2024 Mullen Costa Rica Conservation Expedition

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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Sarapiquis Hotel

Sarapiquis Hotel 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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San Bosco Inn

Located right in downtown La Fortuna, San Bosco Inn offers a great location, a pool, restaurant and cozy bedrooms. This is the ideal location from which students can the nearby waterfalls, caves, thermal hot springs, and of course the amazing Arenal Volcano. All rooms are equipped with A/C with free Wi-Fi to keep everyone feeling comfortable and connected. Students will be grouped in their rooms according to gender and availability.

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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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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

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. 

CLOTHES (quantities depend on your trip length) :

• Underwear
• Socks
• T-shirts, some quick dry
• Long sleeve shirt/s, some quick dry
• 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

TOILETRIES (in addition to the basic toiletries):

• Face masks
• Reef-safe, biodegradable sunscreen
• Deet-free mosquito repellent
• Basic first aid
• 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
• 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
• Your 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 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.

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.

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.

Group Roster

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

• 1 Abigail Denler
• 2 Alexa Hannegan
• 3 Alexander Andrews
• 4 Amelia Rockers
• 5 Andrew Hagan
• 6 Audrey Kupper
• 7 Avery Walters
• 8 Blake Young
• 9 Brennan Weaver
• 10 Charlotte Morse
• 11 Cooper Puckett
• 12 Gabrielle Covarrubias
• 13 Gavin Van der Steen
• 14 Grace Brouillette
• 15 Grace Cann
• 16 Gretchen Cross
• 17 Jagger Hanley
• 18 Jaxson Cady
• 19 Jayden Bielenberg
• 20 Jennifer Wink
• 21 Jonathan Alexander
• 22 Julia Hoody
• 23 Julie Metcalfe
• 24 Keira Schwarz
• 25 Luke Denezza
• 26 Mason Tucker
• 27 Matthew Degitis
• 28 Quinn Mochan
• 29 Rocco Gonzalez Cisneros
• 30 Ruby Davis
• 31 Ryan Palmeiro
• 32 Samantha Lengsfeld
• 33 Santino Donati
• 34 Stella Zinis
• 35 Timothy DeNezza
• 36 William Rainey

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.