2024 Fordham Preparatory Costa Rica Conservation Expedition

Fundraising

Need to Raise Money? We Have You Covered.

Walking Tree Travel is proud to team up with Equal Exchange, a worker-owned cooperative that distributes organic coffee, tea, sugar, bananas, avocados, cocoa, chocolate bars, and more.  There is no limit to the amount you can earn, so the sooner you can start, the better!

Learn more here.

Accommodations

OTS La Selva Research Station

La Selva’s juxtaposition of protected ecosystems and well-developed facilities is unique in the world’s wet tropics.  This is one of several field stations run  created by the Organization of Tropical Studies,  a non-profit consortium of over 50 universities and research institutions based in the United States, Latin America, and South Africa. The cabins offer bunk and single beds, shared bathrooms, bug protection on windows and fans. Students will be grouped according to gender. They offer a dining hall, wireless internet, library, all-access trail, and on-station security.

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Montechiari Hotel

Arenal Montechiari Hotel located 400 meters from the central park, very close to the beautiful town La Fortuna. The Hotel is sorrounded of lush gardens and a spectacular view of the Volcano.

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Rosa de las Américas

A charming ranch-style hotel on the outskirts of San José, Rosa de  las Americas is a great spot to unwind after a long day’s travels. This hotel is complete with a lush gardens, a big pool, updated rooms, and friendly staff.

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Chilamate Rainforest

Chilamate Rainforest combines research and education with ecoturism to create a unique experience for its visitors and to promote conservation. The rooms offer bunk and single beds, shared bathrooms, bug protection on windows and fans. Students will be grouped according to gender. They offer a dining hall, wireless internet, all-access trail, and on-station security.

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Group Flight

Once your flight schedule has been confirmed, the itinerary will appear here.

Walking Tree will secure a seat on the group flight for each participant unless otherwise instructed.

Travelers are responsible for checked baggage fees. Please visit the airline’s baggage webpage to learn if you should expect to pay anything.

We will provide a group manifest – complete with reservation codes and ticket numbers – to the Group Organizer/s before departure, and travelers will need to check in at the airport in order to receive their boarding pass and have documents verified. We recommend arriving no later than three hours prior to the scheduled departure, but contact your Group Organizer for specific details on exactly where and when to meet on the day of departure.

FLIGHT INTERRUPTION, DELAY OR CANCELLATION 
Air travel can be unpredictable.  Regardless of proper planning, there may still be instances when a flight is delayed or cancelled due to staffing shortages, weather, mechanical problems, etc.  Please note that in such an event, Walking Tree Travel (WTT) is not financially responsible for unanticipated costs incurred by travelers en route.  Our programs officially begin and end in the destination country, and because our staff doesn’t fly with the group, Group Organizers (the traveling faculty member/s) become the front-line advocate for the group in the event of a delay. In most cases of cancellations or delays, the airline will be the one who re-books travel or possibly arranges a hotel and food the night.  Our primary role will be to  keep families updated and provide support to the Group Organizer to reach a  quick and effective resolution.

Host Community and Project Details

The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) is a non-profit consortium of nearly sixty universities, colleges, and research institutions worldwide, whose purpose is to sustain their tropical ecosystems by driving scientific discovery and knowledge, by enriching human perception of nature and by enhancing worldwide policy actions in the tropics. The OTS established La Selva Research Station in 1968, making it one of the pioneers of private forest conservation in Costa Rica. Located just a two-hour drive from San Jose, La Selva offers 1,600 hectares of well-preserved old-growth and recovering wet lowland tropical forest. La Selva also has some of the longest running ecological research projects in the tropics, with emphases on nutrient cycling, plant and animal demography, community interactions, and their responses to a changing climate. You will work on different projects that include: Peccary monitoring through camera traps, riparian forest restoration, a research project on fruiting patterns, bat species monitoring, rivers and streams monitoring and management and citizen engagement for conservation.

Packing List

What follows is a sample packing list that is provided as a guideline. Feel free to augment as you feel necessary.  We recommend you bring a larger piece of luggage like a roller, duffel bag, or backpack, as well as a smaller backpack that you can bring on hikes, weekend excursions and shorter activities.

“Less is more” is a packing tip we encourage for all our travelers. The list below should cover everything you would need, but know yourself and what you are comfortable traveling with.  We suggest bringing only as much as you would be able to carry on your own.

Finally, we recommend consulting a weather forecast for your destination. 

The research station is located between the lush tropical rainforest and the ocean and therefore humidity is omnipresent and it can take a while for clothes to dry. Keep this in mind when selecting your clothing fabric.

CLOTHES (quantities depend on your trip length) :

• Underwear
• Socks
• T-shirts (some quick dry)
• Long sleeve quick dry shirt/s
• Rain jacket or poncho
• Travel/athletic shorts that are breathable and light
• Comfortable/hiking/everyday pants
• Durable athletic/hiking shoes with good grip
• Sport/water sandals
• Bandanas
• Hats, good sun protection
• Swimming suit/s

TOILETRIES (in addition to the basic toiletries):

• Face masks
• Reef-safe, biodegradable sunscreen
• Deet-free mosquito repellent
• Basic first aid supplies
• Anti-itch cream
• Hand Sanitizer
• Medications (any prescription meds should travel in the original bottle with patient’s name)

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Sunglasses
• Journal and pen
• Book/s
• Camera
• Debit card/US Dollars (we recommend about $50-$150, depending on number of desired snacks, souvenirs, extra items etc.)
• Durable water bottle
• Quick-dry towel
• Flashlight/headlamp
• Deck of cards or other portable games
• Sense of adventure!

Support Team

At a minimum, one experienced Program Leader will travel on every trip. In addition to this full time leadership presence, Walking Tree has additional staff in all destinations and 24/7 support from our headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Below you’ll find the the team members involved in the preparation, planning and execution of your program.

Luke Mueller

Co-Founder of Walking Tree Travel and Business Lead - Denver, CO

[email protected]

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Emory University – B.A. Sociology and minor in Latin American History

During college, Luke spent a semester living and traveling in rural Mexico. His experience sparked a fascination with Latin America and a commitment to community service that continues to this day. Upon graduating from college, he joined WorldTeach and lived with a local family in a small village in Costa Rica while teaching elementary English. After this experience, he moved to San José, the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and wrote for The Tico Times newspaper. Luke has since traveled to over 60 countries on five different continents.  Now settled in Denver with his family, he continues to crave massive helpings of rice and beans.

Amelia “Ame” Garita Castillo

Country Operations Manager - Costa Rica

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University Nacional, Costa Rica. Business Management/Sustainable Tourism

Amelia was born in San Gerardo de Rivas, Costa Rica, close to the highest mountain Cerro Chirripo. While a young girl Ame had the opportunity to climb Cerro Chirripo with her father over 50 times before she turned 18, and fell in love with the outdoors and wilderness. After having these amazing experiences she went on to study tourism and business management in the National University of Costa Rica where she graduated with a bachelors degree. Since then she has worked for the Costa Rican tourism board, before moving on to guiding. She has worked guiding students in outdoor adventure working for Outward Bound Costa Rica, Outward Bound Mexico, and Outward Bound Hong Kong. She also guides wilderness therapy with Pure Life by Aspiro in Costa Rica. She has had the pleasure of traveling in Europe and South America which further confirmed her love for traveling, the outdoors, and guiding. She has traveled to over 14 countries and loves to share her experiences with others and also help them discover their own passion, and worldly views. She speaks fluent Spanish and English, and most enjoys her time by guiding and helping others. She now works for Walking Tree full time as a part of the Country Operations Team in Costa Rica.

Christian López Miranda (Cris)

Program Leader

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Instituto Tecnológico de Cartago – Computer Engineer

Christian worked for 11+ years as Program Director and field guide at Outward Bound School – Costa Rica. He is a facilitator of educational processes using adventure-based strategies. For 6 years, he worked as Director of Operations and guide trainer for Pure Life, the only outdoor therapy organization in Latin America. He is certified as an Experiential Learning Facilitator and specializes in areas like low ropes, high ropes, socio-emotional skill development, and team development programs. He’s passionate about rural tourism and cultural interaction and trained Peace Corps volunteers and families for 3 years.

Laura Monge

Program Leader

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Liceo Canaan de Rivas – Degree in Business Administration 

I am from San Gerardo de Rivas, the most beautiful place I know! It is located near the magnificent Chirripó mountain, the highest in Costa Rica. For the past six years I have worked as an operations manager for the Chirripó National Park. I love travel, nature and animals, especially dogs (I have 4). I love meeting new people and helping them learn more about my beautiful country!

Group Roster

Below is a list of the travelers enrolled on the program.

• 1 Aidan Brennan
• 2 Andrew Freeley
• 3 Brent Bounds
• 4 Caetano Ortegon
• 5 Colin Avery
• 6 David Rosado III
• 7 Demos Politopoulos
• 8 Desta Porras-Tibebe
• 9 Donato Giuseppi IV
• 10 Jack Speight
• 11 Jacob Siper
• 12 Jaiden Sawyer
• 13 Jaiden Sawyer
• 14 Jayden Serrano
• 15 Jennifer Muller
• 16 Joel Cruz
• 17 John Gnagy
• 18 John Salerno
• 19 Julian Bartolome
• 20 Justin Villani
• 21 Lucas DeJesus
• 22 Luke Anci
• 23 Patrick Deane
• 24 Preston Barker
• 25 Ruben Blazejczak
• 26 Sarah Porter
• 27 Timothy Edwards
• 28 Will Conway IV
• 29 William Milite

Blog and Communication

During travel we work hard to keep families updated as frequently as possible with blog posts and photos, giving you peace of mind that your traveler is safe and thriving on their program.  Students regularly contribute to these posts, providing families bak home a great way to vicariously track the progress of the trip. You will be notified when the first update is posted, after which we recommend checking in regularly via the black “Program Blog” button at the top of this webpage.

Assuming your school allows the use of cell phones, most destinations are wired enough to allow participants access WiFi at different moments in the program, allowing them to communicate directly with home. Ask your Walking Tree representative about the degree of connectivity on your program.

GLC Curriculum

Standards of Behavior

In order to run a safe and successful program, it is vital that travelers are prepared to be on their best behavior and bring enthusiasm and interest to each and every day. A communal atmosphere of trust and mutual respect is the foundational.  As such, all individuals participating on a Walking Tree program are required to take responsibility for their actions and adhere to a high standard of personal conduct.

IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL

1. Possessing, consuming or distributing alcohol or illegal drugs.
2. Associating with participants while they are in possession of alcohol or illegal drugs.
3. Behaving in a way that consistently damages the group dynamic or jeopardizes personal or group safety. This includes consistently displaying a negative attitude, intimidating or excluding other participants, sneaking out, disobeying group leaders, and any other behavior that is not conducive to an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect.

GROUNDS FOR DISMISSAL OR IN-COUNTRY CONSEQUENCE

1. Getting a piercing or tattoo.
2. Stealing, or deliberately damaging or defacing any personal property, buildings or materials.
3. Threatening physical or emotional harm, or brandishing a weapon.
4. Possessing, consuming, or distributing tobacco or nicotine, including vape pens.
5. Riding mopeds, motorcycles, or any other type of unauthorized vehicle.
6. Being out of designated area or accommodations after curfew.
7. Breaking group rules.

These standards of behavior are essential for the successful completion of your program. Please take the time to review these as a family and make sure everyone understands and agrees to them.

Health and Safety

We strongly recommend visiting the CDC Costa Rica website to get the most updated information on health and vaccination considerations in your destination country. In addition, we encourage you to consult with your personal family physician so you can be as informed as possible when making important decisions about vaccinations and other necessary health-related preparations before travel.

Our in-country staff prepare meticulously for all programs. Walking Tree will register our programs and travelers with the U.S. Department of State Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) in case of emergency. In country staff also verify the safety records of our partner organizations, vendors, and transportation providers, thoroughly vet homestay families via in depth interviews and home visits, and keep up on important current events in the region.

Program Leaders are seasoned travelers who are CPR and First Aid certified, undergo thorough training in crisis management, and participate in a multi-day leadership training retreat. We do our best to prepare for any eventuality and have detailed emergency protocols for our leaders, in-country staff and U.S.-based staff.

We receive medical disclosures from all participants to ensure we are able to meet every students’ needs during the program. Please inform us immediately of any additional health issues that you did not list during your initial registration process. Program Leaders will also hold an online information session before your departure, as well as an arrival orientation in-country, in order to give participants important instructions on food safety, hygiene and preventing injury and illness. Leaders and in-country staff always respond immediately to any mental, physical or emotional health issues and follow comprehensive emergency protocols.

Insurance

While we work hard to ensure the safest experience possible for our travelers on program, experience teaches that travel is never without risk. For this reason, we recommend that all travelers consider a travel insurance policy with  two additional provisions: Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) and Bed Rest. Detailed explanations of both provisions can be found on the link below.

To provide travelers and families with a quality option, Walking Tree has partnered with Travel Insured International, one of the most respected providers in the industry.  Begin by getting a quote here.

IMPORTANT NOTE: in order to secure coverage with CFAR included, you must purchase the plan within 21 days of your deposit/first payment. You must also insure 100% of your trip cost, so program tuition + flight.