After your three-week adventure in Costa Rica, you’ll be speaking Spanish like a local! We’ll spend five days learning the official language with host families, before thanking them with a community service project. We’ll hike along lush trails in Parque Nacional del Volcán Arenal and swim at the base of towering waterfalls. We’ll tube the rivers of Volcán Rincón de la Vieja National Park and contribute to the conservation of Costa Rica’s green turtles. We’ll surf at the world-famous Playa Tamarindo, snorkel in the crystalline waters, and whitewater raft the Río Pacuare!
Ultimate Costa Rica
Enroll NowUltimate Costa Rica
Destination
Costa Rica
Current Grades
9th-11th
Airports
Arrive: San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)
Depart: San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)
Itinerary
Day 1-6: Learn Spanish during a homestay
For five days, we will take Spanish classes with Costa Rican teachers from CPI Spanish Immersion School while staying with local families (two to three students per homestay). Students will be in small classes, grouped by language ability. It’s not all classroom time, however—we’ll also explore the surrounding region in a multitude of ways! One day, we’ll take a Latin cooking class, and another we’ll hike in the verdant Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. We’ll zoom through the forest canopy on a zipline, and we’ll tour El Trapiche, which houses plantations of sugar cane, coffee, bananas, plantains, oranges, and more!
Accommodation: Homestay
Day 7-8: Community service with Life Monteverde
On two different afternoons, we’ll volunteer with Life Monteverde, an organization of 12 Costa Rican families dedicated to sustainable agriculture and coffee production. Their 42-acre farm is home not only to coffee, but also an organic vegetable garden, fruit trees, and goats, pigs, and hens.
Accommodation: Hostel
Dates and Prices
-
Departure Day
06/29/23
-
Return Day
07/19/23
-
Grade
9–11
-
Price
$6,588
-
Availability
Limited
Departure Day | Return Day | Grade | Price | Availability |
---|---|---|---|---|
06/29/23
|
07/19/23
|
9–11
|
$6,588
|
limited
|
Accommodations & Service
Community Service: Approximately 20 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.
- Sea Turtles: We help protect local sea turtle populations by helping hatchlings make it to the ocean.
Accommodations:
- 13 nights of bed and breakfast style accommodations. We stay in small, comfortable, and authentic eco-lodges and hostels.
- 7 nights of homestays. There are 2-3 students per family during the homestay portion of the trip. Students only share a room with other students. Homestay families have been vetted and are middle-class families, they have clean water and refrigerators at every home.
Activities
Community Service: 20 hours
Hiking
Surfing
Zip Lining
Whitewater rafting
Snorkeling
Whitewater tubing
Reviews
I learned that it’s extremely important to be present and cherish every moment. The three weeks flew by so fast that it almost felt like a dream and that it didn’t even happen. When I returned from the trip, I instantly missed having roommates and eating each meal with the group. I believe that you gain the most knowledge when you travel and immerse yourself in unfamiliar environments. The homestays gave me the opportunity to improve my Spanish skills by interacting with the family in addition to trying authentic food.
What an awesome, well-run experience for my teen. I was excited she got to see a new country, make new friends, and grow in her Spanish skills.
The trip was well organized with a wonderful variety of experiences for the kids to enjoy and learn from. I never had to worry about safety.
My son had a fantastic time – best of his life! Bold Earth combined volunteering, adventure and travel into an experience that my teenage son absolutely loved. Thank you so much – it was simply a perfect summer program for him!
This is our second experience with Bold Earth (we sent our other child last year) and they sure know what they’re doing! Their staff is ALL very well-trained in terms of cheery personalities, prompt email responses, organization, and attention to detail. The Bold Earth experience has paved a future of independence, confidence, and courage we wanted for our teens. Thank you so much!
I loved everything, especially the ziplining and the waterfalls. Surfing and beach time was also fun! The jungle was really cool, and community service was rewarding. Everything was really well-organized.
My daughter had a wonderful time. It was her first time being away from home for so long and in another country. We felt she was in safe hands and had a wonderful, enriching experience where she made many new friends and gained independence.
It was one of the most fun times in my life. I made many amazing connections in the group, and I could be myself around everyone, which is huge.