Costa Rica Itinerary

7 day expedition. CLOUD FOREST AND CARIBBEAN

May 6, 2023 - Day 1. OWNING YOUR EXPERIENCE & Life in the cloud forest

JetBlue Fl 1695 Orlando to San José, arrives 1:05 pm

Pura Vida! Welcome to San José and to the experiential learning adventure of a lifetime. Your bilingual naturalist guide/s will meet you at the airport and you will board our bus and head up into the mountains and into the cloud forest! Settle into our off-the-grid, family run eco-lodge, and meet the Seelye Family. The Seelyes are pioneers of living off the grid in harmony with nature. They are a family of exceptional naturalists and environmental crusaders.

Share a delicious tropical dinner as your guides set the tone for students owning their experience with active and engaged learning.

Important Themes:

Your guides will introduce our philosophy and the teaching themes that will cohesively link together the incredible wealth of information you will learn on the trip.
Your group will be introduced to the Expedition Mentality, our nuanced strategy for creating the strongest possible group culture.
Our first nightly circle will reinforce the Expedition Mentality and set the tone for the best possible experiential learning trip.

Overnight: Seelye Family Farm, Cerro de la muerte.

May 7 - Day 2. Life in the cloud forest

Today we explore life in the cloud forest - from living on a sustainable farm to the adaptations of plants and animals for living in this unique environment.

This morning we learn about life on an off-the-grid farm, helping to milk cows, gather eggs from the chickens, feed trout, and discover the many strategies for sustainable living that the Seelyes employ. In the afternoon, we take a breathtaking hike in this spectacular highland forest, hoping to glimpse a resplendent Quetzal. On our hike we learn about the highland forest and see many unique species of plants, trees, and birds that are endemic to this area. We have a chance to visit the magical Castle Tree, a redwood relative that is believed to be 1000 years old.

Share some time with the Seelye family and enjoy a cooking activity.

Important Themes:

Strategies for living sustainably "off the grid" or in your hometown
How people live with (or removed from) nature
Flora, fauna, and the watersheds of the cloud forest and Paramo forest

Overnight: Seelye Family Farm

May 8 - Day 3. Pacuare RIVER

Today we have the chance to experience Ecotourism at its best, taking part in an activity that helps protect fragile ecosystems while providing jobs for locals and enjoyment and learning for participants

This morning we head to the banks of the Pacuare River for an unforgettable day of white water rafting on class III and IV rapids. As your group works together to move down the river, the bonds formed through the Expedition Mentality strategies employed throughout the trip will be apparent. This most scenic and famous river slices through pristine rainforest and mountain gorges, which drop the most beautiful waterfalls right alongside our raft.

We continue our journey towards the Caribbean sea.

Important Themes:

Conservation Areas
Water cycles
Eco-tourism and economic alternatives to deforestation

Overnight: La Isla Inn

May 9 - Day 4. Cahuita National Park

Today we will focus on biodiversity: What it means, why it is important, forces driving biodiversity, and human impact.

Today we will visit Finca Inti to have an organic lunch and learn about permaculture farming from Alejandra Castro. After lunch we head to Cahuita National Park, a 1067-hectare park that hugs the turquoise Caribbean coast. Here we search for Howler and White-faced monkeys, as well as many reptiles and birds. We spend the afternoon in the park learning about coastal ecology and enjoying the beach.

Important Themes:

The importance of the National Park system to Costa Rica’s economic, environmental, and social well-being
Biodiversity in the rainforest
Symbiotic, Mutualistic, and Parasitic relationships.

Overnight: La Isla Inn

May 10 - Day 5. Ditsowo - the bribri indigenous community

Today we transfer to the foothills of Talamanca mountain to meet the Bribris.

The BriBri are an indigenous people of Costa Rica. About 15,000, they live in several small towns in the southern part of the Cordillera de Talamanca and are one of the oldest and most powerful tribes in the country. After almost disappearing (due to being absorbed by the Hispanic culture), the BriBri have been refounding their communities respecting their customs and traditional life.

The BriBri live mainly from agriculture (coffee, cocoa and banana plantations).

At Ditsowou - LODGE we will have the unique opportunity to meet the people explore unique places and experience an ancestral culture.

Work together with members of the local Bribri Community on service projects that are focused on leaving a positive impact in the wake of our visit. We have the privilege of staying at at a cultural center in the rural community of either Yorkin or Ditsowowhere we learn about the language, history, food, and dance of this indigenous population that has lived here for thousands of years.

Important Themes:

Diverse ecosystems of Costa Rica
What shapes habitats?
The protection and evolution of cultures.

Overnight: Ditsowo Lodge

May 11 - Day 6. Farewell to the CARRIBEAN

This morning we leave our new friends and the indigenous community at Ditsowo to go back to the shore of the Caribbean sea to the little beach of Punta Uva. Relax, play in the water, check out the wildlife in the bordering jungle, howler monkey just love playing up the trees right before your eyes.

After a nice lunch we will board our bus and take the road back to San José.

Once in our little lodge in the outskirts, we will prepare our goodbye ceremony, enjoy a tropical dinner before going to bed.

Overnight: Rosa de America

May 11 - Day 7. Home with inspiration

On our final day together we’ll enjoy a last group breakfast, head to the airport, bid our guides a fond farewell and return home with memories of our E&E Expedition that will last a lifetime!

We hope to inspire all those who participate in our service learning programs to go beyond the surface to explore what service really means, and how we can each contribute in the most meaningful ways to serve both our home communities as well as those in need around the world. Pura vida!

Flight: JetBlue Fl 38 departs San José 11:55 am to Ft Lauderdale