Costa Rica – Protecting the Pacific

Day 1: You will arrive at the Juan Santa Maria International Airport in San Jose where a member of our staff will meet you and take you to our guesthouse in town for the evening. After a warm welcome into Costa Rica, our host will discuss the schedule for the week and give you an overview of our volunteer work in the community. Enjoy an authentic local dinner together and have a relaxing evening getting to know one another. Day 2: Enjoy a classic Costa Rican breakfast and freshly brewed local coffee before taking off for our Home Base in coastal Bahia Ballena. After we arrive and settle into the Home Base, we’ll embark on a tour of the  community with a local social entrepreneur, visiting nearby markets and navigating through the narrow dirt roads of Bahia Ballena. Later in the afternoon, we’ll go for a swim and settle into our new home for the week. Day 3: After breakfast, we’ll set off to trek into Marino Ballena National Park. We’ll learn about its history and challenges while exploring the whale tale, a beautiful natural land formation that offers amazing coastal views. After lunch, we’ll begin our service project alongside the community. Over the course of the week, we will lend a hand on a local reforestation project. Activities vary with the season and will involve collecting seeds, aintaining the nursery and planting the trees. This is a project that started with a few people and is now embraced by the whole community to help prevent deforestation, reinstate the lost habitats of local wildlife and protect the reefs from runoff. Dinner will be held with members from a local organization that promotes sustainable marine tourism. Day 4: This will be a full day on the water and hiking in Corcovado National Park, named by National Geographic as “the most biologically intense place on earth in terms of biodiversity.” We’ll scout for sea life, like dolphins, as we cruise along the ocean to the park. We’ll have a picnic lunch, and spend the afternoon snorkeling along the reef of an island biological reserve and hiking through the rainforest scouting for monkeys, jaguars, and even sloths. Not only will we experience the famed landscapes of Costa Rica, but will be able to put our volunteer work into perspective. Combining pristine natural resources with sustainable village initiatives, like the bio-gardens we construct, is at the heart of maintaining both the environment and local economy. Days 5-6: Over the next two days we’ll continue our reforestation project with the community. Costa Rica is home to some of the most pristine rainforests and coastlines in the world. With this comes the responsibility to protect the environment for the future, both for the ecosystem itself and the economic wellbeing of the community. In addition to collecting seeds and planting trees, we will work with the youth in the community on projects such as developing signs and recycling centers to raise environmental awareness in the community. In our free time, we will make a visit to a local farmer’s home to have a delicious lunch and see the various crops he sustainably grows. We’ll also have time to relax on the nearby beaches and soak in the tropical sun. Days 7-8: We’ll wrap up our projects in the community and enjoy some time at the beach or picking up last minute souvenirs at the markets in town. We’ll enjoy a final farewell dinner and celebration at the Home Base before taking off early to San Jose on the final day for our flights back home. Our Costa Rican Home Base   The Discover Corps Home Base, your home-away-from-home, is one of the two small hotels (depending on the season) run by locals in the town of Bahia Ballena.  It’s conveniently situated just a short walk to the heart of the town or to the Pacific Ocean.  It’s set amongst the beautiful tropical landscapes of this Central American nation. Travelers stay in rooms with fans and a private bathroom. In the afternoons, you can cool down in our swimming pool or enjoy coffee from a locally owned farm. If you look closely, you might even see iguanas and monkeys in the hills above town.