minutes away from the beach, this destination is perfectly located to observe the amount of wildlife, which can even be spotted from your hotel. It would be our first experience with the tropical Rainforest.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Manuel Antonio National Park - This is one of the smallest National Parks in Costa Rica with only 1,983 hectares or 4,900 acres. The park ranges in elevation from sea level to 160 meters. It protects rainforest, beach, and mangrove habitats. There are hiking trails in the park that lead through the jungle and to one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica, Playa Manuel Antonio.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Travel to La Fortuna (approx. 5 hrs) - The Arenal area contains a bizarre landscape of solidified lava flows, lush natural forest and tropical flora and fauna which includes howler monkeys, toucans and over 350 bird species.
Stop on Route at Tarcoles River to See Crocodiles
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Volcano Hike & Hanging Bridges, Collecting Data - Enjoy travelling the forest comfortably in our revitalizing paths full of nature and wildlife. In front of the majestic Arenal Volcano you can admire its beauty and the wonderful forest that surrounds it, as well as a reserve populated with wildlife in their natural habitat that will allow you an encounter with the roots of the human species.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Visit Arenal
Visit Rio Pena Blancas – gather data on wildlife, plants, volcanic soil
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Transfer to Monteverde (approx. 5 hours) - We will take a transportation to Arenal Lake biggest man made lake in Costa Rica. A boat ride will take us to Rio chiquito town, and the we will drive to the clouds. The surroundings here are extraordinary. We will be exposed to approximately 5 different life zones, from which we will observe the changes little by little from the Rainforest to the Cloud Forest.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve & Conservatory with the Children's Eternal Rainforest - This place was established in 1972 by a coalition of scientists from the Tropical Science Center (TSC) and Quakers from the local community. The purpose was to protect one of the last stretches of pristine cloud forest in Central America. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is a pioneering and progressive model of conservation and ecotourism based on research and education on biodiversity.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Ziplining & Classroom Day - The Zip Line tour includes 10 zip lines, with the longest zip line in all of Latin America (a 1,500-meter cable that you can do superman style), a walk over a hammock bridge, a Tarzan swing, and a walk before the ultimate zip line.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Transfer to Palo Verde Station (approx. 2 hours)
Walk Along the Trails to Explore the Dry Forest - The Palo Verde National Park is one of the most biologically diverse sites in Costa Rica. It comprises a rich mosaic of more than 15 different natural communities, including the lowland deciduous forest, the evergreen forest, the flooded forest, the deciduous forest of limestone hills, grasslands and mangroves.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
The Wetlands and its Importance for Migratory Birds - This place holds one of the largest and most important Central American wetlands and harbors one of the most intact patches of tropical lowland dry forest remaining in Central America. This Station offers a unique opportunity to study about 11 distinct habitats within a relatively small area as well as how they are affected by the human-dominated surrounding landscape.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Transfer to Tamarindo (approx. 2 hrs)
Turtle Watches - Drive to the best places to observe baby turtles and adult turtles coming to lay eggs. Of course, it is mother nature so there is no guarantee of seeing them. This is a very popular and beautiful beach located in Santa Cruz de Guanacaste. It combines white sand, with good waves for surfing, and an incredible landscape surrounded by mountains.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Free Morning
Afternoon Class (2 hours)
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Airport Transfer to Liberia (approx. 2 hrs)
Depart Liberia, Costa Rica for Home