Eco Service & Waterfall

Today we had a full morning and now have some down time in the hotel before we head to Mass at 7pm. We got the readings for Mass printed in English so it should help with the Spanish part of the Mass. We started the morning by visiting the Eco center of Danaus which is a reforested area that has some wildlife and a chance to educate kids on the environment. We spent around 3 hours at the reserve and had the kids do some hands on planting of trees and mixing soil.

This is a great project for student groups but we can also make this part of a Costa Rica family adventure package if you are interested. They got their hands dirty during this community service project a bit but then they had a chance to wash them off in one of Costa Rica's most beautiful waterfalls. We also had what I consider the best lunch in all of Costa Rica which was at an organic farm. Well we are off to Mass and just wanted to say Happy Fathers Day again and hope everyone enjoyed their Sunday because I know we did.

Amazing Day and a Sunny Morning!!!

The views of the volcano right now are amazing. Please do not forget we operate Costa Rica Family Adventures for anyone who is interested in designing a trip with us or for those looking to bring a group for a community service trip. We had an excellent day yesterday of ziplining, national park (we watched lava rocks pour down the side of the volcano), and also visited the orphanage of 15 little kids. It was a great experience from start to finish doing a little bit of everything yesterday.

The zipline filled in for the adventure part of the day hanging from cables that were 700ft above the ground with views of the active volcano. The National Park filled in for the educational part of the day which was a hike and a chance to get a better understanding of how volcanos function. Last but not least was the visit to the orphanage which filled in for the kids having a chance to give back to the area and spend time with the locals some more. We stayed at the orphanage for almost 2 hours and it was smiles and laughs from the time we arrived till the time we left.

In the evening we made our way back to the hotel. Picked up some laundry which everyone was ready for a clean load and then had some dinner. Today we have another full day doing some more service work in the morning but more on an environmental level planting trees and helping re-build the jungle is what I like to call it. In the afternoon we will visit an amazing waterfall called La Fortuna falls which the kids will enjoy swimming around in the swimhole. Hope everyone is having a great weekend and a HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all the dads out there!!!! PURA VIDA!!!

Visit to village school...

We put the kids to work and I can promise you none of them will ever be out of a job. This was a community service project of building two recycle bins for a nearby village school. As you can see in the picture we had the kids paint, nail, and sweat a little bit as we spent the morning working on the project. We also joined the kids in their morning program of the national anthem and watched another dance performance. It was a beautiful morning and we could see the volcano smoking from the school we were working at. Now we are having lunch are going to make the drive to the Arenal Volcano. This happens to be one of the most active volcanos on the planet and we will have amazing views from our hotel room so it should be exciting for the kids to arrive to this beautiful hotel after living in the village with cold water showers. Hope all are well and enjoy the weekend because I know we will!!!

This is an amazing experience for students. If you are interested in planning a Costa Rica Adventure Package with us we can make this part of your itinerary of visiting a local school if you are interested?

Amazing Day on the River!!!

We left the homes around 8am and made our way to the river. We had to make a detour because they were working on a bridge. Maybe building a bridge will be the project for our next volunteer trip to Costa Rica. The river we went on was called Pejiballe which is a class II& III river. We spent around two hours on the river getting wet and then made our way back to the homestays. Everyone is in their homes now having lunch and getting ready for the 3pm soccer game. It is going to be an intense game and if you watch ESPN Sportcenter this evening you might get a look at the highlights if not I will send you pics.

Don't forget we customize Costa Rica family adventure packages for anyone interested in planning their next family vacation with CRRTravel.com!

Hanging at the Village

We made it to the village and so did the rain. It has just cleared though and looks to be a beautiful evening. From the time we arrived we have given them plenty of food. I told them we wanted to beef them up before the big day of rafting. The homes we are at are very humble but with amazing people and just being here makes for a great community service project. To me this is the best part of the trip. It is a chance for the kids to meet the locals and see how it is to live in the country on not many resources except for some rice and beans, chickens, and smiles and laughter. The kids seem to be doing well and after lunch we had some cooking classes of the local meals and then they are all hanging with their families. We have planned a salsa class for after dinner so I will fill you in on how good they are with some pictures. We will be heading to the river in the morning and we plan on getting very wet.

We considet this the real gem of Costa Rica along with the many waterfalls, volcanoes, and beautiful animals it is the people in the village of Sitio de Mata that alway impress our guest more than anyone. If you are interested in making this village a part of a Costa Rica eco adventure package with us just let us know.

Pics from after Breakfast

The guys took off for a hike as boys will be boys and start exploring the area the best they can. Here they are walking along the rocks at the beautiful beach. As you can see the blue skies are out and all looks set for a full day at the beach. This side of Costa Rica is not the super touristy area. When planning our trips if it be a student travel trip or a Costa Rican family adventure we always try and squeeze in some of the less touristy spots. It is an area that we feel is just as beautiful as all beaches in Costa Rica (maybe even the most beautiful) and an area that is great for student travel trips. It is a relaxed area where allowing groups to come is a boost in the economy which as you will see during the trip we try and gear the itinerary to having a positive affect on the different areas of Costa Rica. This side of Costa Rica comes from a history of banana production and after the United Fruit Company left who was considered to be a large ruthless company in some cases on different areas of Central America it was hard for many locals to survive. Just by making a visit with groups helps the economy in the area. The govt is really making an effort to make this a more touristy area because it is safe, beautiful, and ready for some visits. Enjoy the pics and will post later have a great morning!

Sunny Day at the Beach!!!

Everyone looks rested this morning. It is a sunny day at the beach and we plan on letting the kids enjoy some sun. On the menu for breakfast this morning is some rice and beans. At the beach where they are at it is very popular to eat rice and beans cooked in coconut milk. After they leave the beach and travel a different part of the country the cuisine changes just a little bit but will always have some sort of rice and beans. Jheudy their naturalist guide waisted now time in finding some wildlife. He has just located a sloth near where they are eating breakfast. The kids will know everything about sloths that they have ever wanted to know because Jheudy is what we call our Wildlife-Wikipedia. After they get done with breakfast they will make the hike to Manzanillo beach where they will enjoy some more wildlife and walk to a look out point that will give them inredible views of the ocean. Since it is such a sunny day it looks like the snorkeling will be a go and give the kids a chane to swim around in the clear blue waters. Hope all is well back in Maryland and thanks for following and enjoy the pics. We will have some better pics today after we get them to the beach and back.

Dont forget we are experts in planning Costa Rica family vacations also so contact us today!