Go Solo: A Taste of Costa Rica

Orientation: 6:00 p.m. at the hotel. The Group Leader will greet everyone with a warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. Meals on our program feature local cuisine. Unless otherwise specified, transportation during your program will be provided by air-conditioned bus. Our buses do not include onboard toilets, so we have scheduled stops during drives for bathroom breaks. Free time is reserved for your personal independent exploration. Please note that program activities, schedules, and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Welcome dinner at the hotel.

Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

We will be joined at the hotel by a local expert who will give us an overview of Costa Rica. After check out procedures, we’ll join our Group Leader in a walking field trip through downtown San José. Our half-mile walk from the hotel to the Central Market will take us past the Grand Hotel of Costa Rica, interesting shops, restaurants, and the Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica (National Theater of Costa Rica). The imposing national theater was built during Costa Rica’s coffee boom in the late 1800s. We’ll take a moment to admire the architecture and discuss the historical significance of coffee production in the country, then continue our walk to the Central Market. Inside the market we’ll explore its passageways crowded with stalls selling everything from cut flowers and fresh produce, to medicinal herbs and small diner-style restaurants serving "comida typica." The bustling market was founded in 1880 and is an important cultural site of Costa Rica. Concluding our walk, we’ll board the bus at the Central Park and begin our transfer to Sarapiqui, in Costa Rica’s Caribbean lowlands.

At a local restaurant en route.

We’ll continue our journey to Sarapiquí. This is one of the richest sites for birds in Middle America with more than 400 species recorded. The nearby 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. Arriving at the lodge, we’ll check-in with some time to freshen up. We’ll then regroup for a presentation by a local expert that will give us an introduction to the rainforest.

At the lodge.

At leisure. You might like to spend time with new Road Scholar friends on the porch, enjoy a nightcap while relaxing to the sounds of the rainforest, or turn in for a good night’s rest before tomorrow’s activities.

At the lodge.

We’ll join our Group Leader for some early morning birding on and around lodge grounds, then walk back to the lodge for breakfast. Our next field trip will commence with a short ride into the Sarapiquí community, where a local resident will invite us into her home, talk about their daily life and show us on how to prepare some typical Tico dishes. We’ll be accompanied by a member of the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center (SCLC), who will give us an overview of their mission and talk to us about their work together with the community. Founded by Giovanna Holbrook in the mid-1990s, the SCLC 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. Note: Many participants in previous Road Scholar programs have brought a few basic school supplies such as pencils, erasers, pens, colored markers, children’s books in Spanish, etc., to donate during the visit. This is completely voluntary and is not required. Concluding our activities we'll return to the lodge.

At the lodge.

We’ll have some “down” time before our next activity. This is a good opportunity to enjoy a walk around the lodge grounds, cool off in the pool or perhaps practice your photography skills. Next, we’ll board the bus and drive to a nearby drop-off site along the shores of the Sarapiquí River in preparation for our rafting field trip. A rafting expert will conduct a safety orientation and go over rafting procedures and equipment before giving us the go-ahead to don our gear and board the rafts. A rafting expert will sit at the back of each boat and navigate, and we’ll help by paddling at various stretches along the river. At the end of the field trip, we’ll take the bus back to the lodge and change into dry clothes. Before dinner we’ll enjoy some Latin dance! We'll have some lessons with local people to learn three styles of Latin dance: Merengue, Salsa, and Cumbia.The dancers will demonstrate the different styles, then lead us through the dances step by step. We’ll end the session dancing with partners.

At the lodge.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the lodge.

After checking out of the hotel, we’ll ride to the Puerto Viejo dock and board a river boat that will take us on a study cruise along the Sarapiquí River. The boat captain and our Group Leader will put their expert spotting skills to use by pointing out riverine wildlife along the way. Some of the animals we might see include caimans, turtles, iguanas, bats, monkeys, sloths, kingfishers, and Anhinga water birds. After disembarkation, we’ll get on our bus and ride to a local plantation to learn about some of the environmental and economic impacts of agriculture in Costa Rica. A farm representative will lead us through various sections of the plantation and explain how the crops are grown and processed for shipping. We’ll reboard the bus and be on our way to Arenal, once Costa Rica’s most active volcano. It has been a main draw to the town of La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano National Park.

At a local restaurant en route.

Once at the hotel, we’ll check in with some time to freshen up and relax. We’ll reconvene before dinner for an expert-led presentation on the forces of nature and how they help shape life here.

At the hotel.

Time at leisure.

At the hotel.

For our next field trip, we’ll drive to Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges and explore some of its many trails and scenic bridges. The private nature reserve has more than 600 acres of tropical rainforest that can be explored through a network of trails, hanging bridges and standing bridges. We’ll then return to the hotel.

At the hotel.

We’ll board a bus and drive to a local farm to learn about its history and some of the agricultural traditions in this fertile region. Although tourism surpassed agriculture as the main source of revenue in the area, many local plantations still produce important amounts of papaya, sugar cane, tapioca, and ornamental plants. At the farm, we’ll work-up an appetite while learning to make tortillas and cooking them on a traditional wood stove. We’ll also enjoy a presentation by a local dance group, that will perform folkloric dances wearing traditional costumes.

At the farm, we’ll have a traditional dinner hosted by the family.

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

The bus will carry our luggage to the next hotel. Take what you need in a day pack as we won’t have access to our luggage until late afternoon at Monteverde. After checking out, we’ll drive to a local boat dock on the shores of Arenal Lake. A small covered boat will ferry us across the scenic lake. Upon reaching the other shore, we’ll board a bus and ride uphill along scenic back roads to Monteverde.

At a local restaurant.

We'll then ride to a local coffee plantation. During our field trip, we’ll learn about the harvesting and processing of coffee as well as the history of this crop from its beginning in the Arabic countries and Ethiopia. We’ll also gain insights into the importance of the golden bean — grano de oro — and its impact on Costa Rica’s social, cultural, and economic development. Moving on to the hotel, we’ll check in with some time to freshen up. Next, we'll learn about the history of Monteverde's Quaker community during a home visit with a longtime resident. In 1951 a group of American Quakers, fearful of their nation’s growing militarism, fled the United States. The Quakers found Costa Rica, a country without a military, to be the most inviting option for their pacifist beliefs. This group settled Monteverde and intended to transform the area into profitable farmland. The Quakers developed a fairly successful cheese industry but they also recognized the delicate nature of the land and helped establish the area's first wildlife sanctuary.

At the hotel.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We'll board the bus and ride to a cloud forest reserve at Monteverde for an expert led exploration. While walking on forest trails, we’ll learn about the characteristics of a cloud forest and stop along the way to study its flora and fauna. The edges of this rich forest system, often cloaked in clouds and blowing mist, are home to more than 350 avian species and a myriad of other creatures and critters. The Monteverde area is perhaps most famous for breeding Resplendent Quetzals, Three-wattled Bellbirds, and Bare-necked Umbrellabirds. While these charismatic species can be elusive, a host of other cloud forest birds and amphibians are found in the area.

On your own.

This afternoon we will have free time for self-exploration in Monteverde. The Group Leaders will be happy to offer suggestions. We’ll ride back to the hotel in the late afternoon with a bit of downtime to freshen up and relax. Before our lecture, there will be an opportunity to watch the sunset! We’ll regroup for a presentation by a local expert on climate change and conservation efforts in the Monteverde area.

At the hotel.

At leisure. Prepare for check out and transfer tomorrow.

At the hotel.

We’ll take a field trip to the Bat Jungle, an educational space designed and managed by noted U.S. bat biologist Dr. Richard LaVal. Informative displays help to explain about bat biology, bat diversity, and their crucial role in nature as pollinators. The Bat Jungle also has more than 90 bats, representing 8 different species, housed in a recreated nighttime cloud forest environment. Glass windows give visitors the rare opportunity to look inside the forest enclosure and observe bats feeding, flying, and socializing. Special microphones capture the high pitched bat vocalizations and broadcast them through loudspeakers in the bat viewing area. We’ll begin our transfer to San José after the field trip.

En route.

Arriving in San José, we’ll check in to our hotel with time to freshen up and relax before dinner.

At the hotel. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

At leisure. Enjoy our last evening together in Costa Rica, then prepare for check out and departure in the morning.

At the hotel (dependent on flight schedules). This concludes our program.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!