Costa Rica School Group

Today the group meets up at your home city airport and travels together to Toronto, where an overnight stay is arranged. Alternate stopover cities may be required depending on flight schedules. We can arrange airfare from any city.

Overnight at Comfort Inn and Suites or similar, Toronto Pearson Airport area

Fly south from Toronto to San Jose, Costa Rica. Upon arrival at the airport, you will be welcomed and assisted through Migration and Customs.  Your guide will meet the group outside of the airport terminal and will escort you to your private motor coach. Once in the bus, your guide will hand over a Welcome Kit including different documentation on Costa Rica, a map, itinerary description, brochures etc. During the transfer time to the
hotel, the guide will also brief the group on the planned activities and on some general aspects of the country.

Overnight at Casa Conde Hotel or similar

Today you head to the famous Tortuguero National Park, located on Costa Rica’s northern Caribbean coast. The drive will take you through the Braulio Carrillo National Park, where you can observe the beauty of one of the most extensive tropical rain forests in the country. Once you descent to the Caribbean Lowlands a stop is made at a banana plantation and packing plant. Here your guide will explain about this important fruit, its cultivation, care, harvest and packing processes. They will also point out the labour involved and tell you about the life of the workers.

The remaining part of the trip today will be on a boat that will take us along the canals that run parallel to the coast, providing an excellent chance to take a close look for wildlife and the impressive rain forest. On arrival at the lodge lunch is served, followed by an afternoon visit to the village of Tortuguero, located on a think strip of land between the sea and the main canal.

Overnight at Pachira Lodge or similar

Meals: B, L, D

Tortuguero is considered one of the most important nesting sites in the western half of the Caribbean for the green turtle (June to September). The park is formed by a navigable network of lakes and canals. Early in the morning you will take a boat trip along the canals of the national park, giving you the opportunity to observe a large variety of wildlife. If you are lucky you might see monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas, sloths and birds. Lunch will be at a small, family-owned restaurant of the village, where you will try some of the local Caribbean food including patacones (fried green plantain), coconut rice and beans and Caribbean-style chicken.

This afternoon is at leisure to enjoy some time at the hotel’s pool.

This evening you will learn more about the importance of Tortuguero as a nesting site for the green turtle through a lecture offered by an expert from the Caribbean Conservation Corporation.

Overnight at Pachira Lodge or similar

Meals: B, L, D

Today the group heads to La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano area. Late in the afternoon enjoy a visit to Ecotermales hot springs, where you will have time to relax and enjoy the facilities and the natural scenery around you.

Overnight at Arenal Springs Hotel or similar

Meals: B, D

A visit to the Arenal Volcano today, one of the most active volcanoes in the Western Hemisphere. Arenal constitutes the main attraction in this northern region of Costa Rica. its perfectly formed cone and constant eruptions of lava impress visitors from all over the world. You will take a walk at the base of the volcano and your guide will explain its history and biggest eruption back in 1968. Your morning activities end with a lunch at Arenal Oasis, a small family-owned restaurant and lodge, located in a beautifully forested area at the volcano’s base. Doña Rosa will offer a delicious lunch, cooked in her wood stove, where you admire the natural surrounding and abundant bird life.

You’ll return to the hotel for a short rest and then, late afternoon, attend the Sunday Resurrection Mass in the town of La Fortuna, where you will witness the Catholic traditions and cultural experiences of the local people during the Easter Festivities (Semana Santa).

Overnight at Arenal Springs Hotel or similar

Meals: B, L

Today’s route will take yu to Monteverde after crossing Arenal Lake, the country’s biggest. The boat ride takes you to the north-west part of the lake and, from there, continue by bus up to Monteverde. In the early afternoon you’ll visit a trapiche, a traditional sugar cane mill where the cane is ground and its juice collected to make a special, hard sweet named tapa de dulce. To grind the sugar cane, two oxen are used to pull the grinding mechanism. Learn about the sugar and this tradtional way of producing the tapa de dulce before sampling the local sweet. This tour also includes a visit to a coffee plantation, where you will learn about this important export crop.

Before dinner you will hear about Monteverde and its history and learn how this mountain community was founded by American Quakers in the early 1950’s. The lecture will be presented by Mr. Rockwell, a member of one of the original settler families.

Overnight at El Establo Hotel or similar

Meals: B, D

In the morning you will visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a 26,00-acre reserve, that protects one of the biggest cloud forests in Costa Rica. This reserve is home to a myriad variety of plants, insects and over 400 species of birds. It is one of the few areas in Central America where the legendary, resplendent quetzal finds protection. After a walk on the trails the group will return to the hotel.

In the afternoon it’s time for the famous Sky Trek tour, where you’ll practically fly over the forest along zip lines connected to platforms in the tree tops. Pure adrenaline and a good dose of adventure!

Overnight at El Establo Hotel or similar

Meals: B, D

Today the group heads to the Pan-American Highway to drive to the final destination, Manuel Antonio and Quepos. The activity today involves a visit to a local, rural school near Quepos. This activity has different objectives: 1) Learn and understand the reality of a rural school in a developing country 2) Generate interaction with local kids by trying to break the language barriers and sharing their day to day school life 3) Provide a helping hand to cover some of their needs such as painting, repairs, gardening, cleaning, etc.

To prepare for this half-day activity we will have previously analyzed, together with the Principal, the needs of the school, the type of activities we can develop and how they will be implemented. Normally teams are formed and assigned a specific task. The local school children are asked to prepare a play or some dances to welcome and thank the group for its contribution. The visiting school group is advised to bring some donations for the school such as books, pens, pencils, dictionaries, etc.

Once the school visit is finished you’ll head back to the hotel and will have free time this afternoon to enjoy the beach.

Overnight at the Hotel Rancho Casa Grande near Quepos or similar

Meals: B, D

Today you’ll visit Manuel Antonio National Park, where you will take a short walk along its trails until reaching a secluded beach. Here you spend the day enjoying the sea and the beautiful, natural surroundings. It’s also possible to observe a lot of wildlife while at the beach. In the afternoon return to you hotel.

Overnight at the Hotel Rancho Casa Grande near Quepos or similar

Meals: B, D

You will be transferred to the international airport in San José to catch your flight back to Toronto. You will clear Canadian Customs and Immigration on arrival. An overnight is arranged here at a hotel near to Toronto’s Pearson Airport. Alternate flight schedules may be required, depending on your home city.

Overnight at Comfort Inn and Suites or similar, Toronto Pearson Airport area.

Meals: B

Transfer from the group hotel back to Pearson Airport and catch your flight home. The group tour ends on arrival at your home city.