2024 Lunenburg Costa Rica Cultural Journey

Accommodations

Hotel Aeropuerto

Hotel Aeropuerto is located five minutes away from the Juan Santa María airport. Clean rooms and friendly staff will make you feel at home the moment you drop your bags. The swimming pool  is surrounded by fruit trees and flowers, which attract a number of butterflies and birds, and even some iguanas and squirrels. Students will be grouped by gender. Wifi is available throughout the property.

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Los Lagos

Hotel Los Lagos is roomy, beautifully decorated, and offers views of Arenal volcano in a relaxing setting. Free Wi-Fi throughout the facilities keep everyone feeling connected. Students will stay in double or triple occupancy rooms according to gender.

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Hotel San Bada

Hotel San Bada is nestled right next to Manuel Antonio National Park and just few steps away from Manuel Antonio Beach, Costa Rica. Rooms offer flat TV screens, air conditioning and free wi-fi. Amenities include a big pool with a wet bar and restaurant service, a rooftop pool and free breakfast that are available on-site.

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La Quinta Sarapiquí

At La Quinta, you will be immersed in the tropical rainforest while enjoying traditional food, excellent hospitality and authentic experiences. We will always treat our environment with the utmost care and responsibility, and would greatly appreciate your help in upholding these practices while you are visiting. We hope you enjoy the natural beauty of this lodge.

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Group Flight

Once your flight 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

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 region of the country you will be visiting is in a lush tropical rainforest and next to 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.

Most importantly, be sure to remember your PASSPORT and STUDENT ID.

CLOTHES (quantities depend on your trip length) :

• Underwear
• Socks (a mixture of good hiking socks and casual socks)
• T-shirts (some quick dry)
• Long sleeve shirt
• Long sleeve quick dry shirt (for activities under the sun such as rafting or surfing)
• Rain jacket or poncho
• Travel/athletic shorts that are breathable and light
• Comfortable/hiking/everyday pants (NOT all jeans)
• 1 nice shirt/top to be worn to more formal dinners (girls might want a skirt or something a little nicer for such occasions, boys may want to opt for a polo shirt or button up shirt with jeans)
• Durable athletic/hiking shoes with good grip
• Sandals (Chaco/Teva/Keen/Merrel sandals are great to have for water activities)
• Thick long socks (for the sand fleas)
• Bandana for work site (optional)
• A hat that can protect your neck
• Swimming suit, for surf classes a rash guard is recommended for sensitive skins

TOILETRIES: BRING THE BASIC TOILETRIES YOU NEED PLUS:

• Sunscreen (You will use a lot. Natural products/lotions are preferred over aerosol, especially for the beach)
• Mosquito repellent (non-deet/lotions are preferred to reduce environmental impact)
• Band Aids and Neosporin
• Anti-itch cream
• Hand Sanitizer
• Medication in properly marked original container. It’s important that medication travel in its original container, as customs officials have the right to confiscate it otherwise.

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Sunglasses
• Eyeglass straps (such as Croakies, Chums, etc.) for water activities
• Journal and pen
• Book
• Camera (digital, disposable, waterproof)
• Debit card/US Dollars (we recommend about $50-$150, depending on number of desired snacks, souvenirs, extra items etc.)
• Durable water bottle
• 1 quick-dry towel
• Flashlight/headlamp
• Batteries
• Deck of cards or other portable games

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 support staff in all destinations and 24/7 support from our headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Below you’ll find a list of the team members involved in the planning, organizing, and leadership of your program.

Gabriel Duncan

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

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Colby College – B.A. International Relations and Government

While at Colby, Gabriel spent a semester in Spain at the University of Salamanca studying contemporary Spanish politics and Spanish language. He also lettered for four-years on Colby’s lacrosse team and earned All-American honors. After graduating, Gabriel hit the road. He fished commercially in Alaska, taught in Chile and China, led programs for students in Spain and Costa Rica, and traveled to over 50 countries and all 50 states in the USA. Regardless of where Gabriel is located, he is constantly haunted by his naive faith and unconditional love for Denver sports teams.

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.

Verny Chavarría

Program Leader

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Verny study in INBIO (National Institution of Biodiversity) began his guiding career in 2002 in his home country of Costa Rica as an outdoors and Naturalist guide and has also guided in the US states of California, Tennessee, Colorado, and North Carolina. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder and a swiftwater rescuer. Verny grew up in an athletic family that organizes sporting events in Costa Rica, including triathlons and adventure races. A man of many talents, Verny also guides outdoor adventures in Costa Rica including trekking, nature hikes, kayaking, zip-lining, rappelling, horseback riding, and canyoneering and a lot more. Following his outdoors passion, Verny keep his training and become Rescue 3 International instructor and teach Water rescue courses and Rope Rescue courses, also has been involved in several volunteer project in communities in Central and South America and has been an active participant in many environmental projects. His passion for the wilderness has take him far beyond expectations.

Enrique Parrales

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Southend-On-Sea College, UK – Counselling/Psychology

Enrique was born and raised in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. He became very passionate about the undiscovered rural areas of my country by spending quality time with friends and family at my grandparent’s farm in Perez Zeledon and its surroundings. Enrique is an outdoor enthusiast and nature lover, with over 20 years of experience working in outdoor adventure, commercial recreation and rural tourism. He has worked in student travel and leadership organizations in Costa Rica, the US and the UK. He has also traveled and volunteered in countries in Central and South America, the US, and Europe and moved to England with his family in 2020 where he has been working in programs supporting individuals and families struggling with the negative outcomes of active addiction in treatment centres. One of his best mentor and friend’s favourite quotes goes like this… Nature does not treat us differently, Nature does not see colour, gender, belief, religion, or anything…. Nature treats us all equally!

Group Roster

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

• 1 Abigail Shapiro
• 2 Alia Qasim
• 3 Andrei Matveev
• 4 Charlotte Ludy
• 5 Colleen Shapiro
• 6 Deena Qasim
• 7 Elizabeth Bannon
• 8 Elizabeth Clark
• 9 Elizabeth Morton
• 10 Ella Thibault
• 11 Emma Powers
• 12 Erinn Gerra
• 13 Evelyn Jones
• 14 Isabella Giannini
• 15 Jayden Pereira
• 16 Jillian Morgan
• 17 Lara Qasim
• 18 Lauren Anderson
• 19 Leela Bannon
• 20 Lillian Grady
• 21 Lynn Radford
• 22 Mackenzie Belleza
• 23 Mitchel Friedman
• 24 Rory Ferguson
• 25 Rylan Arnold
• 26 Sophia Sommala
• 27 Tyler Fortier
• 28 Victoria Matveeva

Blog and Communication

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

Beyond this proactive approach to communication during the trip, most destinations are wired enough to allow participants semi-regular access to WiFi so you can also expect to communicate with your traveler directly. 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 important that we create an environment of trust, security and respect. All individuals participating in our programs are required to take responsibility for their actions and adhere to a high standard of behavioral conduct.

ABSOLUTE DISMISSAL

1.  Possessing, consuming or distributing alcohol or illegal drugs.
2. Associating with participants while they are in possession of, or are consuming, or distributing alcohol or illegal drugs.
3. Behaving in a way that consistently damages the group dynamic or jeopardizes personal or group safety.
4. 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 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.