Homestay & Arenal Volcano Adventure

Day 1 ------------- Arrive and Drive to Sitio de Mata (Homestays)

Sitio de Mata Homestays

We will meet you at the airport and then make the two hour drive out to the village. When we arrive to the village it should only take a few seconds for you to feel welcome. We will be in the mountains with a view of the smoking Turrialba Volcano but the people of Sitio de Mata is what brings this village to life. (Meals: Dinner)

CLICK HERE TO MEET THE HOMESTAYS FAMILIES!!!

Day 2 ------------ Community Service Project & Soccer Game with Locals in Sitio de Mata Village (Homestays)

After a good night's rest we will start off the week by showing the village that we are worth the visit. We plan on taking part in a community service project which will involve doing some work needed in the area. This could involve a number of different things. We have a recycle program organized and many groups help with that. If you are interested in painting or making small repairs to schools or many other needed things in the area we can arrange that. When those types of projects come into play it is funding that depends on how much we can do. If a school group can fundraise back in the states or get donations of a couple hundred dollars for paint and/or things of such then we can plan projects that involve using the funds. After the community service project we will spend time with the families and keep working on our Spanish. Each evenings we will organize the group in one of the main homes that has an open area. Here we usually do a salsa class to get us ready for the last night. All of the homes are within walking distance of each other. We will also plan a soccer game with the kids from the village and we usually lose but it is good fun. Take a Look CLICK HERE.  (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 3 ------------  Day Trip to the Beach Cahuita National Park (Homestays)

Today we will make the day trip to the beach. This will be an early morning and we will have all day to just relax. It is a long drive but nice and worth it. We will plan on doing an early dinner at the beach after a long day of playing in the sand and snorkeling if anyone is up for renting some gear. We will then drive back to the homestay where we can enjoy the night with our homestay families.

Breakfast at Aranza's House

(Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 4 ------------ Craft Class, Cooking Class, visit local school, & farewell party (Homestays)

This is a great day. We will get another full day in the community with our families. Today we will learn everything we will need to know if anyone from the group ever decides to retire in a mountain village in Costa Rica. These things are making tortillas, making some crafts, and we will even squeeze in some more dance classes because that is about as necessary as eating here in Costa Rica. Today we will also visit a school and just socialize with some of the younger kids.

(Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 5 ------------ Enter Pacuare River (Pacuare River Camp Site)

Today we get to do one of the more fun adventures in all of Costa Rica. This is the overnight Pacuare River trip. You will get to see the beautiful Pacaure River at night and early in the morning which is just amazing to be near the river during these hours hearing nature take a nap and then get back up with the light of day. We will have all of your meals prepared for you as it is camping but not roughing it. All will have their shower, towels, and sleeping gear. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 6 ------------- River Rafting and Drive to Arenal Volcano (Arenal Hotel)

River Rafting Adventure

Arenal Volcano

Today we will make our way out of the River Rafting Adventure. This is the best way to get surrounded by the rainforest. This will be a half day adventure and everyone will get soaked. The day two of rafting is where the big rapids happen and it is fun for all to go through the famous Pacuare canyon. We will be on the river for around 2 1/2 hours today and everyone will have to row. The surrounding area is beautiful giving everyone a chance to see more mountains and plenty of jungle from start to finish. We have two rivers we raft in the area. One is class II & III and the other is the famous Pacuare River which is class IV. The Pacuare River, National Geographic has listed as one of the top five on the planet for scenery. After the rafting we will make our way to the Arenal Volcano. This is one of the 10 most active volcanoes on the planet. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Canyoneering

Day 7 ------------ Zipline y Canyoneering Adventure (Arenal Hotel)

We are going to celebrate the end to this trip with some amazing adventures. We will visit the zipline at Arenal which happens to be on the best zipline in the country. This will give you views of the boulders rolling down the side of the volcano. We will be zipping through the rainforest and make our way up on a gandola ride where we will make it very educational giving the kids an idea about the rainforest. After the zipline we will make our way to the canyoneering adventure. This is quite the way to end the trip. The canyon you will be going down will is beautiful and you will be rappeling 5 different waterfalls in the canyon. Take a look at this video to get a better idea of the adventure of Canyoneering CLICK HERE.  (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 8 ------------- Drive to Airport and Fly Home!