Costa Rica is an amazing place for a school trip. There are so many things to do and a variety of ways to incorporate the culture into your curriculum.
We can develop trips based on:
- Ecology
- Sustainability
- Conservation
- Wild life
- History
- And more!
At Evolve Tours we create completely customized trips to meet whatever educational requirements and goals you have. Our Costa Rica Trips vary in length from 7-14 days and we have programs based all over the country. Below is a sample itinerary for a 7 day trip that focuses on Permaculture, Sustainability, and Community Living.
Sample Itinerary
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Day 1: San Jose
Arrive in San Jose and meet with your tour guide. Transfer to your accommodations.
Head for dinner and group orientation. -
Day 2-4: Rain Forest Eco Lodge
Travel to the Adventure Center, which is situated in the Rain Forest near the town of San Isidro. Upon our arrival we will unpack and get an orientation tour. Introduction to the land, safety procedures and activities to follow. Within the Eco Lodge there are many activities to choose from based around service learning, ecology, biology, adventure, organic farming, medicinal plant education, permaculture, earth building, animal husbandry, conservation and more.
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Day 5: Uvita/Manuel Antonio
Visit Manuel Antonio. The park consists of several private and super secluded beaches with lots of wildlife. We will get to see the biodiversity that Costa Rica offers right in front of our eyes. There are 109 species of mammals, including the three-toed sloth and 184 species of birds, including the toucan. Expect to see monkeys, lizards, and animals you have never even heard of. Enjoy beach time in Uvita.
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Day 6: Hermosa/Savegre River
Option to participate in a full day white water rafting trip down the Savegre River, which is considered to be one of the cleanest rivers in Central America. A full day of adventure with incredible landscapes and wildlife. Option for other activities
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Day 7: San Jose>Home
Explore San Jose & Depart Home
Watch the Video to Learn More About What Costa Rica Has to Offer for Student Groups:
Why Choose Costa Rica?
The Forests and Wildlife
About a quarter of the Costa Rica is national parks and beautiful rainforests, which are teaming with life. Although the country is small, it hosts 5% of the world’s biodiversity, making it a great place to study ecology. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve alone has over 2,000 plant species, 400 types of birds, and more than 100 species of mammals. Costa Rica is also known as the hummingbird capital, with 52 different species.
The Culture
Costa Rica embraces the ‘pura vida’, which literally translates to pure life. To the people of Costa Rica, pura vide is a way of life. To them it means slow down and enjoy life, which can be much different than our fast-paced North American lifestyle. This makes Costa Rica an excellent travel destination to show your students a completely different culture. According to the most recent Happy Planet Index, which measures overall happiness and environmental impact, Costa Rica is the #1 most satisfying place to live.
Costa Rica is Very Safe
Costa Rica is a great student travel destination because it’s one of the safest countries in the world to visit. USA Today even named it as one of the safest places for solo women travelers.
Endless Activities
There are so many activities for students including hiking, surfing, snorkeling, white water rafting, zip lining, and much more. We’ll work with you to plan safe and fun activities to make this the trip of a lifetime for your class.
The Food Is Fresh and Amazing
Costa Rican food hasn’t become very popular in North America but that’s not because it isn’t great! With a perfect year-round climate for growing fruits and vegetables, the food is always fresh. Rice and beans tend to appear in most dishes, accompanied by fresh seafood and perfectly ripened veggies.
Things To Do
There are so many fun and interesting things to do in Costa Rica with a student travel group. Picking the best options really depends on what your educational goals are! If you’re not sure what you want to see or how exactly to incorporate your curriculum into a trip to Costa Rica, give us a call – 1-888-222-5066. We can help you choose activities based on when you want to travel, how many students are travelling, what course you’re teaching, and more.
Here’s just a couple ideas:
- Watch the sea turtles hatching – Costa Rica is home to four main species of sea turtles. Both the Caribbean and the Pacific shores have nesting sites, all with different hatching times throughout the year. If this is something you want your students to experience, we can likely plan a trip around it.
- Go white-water rafting – white water rafting is a fun and safe activity for student groups. We are connected to reputable rafting companies all over Costa Rica that will provide a safe and exciting adventure for your group.
- Surf on the beautiful beaches – surf lessons with one of our enthusiastic teachers are a great way to allow all students to try out surfing, while working at their comfort level.
- Explore the Monteverde cloud forest – this forest, located within the Puntarenas and Alajuela provinces, has an extremely high biodiversity, with over 2,500 plant species (including the most orchid species in a single place), 100 species of mammals, 400 bird species, 120 reptilian and amphibian species, and thousands of insects.
- Explore one of the 14 volcanoes in Costa Rica.
- Relax on the some of the world’s most beautiful beaches – while we know that your trip isn’t a vacation exactly, it’s still good to plan some downtime for students to relax between activities. Costa Rica has more than 1,000 miles of beautiful coastline to take a break and enjoy the breathtaking views.
What Our Students Are Saying
All of our students and teachers come back raving about Costa Rica. Here’s what a couple of them had to say:
“Our experience in Costa Rica through Evolve Tours exceeded our expectations. Our students loved all the activities and connected fantastically to Scott. There was an excellent balance of free time and activities. Overall, an excellent experience for all of us. We will definitely use Evolve for our next trip to Belize and will recommend Evolve to other schools. THANK YOU!”
– Leo and Jonade, Teachers, USA
“In 2008 I took my first group of students to Costa Rica with Evolve Tours, and we repeated this trip four additional times. Each trip provided us all with a rich, meaningful, fun and safe experience. Their guides are young, energetic, fun-loving and knowledgeable. I can’t speak highly enough about the staff at Evolve and the service they provide. I highly recommend Evolve Tours. They provided us with unforgettable memories: completing our community service hours in meaningful ways, making a difference in the communities we served, learning about rain forest ecology, rafting, hiking, zip-lining and some amazing social experiences.”
– Jill B, Teacher, CANADA
Get A Quote
To find out how much it would cost, availability of trips, and the options we offer, click the “Plan Your Trip” button below to request a custom quote. If you have any questions, you can email us at info@evolvetours.com or give us a call at 1-888-222-5066.
