Costa Rica Trip

Costa Rica

We think we can speak for every person on the Costa Rica trip when we say it was life changing. Many of us went without having experienced anything like it. It was surreal from the beginning as we were greeted by rain akin to that of Jurassic Park upon arrival. The humid air was welcomed and embraced as we made our way into San Jose to begin our trip, with our two groups working to reverse programmes.

Rancho Margot was one of our destinations, a near 80% selfsustaining farm in the beautiful Arenal region. There we were greeted with beautiful organic food and warm people. We hiked the Arenal volcano in typical Costa Rican torrential rain, and were soaked to the skin, yet no one complained. Making and tasting our own natural chocolate set the tone for the trip. Our stay was short, but meaningful and we all left with a greater understanding of sustainability and nature (and yoga).

A short drive away stood the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a unique kind of forest with moss, rich soil, and of course low-level clouds. A geography teachers’ dream if you will. Everywhere you turned there were trees with over 100 different creatures living both on and inside them. Tree turkeys (yes, they exist) and tarantulas became the mascots of the forest – and one group saw the rare and endangered Quetzal.

The Cloud Forest led us back to sea level and Natuwa Jin the Puntarenas area. We were initially bombarded with the humidity and sound of the rainforest; however, we didn’t have time to dwell on our discomfort- there was work to do! After an introduction to the sanctuary, we were thrown in headfirst: clearing a corn field, planting trees, and preparing food for the animals (a special mention to Papaito the Sloth) Needless to say, we’ve never had that much fun being that sweaty.

Continuing to the Pacific coast, we were then based at Jakera in Santa Teresa. The resort was stunning: from the hammocks around every corner to a pool looking out into the forests. We undertook a beach clean; visited and worked at a recycling centre and hiked through protected Howler monkey forestry – their noise greeting us on many mornings. We met many weird and wonderful animals on our trip. However, there was one in particular that stole our hearts- Oreo the Kitten (we were surprised he didn’t appear in someone’s bag on departure). Everything from sunset swimming in the ocean to late-night ping pong matches: Jakera was a spectacular way to spend time in a place that really taught us the Costa Rican way of life.

And just like that, it was time to make the drive back to San Jose to catch our flight. We all got something different out of this trip. For some it was the culture, for others it was the nature and sustainability focus. However, we can say with some confidence that there’s one thing we all agree on- it’s a trip that none of us are going to forget in a hurry.

Costa Rica… Pura Vida!