Pura vida! Costa Rica is packed with adventure, like whitewater rafting down tropical rivers, surfing on world-class beaches, and hiking in lush rainforests. Wildlife abounds in this diverse landscape; don’t be startled the first time you hear a howler monkey—they’ll keep their distance! We’ll see bubbling mud pits and mini-geysers around volcanoes, visit cascading waterfalls, and walk in the country’s famous cloud forests. We’ll make sure to give back to local communities by participating in meaningful service projects.
Costa Rica Active
Enroll NowCosta Rica Active
Destination
Costa Rica
Current Grades
9th-11th
Airports
Arrive: San Jose (SJO)
Depart: San Jose (SJO)
Itinerary
Day 1-3: Hike around Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
After landing in San Jose and exploring the nearby, culturally-rich Heredia, we’ll set off on our Costa Rica adventure with three days in the extraordinarily biodiverse Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Monteverde (meaning “green mountain”) is home to more than 100 species of mammals (including all six species of the cat family and endangered species), 400 species of birds, and 120 species of reptiles and amphibians. We’ll explore the reserve’s splendor from walkways built into the forest canopy, and we’ll do a night hike to see nocturnal animals in action! Want to see things from a different perspective? You’ll get to fly through the canopy on the world’s first two-mile-long zipline!
Accommodation: Hostel
Day 4-6: Community service and cultural immersion in Monteverde
During our three days of Monteverde adventure, students will get to know local Tico families in the community through a variety of community projects. They’ll also get to practice their Spanish! Two days will be spent giving back to these beautiful mountainous communities by volunteering with Siempre Amigos, an organization dedicated to providing aid to underserved families. An integral part of the Tico culture is inclusivity; by the time our students leave this community it will feel like a home away from home. We coordinate with locals in the community to participate in need-based projects, which include cooking, farming, and helping repair homes.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Dates and Prices
-
Departure Day
06/29/24
-
Return Day
07/12/24
-
Grade
9-11
-
Price
$5,088
-
Availability
Full
-
Departure Day
07/15/24
-
Return Day
07/28/24
-
Grade
9–11
-
Price
$5,088
-
Availability
Limited
Departure Day | Return Day | Grade | Price | Availability |
---|---|---|---|---|
06/29/24
|
07/12/24
|
9-11
|
$5,088
|
full
|
07/15/24
|
07/28/24
|
9–11
|
$5,088
|
limited
|
Accommodations & Service
Community Service: Approximately 15 Hours
- Siempre Amigos: Humanitarian projects vary from year to year based on community needs. Projects are usually a combination of housing projects and school visits.
Accommodations:
- The students will stay in bed and breakfast style accommodations. We stay in small, comfortable, and authentic eco-lodges and hotels.
Activities
Community service: 15 hours
Hiking
Cultural Immersion
River tubing
Surfing
Whitewater rafting
Ziplining
Reviews
Our daughter came to Bold Earth a teen and emerged after two weeks as a young adult full of confidence, enthusiasm, and compassion. She will definitely be going back next year. Bold Earth offers a great set of activities and fantastic service opportunities, fosters community, and gave our daughter the trip of a lifetime. She gained so much confidence along her journey to independence and made lifelong friends.
Meeting new friends. Sharing talk time. Learning about different cultures and doing community service to understand the socio and economic standards of that culture… Exploring Costa Rica gave my daughter a in-depth perspective of different parts of the country and gave her worldly experience of a lifetime. And the trip leaders made each activity structured, memorable, and fun.
Bold Earth has given me the best two summers. The culture they have created is unlike any other camp I have been to. I have made some lifelong friendships and memories. I would recommend Bold Earth to anyone.
Best spent money ever. Jordyn went into the trip with high anxiety and low confidence. She came out of the trip with the knowledge that it is OK to go outside of your comfort zone and believe in yourself. She grew tremendously and has not stopped talking about her experience, the other kids, and her fabulous leaders. Thank you Bold Earth!
My daughter had a WONDERFUL time! She thrived at Bold Earth. It was just what she needed to come out of her shell! This is our second experience with Bold Earth. It is a GREAT travel program for teens. I wish they had a program for the parents!
My favorite part of the trip was bonding with the other people in my group. We did everything together. It was the best two weeks of my life. The lessons I learned on this trip were life-changing. It has the ability to change anyone’s life for the better.
I loved all of the service projects and activities, but my favorite part was my group and group time—we all became really good friends and had tons of fun and laughs together.
It was a phenomenal experience from the people I was with to the activities and service we did.