Essential Information
Trip Profile
Travel is by minibus, on some dirt roads and by boat.
Accommodation
3 nights hotels, 2 nights lodges, 5 nights camping.
Food
All meals are included.
Reality Check
Whilst the driving distances are not great and most roads are good, some roads are not paved and of poor quality which can result in slow driving times. Particularly, this applies to the road to the motorboat on the way to and from Tortuguero and the roads in and out of Monteverde.
The times given in the above itinerary are generally accurate, but heavy rain can make the travelling times longer. There are several included and optional walks on the itinerary which occasionally involve walking on rough paths. These are suitable for most levels of fitness, and there are no walks which last much longer than two or three hours.
Many of the areas visited on the trip are hot and humid, and there is the chance of heavy rain year-round this is why Costa Rica is so green!
Normal group size and age
Min. 10, max. 24 students with 2 teachers, plus leader. Minimum age 14.
Misc
Trip Highlight: Esquinas Rainforest Lodge
Where possible we use small lodges, such as the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge in the Piedras Blancas N.P. This lodge was financed by the Austrian government as part of a model project combining development aid, nature conservation and rainforest research. It has a stream-fed pool, whose outflow is channelled into a pond with caimans. Most employees are local and profits are used to help with projects in the nearby village.
Icons explained
Adventure: A 'Rating' range of 1 to 3 (i.e. 1 is low, 2 is medium and 3 is high) applicable to this holiday adventure is displayed in the top icons (place the cursor over the image). This will help you gauge how challenging the trip is, how remote you will get, how far from the beaten track and how far from their comfort zone your students are likely to be.
Community: A 'Rating' range of 1 to 3 (i.e. 1 is low, 2 is medium and 3 is high) applicable to this holiday adventure is displayed in the top icons (place the cursor over the image). Here we aim to indicate the levels of interaction with locals, hands-on experiences of the local culture and the overall immersion in your destination’s way of life.
Activity: A 'Rating' range of 1 to 3 (i.e. 1 is low, 2 is medium and 3 is high) applicable to this holiday adventure is displayed in the top icons (place the cursor over the image). This simply highlights the number and range of different activities you and your group will be involved in throughout your trip.
Discovery: A 'Rating' range of 1 to 3 (i.e. 1 is low, 2 is medium and 3 is high) applicable to this holiday adventure is displayed in the top icons (place the cursor over the image). We are looking here at the range of experiences your group will encounter, such as with flora and fauna, cultural or religious sites, and geographical features.
