

CENTRO-CARIBBEAN
PANAMA, COSTA RICA, BELIZE
A Semester Long Gap Year Program









Centro-Caribbean

Program Details
Dates: | Fall: September 1 – November 9 Spring: February 15 – April 25 |
Tuition: | $15,000* |
Arrive: | Miami |
Depart: | Miami |
Grade: | 12+ |
*Airfare for international and in-country flights additional. SCUBA Diving E-Learning (must be completed before the program) is also additional.
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Program Highlights
- Explore the Trails of Monteverde, Costa Rica’s Famed Cloud Forest
- Study Spanish During a Week-Long Spanish Language School
- Partner with a Non-Profit Bringing Healthcare to the Indigenous People of the Remote Bocas del Toro Islands
- Raft World Class Rapids and Stay Overnight Riverside on the Pacuare
- Learn to surf the Waves on Costa Rica’s Stunning Pacific Coast
- Participate in a Lionfish Eradication and Coral Reef Restoration Project in Belize
- Work with a Grassroots Conservation Organization to Protect Endangered Turtles
- Get SCUBA Certified in the Belizean Islands
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SPRING & FALL 2023!
Program Overview
Venture to some of the world’s most exotic and intriguing regions, ranging from the turquoise waters of Panama, to the lush jungles of Costa Rica, to the white-sand beaches of Belize. Shadowing doctors in the Bocas del Toro islands off the coast of Panama, we understand the barriers to medical access for remote indigenous communities. Visiting a locally run coffee farm in the Panamanian mountains, we learn the process behind the production of coffee and cacao. Rafting on Costa Rica’s exhilarating Pacuare River, the vibrancy of life in the jungle beckons us in the calls of toucans and howler monkeys. Partnering with local biologists, we work hand-in-hand to preserve the offspring of Olive Ridley sea turtles nesting onshore. Basking in the crystal clear waters off improbably white sand beaches, we take in the beauty of Belize. Exploring the underwater life of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, we gain insights into a world rarely witnessed, while doing a small part to protect the reef through a lionfish eradication project. After experiencing three of the world’s most fascinating and beautiful nations, we return to the U.S. with broader perspectives and a newfound passion to learn.
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Program Details
Welcome to Costa Rica & White Water Rafting
Leaving home behind, we fly together to the first country of our semester, Costa Rica, where we are welcomed by our local partners and jump right into our in-country orientation to Costa Rican culture, customs, and understanding of the “Pura Vida” lifestyle. We also begin to map out our itinerary setting both individual and group goals for the duration of the program and jump into our curriculum, brainstorming ideas for our individual Capstone Passion Projects, and identifying points in the semester where each of ARCC’s global themes will be present.
After a day exploring San Jose, we head to the world-renowned Pacuare River for three days of exploring the rainforest and navigating the river’s famous whitewater. Floating our way through the pristine forest canopy, we discover hidden waterfalls and natural rock slides. Making our home at a river lodge set back amongst the huge leaves of the Sombrilla de Pobre (“Poor Man’s Umbrella”), we use this area as a base to explore and adventure.
Mountain Ranch Stay
Leaving the serenity of the river behind, we wind our way into the mountains to a rural farming community that ARCC has been working with for nearly 30 years. Settling into a group stay, we are immersed into the community and jump right into our work helping out with a variety of environmental projects that might include work in the greenhouse, fence-building, working on the farm, and cooking meals with our local hosts. We also explore the rainforest surrounding the village, venturing out to waterfalls and refreshing pools, and spending time with our new friends playing soccer, sharing laughs, and forging connections.
Surfing on the Pacific Coast
Our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean is in Uvita on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. For the next two days, we spend our time atop Costa Rica’s amazing surf breaks. After a few lessons from local surf instructors, we feel confident catching the friendly beginner waves and quickly improve our ‘hang ten’ skills.
Sea Turtle Conservation Project
Heading north, we travel onto the Nicoya Peninsula to the small town of San Miguel where we delve into the Environment and Conservation theme with a sea turtle conservation project. Working alongside a local grassroots organization, we help monitor the nesting activity of the Olive Ridley turtles. Since 1998, volunteers have protected 2,618 nests and released 129,529 baby turtles and we can only hope to do our part in the protection efforts. In addition to patrolling the beaches at night and learning about turtle conservation during the day, we participate in community outreach educating the local youth on the importance of the Olive Ridley turtles and why these protection efforts are important.
Language School and Homestay by the Beach
Leaving San Miguel behind, we continue north to the charming beach town of Samara and the site of our Spanish language school. For the next week, we sharpen our Spanish skills, taking classes taught by native speakers and practicing what we learn during our homestays with local families. Outside the classroom, we may choose to participate in a variety of activities, such as yoga, surfing, Zumba, or local cooking classes.
Explore the Monteverde Cloud Forest
Deep in the cloud forest, we are welcomed to Monteverde by our local partners. Hike the trails with a local naturalist guide while learning about Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity. Monteverde is home to 3% of the world’s biodiversity, so keep a lookout for a variety of wildlife such as sloths, capuchin and howler monkeys, and many species of birds! Hike out to a remote ranger station to spend the night completely off-grid. Here, we get the chance to see nocturnal animals on a night hike, reflect on our time in nature, and gain a deeper perspective of deforestation issues. Talk with local experts about sustainability and how to bring the lessons learned here back home to your daily life.
Pop Up Clinic in Bocas del Toro
Experiencing the adventure of a land border-crossing, we make our way into Panama and head to the archipelago of Bocas del Toro where we embark on our highly-anticipated project focused on Public Health. Partnering with a local grassroots organization, we spend a day acquainting ourselves with this organization through a thorough orientation covering their work providing health care to remote communities that otherwise would have to travel long distances to receive care. We then load up the boats and head out for our week-long project lending our hands at a remote pop-up clinic site where we assist with patient intake, in the pharmacy, and with the veterinarians. In between tasks, we have the opportunity to interview the traveling doctors and thereby gain a deeper understanding of the incredible work being done. After each workday, we enjoy refreshing dips in the ocean and then soak up the opportunity to glimpse rural Panamanian island life through community engagement over meals.
Cultural Exchange Program in Bocas del Toro
We travel to a remote island of the Bocas Archipelago, working with a local organization that provides educational and activity based opportunities for youth. We participate in an exchange program, learning more about the local culture and sharing our own culture with the students. As we create connections with community members, we also enjoy local cuisine and picturesque sunsets along the Caribbean Sea.
Student Planned Module
After a meaningful experience in San Miguel we dive into our Student Planned Module. This section is completely planned, organized, budgeted and implemented by the students. We can’t wait to see what the group will do!
Panama City and The Panama Canal
The last stop of our Panamanian adventure takes us to the capital city of Panama City, where we wander the streets of Casco Viejo, the old city, where ruins date back to the 1500s when Captain Morgan burned the city to the ground. We then head to the famed Panama Canal, a unique historical talking point in Panama, and visit the Panama Canal museum where we dig more deeply into this contentious waterway with its close ties to the United States. In the evenings we enjoy our final favorite Panamanian dishes and meander along the city’s famous Malecon.
Belize Tropical Forest and Cacao Farming
A short flight takes us to the final country of our semester: Belize. We are met at the airport by our new hosts and begin the journey deep into the tropical forest for a week-long rural community stay, stopping off at the Belize Zoo, known as “The Best Little Zoo in the World,” along the way.
Over the next days, we learn from our passionate hosts about the discovery of wild cacao and their initiative to restore tropical forests using cacao agroforestry. We then have the opportunity to make chocolate from the bean to the bar, including roasting, winnowing, and much more. We also visit our partner’s breeding facility for the critically endangered Hicatee turtle. Our workdays are spent assisting in the plant nursery and on the organic cacao farms, and in downtime, we head out on sunrise hikes, enjoy refreshing swims, and relax in the many hammocks on the grounds.
Invasive Species Research, SCUBA Certification, and Conclusion
Saying goodbye to our friends, we make our way to the sleepy beach town of Placencia where we enjoy a few days enjoying our beach-side cabanas and access to the ocean. We then take a short boat ride to our small private island located on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef where we settle in for our final week.
Our first few days here consist of SCUBA diving classes to obtain our PADI Dive certifications. Once accomplished, we partner with a local organization committed to eradicating the invasive lionfish. Using our new SCUBA skills, we dive the reef to help capture the lionfish underwater, then have the opportunity to dissect and study their biology alongside the researchers.
After an insightful final project, we spend the remainder of our time soaking up the crystalline Caribbean waters of our private island. With our semester coming to a close, we reserve time to present our Passion Projects to our gap peers. Sharing our new perspectives with the group, there is no question our living, learning, and traveling together will prepare us for the rest of our lives. We savor our last week together but are excited to head home to share our newly gained knowledge and insights from our firsthand look at Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize.
*Please note that the order of the countries and of the projects is subject to change depending on your group assignment.
Program Reviews
“Harrison LOVED this gap experience. It embodied so many of his passions…Nature, water, wildlife, the great outdoors…coupled with good and like-minded people at the same point in life’s journey. It allowed him to flourish and grow and most importantly, LIVE FULLY during these times. Taking a gap year was not part of Harrison’s original plan. Covid caused him to rethink this and we are so incredibly grateful that he had the opportunity to be part of this amazing program. He loved the balance between service work and adventure. And we all loved Spanish School. He’s also made lifelong connections with peers in his group. You all are fantastic.”
— Parent of Harrison R., Atlanta, GA, Purdue ’25“The best part of the semester for me was the self-growth I had in terms of self-reflection and improved self-awareness. My instructor helped a ton with this and I can not put into words how much I appreciated that.”
— Laurel E.D., South Burlington, VT, Boston University ’26“I think this program is great at encouraging leadership, and I loved stepping up and helping out. It offered me the unique opportunity to have insightful reflections on my own life while learning about the lives of others. I urge anyone to take advantage of this opportunity with ARCC and explore everything the world has to offer.”
— Macie P., Carlsbad, CA, Boston University ’26“I have gained more confidence in myself and developed a greater sense of what I want to do. My love for reading was reinvigorated during the semester andI have a greater excitement to return to traditional learning after this.”
— Vinson M., Atlanta, GA, Harvard College ’26“The hope for this semester was to give William a chance to have a break from his daily life, to see the world, to have a chance to re-connect with people, and to feel the joy and comfort of being part of a community. This semester did all that and so much more. William is a changed person, but also he is back to the way he was when he was younger – funny, smart, kind, interesting, and curious. The love he feels for this group of friends is more than I could have ever hoped for.”
— Parent of William F., Burlington MA“Raphi had an extraordinary experience; far better than we had even hoped. After a very challenging COVID year, he needed an opportunity to reflect, mature, and regroup. The Centro-Caribbean ARCC program provided all of that and allowed him to learn the culture and language of a part of the world with which he was unfamiliar. The combination of individual and group tasks was perfect, and the program provided just the right amount of support. Raphi grew and gained independence as a result of the program and he is much more enthusiastic about his future. The program provided just the right amount of structure and opportunity for him to grow individually, and working in a group this size with peers his age was critically important.
— Parent of Raphi G., Wellesley, MA, CU Boulder ’25“It was a truly life-changing experience. The program was well-organized and well-executed, led by caring and competent instructors, and back by a highly organized, personable, smart, and compassionate administration. We could not have been more pleased and appreciative.”
— Parent of Katherine C., Carmel, IN, Depauw University ’25Group Journals
Below you will find several Group Journal excerpts, written by ARCC students during their gap year with ARCC:
Amazed by Family and Hospitality in Cuba
From the moment we arrived to Cuba we have been welcomed with open arms. The culture so far compared to Chile has been very different. Unlike the more sheltered-to-yourself life in Chile, Cuba has the sense and feeling that everyone is family working together to help each other out. Our first project started off buying…Read more
Arribada of Turtles!!!
Here we are to share some fantastic news! Against all odds and to the astonishment of the local scientific community, we witnessed a rare and unexpected arribada in which thousands of mama turtles came to lay eggs on a single nearby beach over the course of three days. The sight was truly astonishing to behold,…Read more
Cienfuegos and Trinidad
We left Matanzas behind on the 20th after several days filled with painting a home for disabled individuals and delivering rice and beans to handicapped and elderly people. Afterward, we headed farther south, down to Cienfuegos. Along the way, we visited the Bay of Pigs and snorkeled in the pristine, blue water while observing Christmas…Read more
Language School, Homestays and Beach Time
Our second week on this amazing journey is coming to a close! We left our hotel in Heredia on Saturday morning and began the five hour bus ride to the beautiful Samara, here on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Our bus ride entailed gorgeous countryside views and stops for exotic Costa Rican fruit, mamón…Read more
Pura Vida!
Our first week in Costa Rica has been full of adventure! After a long travel day on Monday we finally arrived to our hotel in Heredia outside of San Jose. Luckily, on Tuesday, our first full day, we were able to take it easy. It was awesome to just rest and be together in our…Read more
Surf Camp
After leaving the Beautiful town of San Isidro, we traveled to Uvita and were happily welcomed into surf camp by our host, Marvin. We arrived around noon and used our times to relax, explore the campsite and beach, play games, and eat delicious meals prepared by our friends. After a relaxed day and reviewing the…Read more
Turtle Conservation in San Miguel
This week we have had the opportunity to work with Turtle Trax. This project has been helping to save turtle nests on San Miguel beach since 1996 (close to the town of Coyote, San Miguel is a tiny beach town on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica in the province of Guanacaste). Funded by private…Read more
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19800 Village Office Ct.
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Bend, OR 97702
(415) 332-5075
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19800 Village Office Ct.
Suite 200
Bend, Oregon 97702
(415) 332-5075
Email ARCC