Arrive To: Arrive in San José's Juan Santamaria International Airport.

Proceed through Immigrations, Baggage Claim and Customs before exiting the secured area of the airport. Please use the exit door on the right. The Road Scholar representative will be waiting outside the exit door with a Road Scholar sign (only applies to Road Scholar group flights). Transfer to the hotel and check-in, followed by time at leisure.

Please note that this is an international travel day; no meals or program activities are scheduled on this day. Hotel check-in usually begins at 3PM.

Lodging: Hotel Balmoral

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Program Orientation.
After the program orientation, enjoy a field trip to the National Theater and Gold Museum.

Costa Rica's historical National Theater and the Grand Hotel Costa Rica are just a short drive or walk from the hotel. The historical significance of coffee production will be discussed during the visit to the National Theater, which was built midst Costa Rica's coffee boom in the late 1800’s. There is ample seating in the plaza where people-watching will stimulate a discussion on demographics and the socio-economic distribution of the population. Participants will understand what it means to be a ‘Tico.’

The National Theater is conveniently located adjacent to the Gold Museum. This unique underground museum showcases a large collection of pre-Colombian gold. The 2,000-pieces weigh over 20,000 troy ounces, making the museum one of the wealthiest spots in the nation. Visitors with an interest in stamp and/or coin collecting might appreciate the philatelic museum and the adjoining numismatic museum.

The visit to the Gold Museum will include a limited number of exhibits, thus reducing the amount of time participants will be required to remain standing (approx. 30 minutes).



Lunch: Lunch at the hotel.

Afternoon: Depart for Sarapiqui, situated in the Caribbean lowlands and 40 miles from San José.

Sarapiqui is one of the richest sites for birds in Middle America, with well over recorded 400 species. Nearby, the La Selva Protection Zone and the Braulio Carrillo National Park form the only significant corridor of forest on the Caribbean slope linking the highlands with the lowlands - a corridor crucial to birds and animals that undertake seasonal altitudinal migrations.

Arrive at the lodge.
Orientation to the lodge.



Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.

Lodging: Selva Verde Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sarapiqui -
Nature Walk/Cultural Interaction/Visit to Local Pineapple Plantation

Breakfast: Breakfast at the lodge.

Morning: Enjoy a short walk in the grounds of the lodge to identify the characteristics of local and introduced plants.

Field trip to a local pineapple plantation to see first-hand the pineapple growing process. A site lecture will focus on the environmental and economic impact of growing pineapples in Costa Rica, one of the top ten producers of pineapples in the world.

Lunch: Lunch at the lodge.

Afternoon: Afternoon at leisure to rest and enjoy the lodge's amenities.

Snacks on the patio with pre dinner table talk, a question and answer session dealing with topics relating to Costa Rica and an orientation session by the Sarapiqui Conservation & Learning Center.

The Sarapiqui Learning Center (SCLC), founded in the mid-1990s, is a registered non-profit organization whose mission is to link communities and conservation through education and ecotourism in the Sarapiqui region. Programs include environmental education, ecotourism activities, English classes, an ecology club, community outreach, a women’s group and many others.

Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.

Lodging: Selva Verde Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sarapiqui -
Nature Boat Ride on Sarapiqui River/Community Projects

Breakfast: Breakfast at the lodge.

Morning: Morning nature boat ride on the Sarapiqui River, followed by time spent in the river frontier town of Puerto Viejo.

The boat ride will introduce the birds and animals that frequent the riverine vegetation, including caimans and a variety of water birds. A site lecture during the boat ride will draw attention to the land utilization on the river banks and the human impact on the ecology of the river system.

The lifestyle of those living in the frontier town of Puerto Viejo will be part of a site lecture during a drive through town.

An interactive session with a member of the local community will provide insight into individual sustainable projects being undertaken in conjunction with tourism.

Before lunch, enjoy a talk on the cultivation of heart of palm (known locally as "palmito") and sample some snacks made from this mild and crunchy vegetable.

Lunch: Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon: Time at leisure.

Enjoy a lecture on the importance of Selva Verde in the creation of a biological corridor between the Braulio Carrillo National Park and the Caribbean coast. This lecture will highlight the plants and animals found in and associated with the rainforest at Selva Verde.

Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.

Lodging: Selva Verde Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the lodge.

Morning: Field trip to a local village and a pepper plantation in the Sarapiqui region for a first-hand experience of rural life in Costa Rica.

Transfer to the town of La Fortuna, located within the shadow of Arenal Volcano.

Arrive at the hotel in time for lunch.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel.

Afternoon: After check-in, enjoy a brief orientation to the hotel.

The Arenal Volcano looks like it could have been imagined by Hollywood. A perfect conical shape, the active volcano provides frequent thrills and threatens danger, but its activity occurs at a distance from the people of nearby towns. This combination of geography, scenery, and activity, has drawn countless visitors.

Time at leisure.
Lecture: The Arenal Volcano.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Arenal Manoa Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: This morning's field trip commences with a bus ride to the Arenal National Park's observation pavillion. For those who want to walk the short trail (half an hour) this will be done while the rest of the group remains in the area near the restrooms. We will discuss the moods of the volcano and the impact of its emissions on the human development and flora and fauna of the region.

Transfer to Arenal Observatory Lodge for a self-directed stroll through their museum. Enjoy more close-up views of the volcano from the observation platform before breaking for lunch. Participants who would like a little added exercise are welcome to walk to the lodge dining room via one of two trails. The program bus will transport remaining participants to the lodge dining room.



Lunch: Lunch at the Arenal Observatory Lodge.

Afternoon: Take a little time to relax after your meal and enjoy the lodge's patio and its stunning views of Arenal Volcano.

Return to the hotel.
Time at leisure to enjoy the hotel's thermal hot springs and other amenities.

Excursion to the town of La Fortuna for happy hour. Interact with some of the locals at one of their favorite "after work" establishments.

Meet with some members of this community that has undergone a dramatic transformation from a sleepy rural town to a bustling resort town as a result of tourism associated with the volcano. The plaza is still the central point of the town and participants will have the opportunity visit some of the meeting spots recommended by the locals.

The small and painteresque town of Fortuna has changed quite a bit from the village that witnessed the eruptions of Arenal Volcano in 1968. Once a small agricultural community, Fortuna has grown in the shadow of the colossus that once burned and devastated large areas. Tourism is now the most important income for the region. Although on a second level of economic importance, many plantations in the surrounding areas still produce important amounts of papaya, sugar cane, tapioca, and ornamental plants.

Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant.

Lodging: Arenal Manoa Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Arenal -
Visit to Local Farm/Agricultural Practices in the Region

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Transfer to a local farm to learn about the history of the estate and discuss some of the agricultural practices in this fertile region.

Visit the farm's sugar cane mill for a lesson in traditional methods sugar cane processing.

Before lunch, wake-up your inner chef (and your appetite!) by joining in a tortilla making activity. Learn how to make fresh tortillas and cook them on a wood stove.


Lunch: Traditional meal at the farm hosted by the family.

Afternoon: After lunch, enjoy a folkloric dance presentation held by local school children.

Return to the hotel.

The rest of the afternoon will be at your leisure. Enjoy a swim in the pool, soak tired muscles in the invigorating thermal spring, pamper yourself with some spa treatments (additional cost), or maybe just sit back and lose yourself in the pages of a good book.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Arenal Manoa Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Punta Leona -
Tárcoles River Boat Ride/Scarlet Macaw Rehabilitation Projects

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Transfer to Costa Rica's Central Pacific Region.

Boating field trip on the Tárcoles River to view wildlife and investigate the mangrove forest.

Group leader discussion on the life history of Costa Rica's crocodiles.

Lunch: Lunch en route.

Afternoon: Arrive at the hotel and check-in, followed by an orientation to the property and its amenities.

Time at leisure to enjoy the beach or hotel pools.

Lecture: Rehabilitating the Scarlet Macaw and Other Conservation Projects in the Region.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Hotel Punta Leona

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Punta Leona -
Outrigger Activities at Playa Agujas/Jaco Beach

Breakfast: Late breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Excursion to Playa Agujas for an outrigger canoe ride along the coast. Enjoy the opportunity to observe wildlife and the various geological formations.

Return to the hotel.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel.

Afternoon: Enjoy some time at leisure to relax and enjoy the many hotel amenities.

Later in the afternoon, transfer to Jaco Beach for a site lecture on the growth and development of the town and its reputation as a surfing mecca in Costa Rica.

Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant in Jaco Beach.
Our bus transfer back to the hotel will include a leisurely drive along Jaco's main strip.

Lodging: Hotel Punta Leona

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Late breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Depart to San José via the crafts town of Sarchi where ox carts, traditional furniture and other artifacts are created and on display.

Lunch: Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon: Continue the transfer to San José.

Arrive in San José and check-in at hotel.

Time at leisure. Optional visit to a local mall.



Dinner: Farewell dinner at hotel.

Lodging: Wyndham San José Herradura Hotel & Convention Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart From: Transfer to the Juan Santamaria International Airport for flight to U.S.

Note: Participants with independent travel arrangements and/or scheduled on later flights can keep their hotel rooms until check-out time on this day. Except for breakfast, all other meals are on your own on this day.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel (dependent on flights).

Meals Included: Breakfast