COSTA RICA: Environment and Wildlife
Length
16 days
Price
$3,485*
*Program price stands as an estimate until ticketing is finalized.
Dates
January 12 – 27, 2023
Program includes
- Roundtrip Airfare
- 15 Nights of Accommodation
- All Ground Transportation
- Daily Continental Breakfast
- Daily Lunches
- Daily Dinners
- Historical & Cultural Walking Tours
- Full Time Local Guide
- 24/7 On-Ground Emergency Support
- Travelers Health Insurance & Liability Insurance
- Tips & Gratuities
Program Highlights
- Manuel Antonio National Park and Beach
- Tamarindo beach
- Arenal
- Palo Verde Park
- Monteverde Cloud Forest
- Los Quetzales National Park
- Ziplining
- Volcano Hike
- Hanging Bridges
Itinerary
DAY 1 – DEPARTURE – Thursday, January 12
- 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.
DAY 2 – SAN GERARDO DE DOTA – Friday, January 13
- 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
DAY 3 – SAN GERARDO DE DOTA – Saturday, January 14
- 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.
DAY 4 – SAN GERARDO DE DOTA/SAN ANTONIO – Sunday, January 15
- 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.
DAY 5 – MANUEL ANTONIO – Monday, January 16
- 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.
DAY 6 – MANUEL ANTONIO/LA FORTUNA – Tuesday, January 17
- 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
DAY 7 – LA FORTUNA – Wednesday, January 18
- 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.
DAY 8 – LA FORTUNA – Thursday, January 19
- Breakfast & Day Briefing
- Visit Arenal
- Visit Rio Pena Blancas – gather data on wildlife, plants, volcanic soil
DAY 9 – LA FORTUNA/MONTEVERDE – Friday, January 20
- 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.
DAY 10 – MONTEVERDE – Saturday, January 21
- 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.
DAY 11 – MONTEVERDE – Sunday, January 22
- 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.
DAY 12 – MONTEVERDE/PALO VERDE STATION – Monday, January 23
- 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.
DAY 13 – PALO VERDE STATION – Tuesday, January 24
- 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.
DAY 14 – PALO VERDE STATION/TAMARINDO – Wednesday, January 25
- 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.
DAY 15 – TAMARINDO – Thursday, January 26
- Breakfast & Day Briefing
- Free Morning
- Afternoon Class (2 hours)
DAY 16 – RETURN – Friday, January 27
- Breakfast & Day Briefing
- Airport Transfer to Liberia (approx. 2 hrs)
- Depart Liberia, Costa Rica for Home
For any additional information or questions please email us at: Info@studyabroadassociation.com
Payments Schedule
$300 due and payable with initial application, refundable till September 30th, 2022.
$700 second payment due and payable by October 14, 2022.
$1000 third payment due and payable by October 30, 2022.
$1,485 final payment due and payable by November 30, 2022.
For any additional information or questions please email us at: Info@studyabroadassociation.com
