Costa Rica: Rainforests, Culture & Conservation
San José • Sarapiquí • Caribbean Coast | 8–9 Day Featured Program
Designed for middle school students, this immersive program brings Costa Rica to life through rainforests, wildlife, local communities, conservation, food, and outdoor adventure.
Students zipline through the forest canopy, explore local markets, learn alongside Costa Rican families and community members, contribute to conservation and service projects, hike to waterfalls, and experience the Caribbean coast. Along the way, they build confidence, curiosity, teamwork, and a deeper connection to the natural world.
Experience Costa Rica Beyond the Rainforest
What Students Explore
RAINFORESTS & BIODIVERSITY | Explore tropical forests, coastlines, wildlife, and ecosystems in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.
CULTURE & COMMUNITY | Experience Costa Rica through markets, food, local families, Indigenous traditions, and community connections.
CONSERVATION & SERVICE | Work alongside local partners on projects connected to environmental conservation and community priorities.
SUSTAINABLE LIVING | Discover how farmers and communities work with the land through sustainable agriculture, conservation, and local food traditions.
ADVENTURE & CONFIDENCE | Zipline, hike, swim, explore, and try new experiences that encourage teamwork and confidence.
8–9 Day Itinerary
A Program, Built to Be Customized
This itinerary combines Costa Rica’s incredible natural environment with meaningful cultural connection, service, and plenty of adventure.
Your school can customize the program length, activities, locations, and learning themes around your students and travel goals.
Activities listed below are examples and subject to availability and confirmation.
Day 1 | Welcome to Costa Rica
Arrive in Costa Rica, meet your EdOdyssey Program Leader, and settle into your accommodations.
Gather for a welcome dinner and interactive orientation introducing Costa Rican culture, group expectations, and the adventure ahead.
Sample Experiences:
Arrival • San José • Program orientation • Costa Rican culture • Welcome dinner
Day 2 | Markets to Treetops
Explore a colorful local farmers market through an interactive scavenger hunt, sampling tropical produce and meeting local vendors.
Then see Costa Rica from a completely different perspective during an exciting zipline adventure through the forest canopy.
Sample Experiences:
Farmers market • Tropical foods • Market scavenger hunt • Local vendors • Ziplining • Cultural activity
Day 3 | Conservation & Cultural Traditions
Spend the morning alongside a local environmental organization, participating in a hands-on project connected to conservation.
Then meet Indigenous artists and learn about Costa Rica’s Indigenous cultures and traditions through a hands-on craft workshop.
Sample Experiences:
Environmental service • Conservation • Indigenous arts • Cultural traditions • Group reflection
Day 4 | Farms, Families & Sustainable Living
Travel into Sarapiquí, where rainforest and agricultural communities provide a completely different view of Costa Rica.
Visit a sustainable farm to discover how food is grown and how communities care for the land. Spend time with a local family making tortillas and learning about coffee and traditional drinks before settling into a rainforest lodge.
After dark, head into the forest for an optional guided night walk to discover what comes alive after sunset.
Sample Experiences:
Sustainable farm • Local family experience • Tortilla making • Coffee & traditional foods • Rainforest lodge • Night walk
Day 5 | Community & Adventure
Spend the morning working alongside community members on a project based on local priorities, which might include reforestation, school improvements, or another hands-on initiative.
Then trade work gloves for hiking shoes and head through the tropical landscape to a local waterfall for swimming and exploration.
Sample Experiences:
Community project • Reforestation • Local connections • Waterfall hike • Swimming • Rainforest exploration
Day 6 | Rainforest to Caribbean Coast
Travel from the rainforest to Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast and settle into the relaxed rhythms of Cahuita.
Depending on season and availability, join local conservation partners for an evening sea turtle patrol, learning how communities monitor nesting beaches and protect wildlife.
Sample Experiences:
Caribbean coast • Cahuita • Marine ecosystems • Sea turtle conservation • Night patrol
Day 7 | Caribbean Culture & Conservation
Give back to the coastline through a beach clean-up with local partners before enjoying time to swim, play, and experience the Caribbean coast.
Finish the day in the kitchen, preparing traditional Caribbean dishes together and discovering how Costa Rica’s Caribbean region has its own distinct flavors and traditions.
Sample Experiences:
Beach clean-up • Marine conservation • Caribbean coast • Swimming • Cooking class • Shared dinner
Day 8 | Reflection & Celebration
Begin the journey back toward San José, stopping along the way for lunch and a final opportunity to explore.
Gather for a farewell dinner and reflect on the adventures, people, and places that made the experience memorable, and what students learned about themselves along the way.
Sample Experiences:
Return to San José • Local exploration • Group reflection • Farewell dinner
Day 9 | ¡Pura Vida!
Enjoy breakfast together before heading to the airport for the journey home.
Students leave Costa Rica with new friendships, greater confidence, and a deeper appreciation for the connections between people, communities, and the natural world.
Sample Experiences:
Breakfast • Final reflection • Airport transfer • Departure
Make this program your own
This itinerary is a starting point. Depending on your goals, we can place greater emphasis on areas such as:
Rainforests & Wildlife
Biodiversity • Rainforest ecology • Sea turtles • Tropical wildlife • Marine ecosystems
Culture & Community
Local families • Markets • Indigenous traditions • Caribbean culture • Food
Conservation & Service
Reforestation • Wildlife conservation • Beach clean-ups • Community projects
Sustainability & Agriculture
Sustainable farms • Coffee • Local food systems • Agriculture • Conservation
Adventure & Exploration
Ziplining • Waterfalls • Hiking • Swimming • Rainforest night walks
We can also adjust the program length, locations, site visits, cultural activities, reflection, community engagement, accommodations, meals, and level of EdOdyssey Program Leader support.
Start Here. Then Shape Around Your Course.
Could this work for your students?
Use this itinerary as your starting point or tell us what you'd change. We'll work with you to align the experience with your students, academic objectives, preferred dates, group size, and budget.
Have a different academic focus in mind?