Canopy Tour

In our predeparture class, students learned how Costa Rica has created a thriving tourism sector while keeping their natural environment intact. Today we experienced a fantastic zip line experienceLæs mere
And Some Students Begged to Do This

Well I guess they are all adults and they can make their own decisions. Lol. I am not joining this.
Such Beautiful Birds

Here is a better photo of those beautiful hybrid birds. They have been domesticated and they actually talk.
Curicancha Reserve Birds

Two incredible bird sightings in a wonderful preserve. These are photos from my camera. The eagle is on the near threatened list and the toucan is iconic. Costa Rica has put a large portion of itsLæs mere
Cloud Forest

Our afternoon was spent trekking the cloud forest. A cloud forest is a rainforest at high elevation and it looks a little different. This is secondary forest, because Costa Rica has a history of massLæs mere
Happy New Year

We had a wonderful dinner at our lodge and it is accompanied by a musical presentation and later we will turn on some music and dance. What a great way to culturally immerse...we are the onlyLæs mere
Leaving Monteverde

Students have had a great adventure in Monteverde, probably the most popular destination for ecotourism and adventure tourism activities. They have seen how Costa Rica has created a thriving tourismLæs mere
Crossing Lake Arenal

We have crossed an important lake that is basically nationalized and owned by the power company. No development is allowed and you do not see recreational vessels. It is an important source of powerLæs mere
Coati Sighting

One downside of tourism is that wild animals get fed by visitors and then they start changing their behavior to rely on tourists. This population of coatis has been here as long as I can remember. ILæs mere
Mistico Hanging Bridges

This morning we hiked through a hanging bridges park. The owner of this land receives ecosystem services payments because he is protecting the natural environment. This is another great example of howLæs mere
Volcanic Hot Springs

We are now in the community of La Fortuna and it is known for Hot Springs. We are at the base of a volcano and so there are lots of facilities that tap into the hot water. You can actually soak in theLæs mere
Giant Iguanas

There is a very small village that has a high density of a kind of tree that the giant iguanas really like. That has resulted in unusually large population of these creatures, so we decided to stop toLæs mere
Sustainability Workshop

Students are participating in a sustainable art workshop where they will make paper. Interestingly, the first ingredient we are using is trunks of the banana trees that they cut down after the season.Læs mere
Coconut Picking

Students are learning how you pick coconuts when they are far up in the tree.
Sugar Cane

We are in a rural community and we've cut down some sugarcane and are now using a trapiche to make sugarcane juice. This would've been done by oxen in the past.
Noni Fruit

I was introduced to a new fruit and that's very rare. This is the Noni fruit and it smells absolutely foul. So we dared Corbin to try it and he said it tastes as bad as it smells. Thank you ,Corbin,Læs mere
Juanilama

We had a great time spending half a day in this rural community. Students tried sugarcane, opened coconuts, painted their faces with achiote, fed the chickens, and learned a little about cacao. I amLæs mere
Beautiful Waterfall

This was on the side of the road. So we pulled over and explored. Stunning.
Crocodiles of Rio Rarcoles

We just visited a river that is known for a huge population of crocodiles. I am told that they have always been there, but historically, the locals were feeding them and so now they hang around by theLæs mere
Playa Hermosa

Students had the opportunity to spend a half hour on a black sand beach. So we are now on the Pacific coast. But the water is warmer than when swimming in California. Beautiful volcanic rocks wash upLæs mere
Black Spined Iguana

Great sighting of the black spine iguanas. It is mating season and you can see lots of them having fights to the point where they are drawing blood.
Scarlet Macaw Sighting

We have been looking for the Scarlet macaw today and, interestingly, our bus was parked right under a tree full of them. Our driver was asleep so he never even noticed. This is a picture from my superLæs mere
Sloth Sighting

Manuel Antonio is a popular place to find the sloth. And we hit the jackpot. Three in about 20 minutes. Katelyn was a professional sloth finder.
White Faced Capuchins

The trees around the beach are full of monkeys. This group of white faced capuchins were having a good time.
Manuel Antonio Beach

Students got to spend a couple hours playing on the beach. And then the reward is the spectacular sunset.