COSTA RICA SCHOOL LANGUAGE TOUR   

This Costa Rica educational language tour offers a combination of language learning, service, cultural engagement, and active exploration in a country of great natural beauty.  Students will have opportunities for Spanish conversation through our service work and daily interactions with Costa Ricans.  We’ll also interact with the community while working with children in local schools, foster care centers and orphanages.  Your students will see how their Spanish can be used to aid communities in need.  The adventure part of this trip includes exploring the beautiful rainforest, a zip-line canopy tour, and jumping into a tropical waterfall in La Fortuna.  Each morning will begin with a short Spanish lesson covering key phrases to be used through the day’s events.

Sample Itinerary - 7 Days

Day 1 • Arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica

Arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica, and meet your Appleseed Expeditions guide once you pass through customs and immigration.  You will transfer by bus to the hotel, then have a bit of time to freshen up and, if time permits, maybe even shop at a traditional Costa Rican market in downtown San Jose.  Following dinner you will return to the hotel for group orientation.

Day 2 • Help with The Abraham Project

Today the group will be involved in aiding with construction and mentoring projects at The Abraham Project.  This project helps the needy children from local Nicaraguan squatter’s villages and has also set up three homes for orphaned children in Costa Rica.  They also have a day care facility for the children from the squatter’s village.  They have used all recycled materials to build their facilities.  They construct most of their buildings from wood, which they receive from a local glass plant that donates their used crates to the center.  That’s where you come in!  We can help them clean, sand, and treat the wood.  All you need is a willing hand and a pair of work gloves.  In the afternoon you will also help out with the children in the day care center by putting on arts and crafts projects, setting up games, or even sitting and coloring.  Students will be involved in a variety of projects from helping with light painting, treating and cutting wood, to spending time with the children.  Spanish communication will be the focus when serving these children and families.  This evening the group will participate in cooking lessons focusing on Costa Rican cuisine.  Dinner will of course be your creations!

Day 3 • ASIS Wildlife Rescue Center

and Folk Dancing - Following breakfast your group will travel to La Fortuna and Mt. Arenal, one of the world’s most active volcanoes.  In the afternoon the group will volunteer at ASIS wildlife rescue center that is located near La Fortuna.  Many endangered animals have been displaced due to over development of certain areas in Costa Rica. Your group will help with cage enlargement, veterinarian assistance, animal rehabilitation, and a variety of other projects that aid endangered animals.  This evening the group will experience traditional folk dancing after dinner.

Day 4 • Orphanage, Waterfalls and Volcanoes

Today the group will continue mentoring and aiding orphaned children between the ages of 2 and 12 at the La Fortuna orphanage center.  After lunch the group will head to the rainforest for a hike down to a majestic waterfall that drops almost 300 feet out of the rainforest.  Along this rainforest trail we frequently see the following: monkeys, two types of toucans, White-Nosed Coatis, Oro Pendulas, Golden Eyelash Vipers, Boa Constrictors, and Great Curasows. In the evening you will observe the lava flows of Volcano Arenal.

Day 5 • Canopy Tour and Don Juan’s Organic Coffee Plantation

This morning the group will go to Ecoglide and take a zip-line tour through the canopy of the rainforest.  At the end of the zip line course students will have the opportunity to try out the Tarzan swing if they dare!  Later you will then learn about sustainable agriculture by visiting Don Juan’s organic Coffee plantation.  Here the group will eat lunch and explore the coffee plantation and organic gardens.  This evening you will make the transfer back to the San Jose area.  Dinner will be enjoyed on the way.

Day 6 • White Water Rafting the Pacuare

River - This will be a day of unforgettable white water rafting!  The Pacuare River provides an adventurous ride filled with        stunning beauty along the entire length of its twisting and turning rapids.  The river runs from the country’s highest mountain range to the coastal lowlands of the Atlantic.  This is a safe and very exciting experience!  Along the way we will stop and explore the riverbanks and collect poison arrow frogs for analysis.

Day 7 • Journey Home

After a great time of service, cultural immersion, and education we will have breakfast, explore the historic town of Heredia, and then head home.