Fly to San Jose, Costa Rica. Meet your Outward Bound Instructors. Transfer to CRROBS base camp at Tres Rios for brief, late night orientation.

Morning transfer to the trekking area of Brujo. A Costa Rican instructor will accompany your Spanish group for the entire rainforest portion of any CRROBS course. His or her role is to share unique knowledge of the species found in the rainforest as well as introduce new Costa Rican words. Today your trek ends at your destination, the picturesque mountain village area of Piedras Blancas. Meet your host families and take off your heavy pack and relax to a home-cooked Costa Rican meal.

Wake up early to help the host families in Piedras Blancas in their traditions and daily chores. Activities could include planting or harvesting traditional foods such as bananas, rice, beans, sugar cane, chocolate beans, avocados, oranges, squash, or corn. Food preparation could include hand milking cows or goats, grinding corn, hand-making tortillas or cooking over an open fire. Engage in a service project teaching English to local children or assisting the community with greenhouse or farming needs (service project depends on availability and season). Tonight your group will be the guests of the family, enjoying a typical home-cooked Costa Rican meal. Since most families in Piedras Blancas have many young children, you can always find a willing partner for a card game, art project, or just a nice chat for a chance to practice your Spanish.

The Outward Bound solo is an experience you may have only once in your life. Experience pure solitude for a period of 12 hours. Spend time alone in the wilderness to enjoy nature and to take inventory of where your life is and where you want it to be. The solo exercise is designed to allow students to make an introspective evaluation of their personal progress on their course and in life. The solo is not a survival exercise per se; the focus is more meditative, and the environment allows students to be free of distractions. Students are frequently asked to write a letter to themselves and/or to the group to help organize their thoughts and feelings related to what is a very impacting personal experience.

After coming together after the solo, your group will hike further down the Piedras Blancas valley where you will again stay with the Fonseca family. This rustic home is located adjacent to a magnificent waterfall that cascades into the clear and warm Savegre River. The father of the family is an indigenous shaman, and will talk with you about many of the traditions that have been passed on to him by his ancestors. In the afternoon, enjoy a medicinal plant hike, where you will learn the value of various flora and fauna and how they are used to treat everything from common day ailments to more serious health problems. After dinner, lay down on the spacious balcony and let the nearby river rapids lull you to sleep.

Wake up with the rising sun and strap on a harness. It’s time to do some tree climbing. Learn the basic techniques of technical climbing as you use ropes and harnesses to climb up a rainforest tree. The trees are cloaked with strangler figs, which form your hand and foot holds. The afternoon is spent rappelling off a jungle waterfall face (during the rainy season, this is an exciting waterfall that helps feed the river underneath. In the dry season, the water disappears but that doesn’t take away from the fun of rappelling off a wall of rock). In the evening, relax your sore muscles in a natural sweat lodge. Tonight, the group will sleep in the family room or on the front porch under the stars.

Early morning hike to the area of Brujo, get into rafts, and begin your day on safe but exciting Class I-IV rapids of the Savegre River (during the dry season, this river runs relatively low and might have to be switched for a different river, at which point the rafting day will be moved to the front of the itinerary). You and your group members will need to work as a team to maneuver rapids. River ecology as well as principles of hydrology will be experienced up close. Take a side hike to layered waterfalls and discover which one makes the best shower! In the evening, make your way to Manuel Antonio. Spend the night in the CRROBS Manuel Antonio base.

Spend the morning in Manuel Antonio National Park. Partake in a surfing or boogie boarding lesson in the morning, and enjoy free time to beach-comb. Wave formation and coastal ecosystems are discussed. Afternoon service project on the beach. Evening transfer to San Jose. Spend the night at the Tres Rios Base.

Time to sadly pack your bags and transfer to the international airport and fly home.