2022 Costa Rica Conservation Expedition
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Last full day!
Written by Kaci
Today marks the last full day of our trip. We started with an amazing protein-filled breakfast then went to a beautiful waterfall. After 500+steps down, the students were able to swim in one of the lower pools of the falls along with fish and several other visitors. The brisk water was shocking at first, but once the body acclimated it was lovely. The air temperature was muy caliente so the cold water felt good. After the waterfall we had a short drive to a lunch spot where we enjoyed a blended passion fruit juice, amazing local dishes, and an ice cream cone. In the afternoon we participated in one of the highlights of the trip, white water rafting down the Sarapiqui River on class three rapids. Our guides pointed out many species of birds, flora, and a sloth! He was hanging upside down from a branch. A couple of the rafts saw some not-so-savory species, a black snake and a huge spider. We had three breaks along the trip to stop and float, cliff jump (small cliff) and eat local delicious fruit. The weather was beautiful and the guides told us that we had the perfect rafting conditions. It was the perfect activity to do on our last full day in Costa Rica.
Pura Vida!
Costa Rica Blog Sat. 4th
Written by Bella Dunn
Today was a loosely planned day, which almost made it more fun because there wasn’t a strict schedule and we just got to go with the flow. After a breakfast of guess what, rice and beans, we drove to a part of the conservation center to do volunteer work. We painted a sign, dug holes in the turtle hatchery and picked up coconuts on the beach. After our voluntary labor, we went back to the research center and ate lunch. We had two hours to hang out in our rooms and take naps, then we met up with some biologists from the center and we went on a hike to look for animal prints. We saw prints of coati, sloths, hogs, and iguanas. Then we analyzed the prints. After we did science, we had the opportunity to go to the beach and go wave jumping. Then we went to the surf town of Dominical and walked around and saw the ocean. We then had dinner and went to bed.
Blog for June 3, 2022
Written by Caroline, Mia, Della, and Thomas
Today we woke up to an amazing breakfast with pancakes and fruits. We left the farm later than expected and headed to a beautiful waterfall. The hike up (and especially down) was very difficult. The views were spectacular. After we got back down we played at the base of the waterfall for about an hour. Our farm friends, Alejandro and Roy, brought us some Soursop (guanoabana) popsicles. After we were all cooled down we headed to a restaurant for lunch. We ate the usual rice and beans with a choice of beef, chicken, or pork. There was a cute cat and dog that roamed around the restaurant. Next we headed to the reserve, Hacienda Barú, and got settled into our rooms. After that we went to the beach and discovered that the ocean is extremely warm here. We spent about an hour or two riding the waves. We got rained on and had to make a quick dash to save our belongings. Back on the bus we went, and upon our return to the reserve we took showers to wash off the salt and got ready for dinner. We ate fried rice mixed with vegetables and chicken. We attended a conservation presentation after and then spent the night as we pleased.
Blog: Day 3
Written by Monique, Oli, & Cj
Today we started our day by eating a wonderful breakfast. We then got ready and headed for the waterfall. When we arrived a truck took us to the “stairs” down to the waterfall. When we arrived it was a beautiful sight. The waterfall was huge and since there was a lot of rain the night before the waterfall was a lot higher than usual. Saying that we were not able to swim but it was alright since the site was a very nice experience. After the waterfall we got back onto the bus and went to get lunch. After lunch they bought us icecream for everyone. We headed back to the cabins and had dinner. Then the lovely people that owned the farm gave us a tour. We saw all the kinds of bananas they had as well as all there other plants. They told us that their farm is completely self sustainable and that they didn’t need to pay for electricity since their pigs produced methane so their house ran on that. At the end of the tour we went and saw their chickens and Guinea pigs. They told us we could catch them if we wanted. So all of us went and tried to catch the chickens. After we were done playing around we then all played a few games and went to our cabins to go to bed.