Day 1

Traveling on our designated group flight departing from Miami, our flight time to the capital city of San Jose is quite short. After clearing customs with the help of your staff member, our group will transfer to a local hostel near the airport. Settling into our evening accommodations will be quite easy after a long day of traveling.

Days 2-6

Wasting no time, we are off via private bus to the Nicoya Peninsula located on the Pacific Ocean side of Costa Rica. It will take us the better part of the day to navigate across this amazing country traveling through various types of rain forest eventually reaching the coastal lowlands. After a quick passenger ferry across the Gulf of Nicoya, we will get our first view of the Pacific Ocean and stunning beaches of Costa Rica. Camping on our private beach gives us immediate access to the warm water and surfing without the hassle of crowds and distractions. For the next five nights, we will sleep in our three season tents among palm trees and howler monkeys. Even though we are camping, we will have access to such modern day luxuries as solar showers and pit toilets. With coolers to store fresh food and ice delivered to us daily, it is quite easy to camp in such a tropical paradise. Four full days of surf instruction will mean a lot of time in the water. Whether it is your first time on a surfboard or you grew up at the beach surfing for many years, the local Costa Rican surfing guides can cater to your ability. We will have a variety of different types of surfboards to choose from, as you get better over the trip. In addition to several daily surf sessions, there are some excellent hikes in the rain forest that our group will take advantage of. Surfing the warm waters of Costa Rica is the perfect way to start our two-country adventure!

Days 7-9

A trip to Costa Rica would not be complete without a white-water rafting adventure on the Pacuare River. Considered one of the best jungle river experiences anywhere in the world, you will be amazed at the shear beauty of the place. As we raft through Class II & III whitewater, our boats will pass by large waterfalls cascading into the narrow gorges. The jungle is full of life with frequent spotting of wildlife such as exotic birds, monkeys and giant sloth. Not needing any experience, our local Costa Rican rafting guides will teach us the basics of navigating our boats with confidence and ease. Each evening, our accommodations will be in a rustic river lodge situated right on the river’s edge. Besides running the rapids of the Pacuare, other highlights will be traveling through the rain forest canopy via a zip line and visiting a remote indigenous community a short hike from one of our campsites. At the conclusion of the rafting trip, we will take out extremely close to where the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a short commute back to the capital city of San Jose to stay one more night at a local hostel near the airport.

Days 10-15

Leaving one Central American country for another, it will be a short flight north to Belize. Arriving in Belize City, we will notice one immediate difference from Costa Rica: the official language spoke is English not Spanish. From Belize City, we'll hop on a short domestic flight down to the port village of Placencia (located on a beautiful peninsula jutting out into the Caribbean). Here, we'll meet our Captain, stock up on groceries at a local market and receive a helpful introduction to the basics of sailing before embarking on our seafaring journey up the coast. Our voyage will be both fun and educational as we gain progressive sailing skills under the careful guidance of our professional sea Captain. Under route, we'll also gain a new perspective-on and understanding-of the marine ecology of this beautiful but fragile environment. Of course, our time living and sailing together will build magical memories that we're sure to treasure throughout our lifetimes. After enjoying a life together on the water, we'll arrive with our newfound sea legs and treasured experience at the quaint, beachside town of Dangriga where we'll enjoy a Caribbean feast before embarking on the next leg of our journey. 

Days 16-20

We will make are way out to the Atlantic Ocean where a power boat will pick up the group and transfer us to a private island situated right on a coral cay of this giant Caribbean barrier reef. Settling into our cabanas situated right over the water’s edge, we will embark on four days of diving in such locations as Turneffe and Lighthouse Atoll. The majority of us will participate in the learn to dive program where PADI certification will be achieved after several open water dives. In the event that an individual is certified to dive prior to the summer, you are welcome to participate in a few more open water dives while the rest of the group is finishing up the classroom and pool work. Students wishing not to do any diving always have the option to do some snorkeling as well. Belize has some of the finest diving anywhere in the world. With direct access to the reef, we will have no problems maximizing our time in the water. Manatees, schools of tropical fish, and gardens of coral are some of the many features you will experience under water. In between dives, we'll take a day to help with local, ecological research, learning about ocean ecology and giving back to these beautiful waters.

Days 21-22

Following our diving trip, we spend the afternoon showering, doing laundry and organizing our belongings to go home. We will enjoy a final banquet before the group flight back to Miami to conclude our Central American summer.