This itinerary summarizes an 8-day student trip to Costa Rica focusing on environmental education. The trip includes visits to Tortuguero National Park, La Tirimbina Rainforest Center, Earth University, white water rafting, Arenal Volcano, Monteverde Cloud Forest, and community service opportunities. Students participate in activities like turtle beach walks, canopy tours, hiking, and sustainable farming lessons. The itinerary provides details of activities, locations, and transportation for each day of the educational experience in Costa Rica.

1. Costa Rica 2012
8 days, 7 nights, Tortuguero destination

2. Destinations
SARAPIQUI

3. Tortuguero Canals

4. Wetlands

5. Palo Verde

6. Ignacio (Nacho)
• Curriculum Developer & Head Guide

7. Cielo Azul Bus

8. Earth University Campus

9. Tirimbina
• Students collect and analyze data in a
rainforest setting

10. Tortuguero National Park
• Sendero Gavilan
walking trail

11. White Water Rafting

12. Monteverde Canopy Tour
• Ziplining through the cloud forest

13. Sea Turtle Conservancy
• Special lecture
on sea turtle
migration to
Tortuguerro

14. Community Service
• Helping out at a
Costa Rican
school

15. Community Service
• Harvesting
medicinal plants

16. El Establo Hotel

17. Volcano Lodge Hotel

18. View of Arenal Volcano

19. Mawamba Lodge

20. Costa Rican Food

21. Costa Rican Culture
• Traditional dance parade at San Jose

22. Fauna

23. Flora

24. Itinerary
DAY ONE • La Tirimbina Rainforest Center
Students collect specimens and data in the rainforest and then
• Group met by Scholastic Expeditions upon arrival in Costa Rica. come back to the classroom to analyze and present their findings
• Orientation Dinner & Hotel Check-In to their peers.
• Dinner • Lunch
• **Optional red-eye flight which will allow for tour of Poas Volcano • White Water Rafting
and La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This is an amazing experience that allows them to traverse
DAY TWO through several different ecosystems while viewing Costa Rican
• Breakfast & Hotel Check-Out Depart for Tortuguero wildlife along the banks of the river.
• Aerial Tram • Depart for Arenal Dinner & Hotel Check-In
This amazing experience will allow students to see the rainforest • Nighttime Volcanic Observation
from both the forest canopy & floor. DAY FIVE
• Lunch • Breakfast
• Earth University • Arenal Volcano National Park & Waterfalls
Students will have an opportunity to interact with professors & Students will hike through the lava flows of this active volcano and
students at the university and participate in sustainable farming participate in activities that allow them to become volcanologists
activities. for the day!
• Canal boat ride to Tortuguero Dinner & Hotel Check-In • Lunch
• Night Turtle Beach Walk • Community Service or Eco-Farm
DAY THREE Visit with Costa Rican students at a local school. Learn about their
• Breakfast culture and their day to day living and learning environments.
• Private Boat Tour Alternatively, students will work on an eco-farm and learn about
Students take a guided early-morning tour along the canals to look sustainable farming.
for birds, monkeys, and Cayman in this isolated wilderness. • Leisure time in historic La Fortuna
• Walking Tour of Sendero Gavilan National Park • Dinner
• Caribbean Conservation Corporation • Arenal Volcanic Hot Springs
Students will get a special lecture about the sea turtle migration to Spend the evening relaxing in the natural hot springs.
Tortuguero. They will also learn about sustainable economics from DAY SIX
the locals. • Breakfast & Hotel Check-Out Depart for Monteverde
• Lunch • Boat ride across Lake Arenal
• Town of Tortuguero Tour • Lunch
Depart for Sarapiqui Dinner • Butterfly Garden
• Night Bat Tour Students spend the afternoon learning about all of the different
DAY FOUR species of butterflies as well as the adaptations each has made.
• Breakfast & Hotel Check-Out • Leisure time in beautiful Santa Elena

25. Itinerary
• Dinner
• Frog Pond
Students view all of the famous species of frogs and learn about
the adaptations each has made to thrive in their environment
DAY SEVEN
• Breakfast & Hotel Check-Out
• Monteverde Canopy Tour
Students will zip line through the cloud forest for an exhilarating
once in a lifetime experience!
• Lunch
• Depart for San Jose
• Farewell Dinner & Hotel Check-In
DAY EIGHT
• Breakfast & Hotel Check-Out
• Time permitting, visit museums & historical sites
• Depart for home

26. Make it Happen!
• Contact your supervising teacher or
Susan Schai at (831) 440-1041
• The adventure of a lifetime awaits you!

27. How to Register
• Two part process:
1. Sign up online at
scholasticexpeditions.org
2. Send deposit of $250 to:
• 5601 Scotts Valley Dr. Ste. 313
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
• And you’re all set!