Costa Rica

Pura Vida Experience

$4,895

Tuition

*Airfare for group flight from Miami additional

14 days

Trip duration

7th & 8th

Grades

14 days

Jul 16 - Jul 29, 2025

Miami, FL

Arrival & Departure

$4,895

Tuition

14 days

Trip duration

Jul 16 - Jul 29, 2025

7th & 8th

Grades

*Airfare for group flight from Miami additional

Overview

Step into an unforgettable two-week journey that blends thrilling adventure, deep cultural immersion, and meaningful service learning in Costa Rica. You’ll live and work in a remote ranching village high in the cloud forest, where you can make a lasting impact by building vital community infrastructure. Organize lively soccer games with local students, sharpening your Spanish skills and forging friendships with your Costa Rican hosts. Raft through the lush Pacuare River rainforest and surf the gentle Pacific waves, challenging yourself both physically and mentally. Along the way, experience “Pura Vida” as you learn to hand-make traditional tortillas and empanadas, savor locally grown chocolate and coffee, and embrace the laid-back, joyful Costa Rican way of life. This program builds confidence, resilience, and a global perspective that will stay with you long after the journey ends.

Highlights

Work on Critical Building Projects in a Rural Village Community
Learn to Surf the Peaceful Waves of the Pacific Ocean
Whitewater Raft the Canyons of the World-Famous Pacuare River
Immerse Yourself in “Pura Vida” (Pure life!) Culture of This Amazing Country
Organize a Community Soccer Match and Cultural Exchange at a Costa Rican School
Zipline Through the Breathtaking Rainforest Canopy
Explore Hidden Rainforest Waterfalls and Natural Waterslides
10 Hours of Service Learning

Get the itinerary

Want to learn more about traveling with ARCC or have more questions about this program?

Schedule a Call with Brent Anderson

Experience Authentic Costa Rican Culture

Immerse yourself in the heart of a small, rural Costa Rican community nestled high in the mountains. Live with a local family and dive into their daily routines—help prepare traditional meals bursting with fresh ingredients, and spend time tending to farm animals alongside your hosts. As you practice your Spanish, you’ll gain deeper insights into their history, culture, and way of life.

Culture

Thrilling Rio Pacuare Rafting & Jungle Adventure

Embark on an exhilarating whitewater rafting journey down the stunning Rio Pacuare, surrounded by dense rainforest and cascading waterfalls. After a day on the rapids, relax at a scenic ecolodge perched above the river, where you'll fall asleep to the sounds of tropical birds and monkeys. Soar through the jungle on canopy ziplines, then cool off in crystal-clear waterfall pools. Cap off your adventure on the white sand beaches of the Pacific, where you’ll hone your surf skills with guidance from experienced instructors, soaking up the sun and ocean breeze.

Rafting

Surfing

Service Learning in the Heart of Savegre

Join forces with local residents and your team to support meaningful community projects in the coffee-rich highlands of Savegre. As you work side by side with locals, you’ll get an intimate look at a way of life that contrasts with your own, gaining a fresh perspective on daily routines. From repairing communal buildings and roads to helping care for farm animals, every task makes a difference. You may also contribute to a greenhouse project aimed at growing native plant saplings, helping to strengthen the community’s sustainability efforts.

Service

Common Questions

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Is the cost of airfare separate from program tuition?

All food, lodging, transportation, and activities are paid for with your trip tuition. Group airfare is additional and the cost depends on the program.

In order to be sure there are enough seats available on international group flights, ARCC books the international tickets in advance and families are invoiced for the cost of the international airfare.

Families are also responsible for booking flights or arranging transportation for students to meet their leaders and other group members at the program’s arrival airport. The leaders and students then fly internationally together as a group.

What is the packing list for this program?

Each program has a specific packing list that has been designed to fit the program’s activities, length, climate, and cultural differences. You will receive this packing list in the comprehensive Welcome Packet that is sent to all students after they enroll in a program.

What is the weather like in Costa Rica?

In Costa Rica, the weather is a lot like Florida in the summer time. During the day it can be hot, sunny, and humid in the 80’s-90’s (26.6°-32.2°C). Late afternoons often bring showers, which will cool us off. Some days you will go to bed with only a simple cover as it is often warm enough to sleep without your sleeping bag. When we ascend into the high-elevation rainforest and cloud forest, the temperature cools to the 50’s (10°C) at night.

What are the service learning projects like?

The specific service projects that each group will work on depend on the needs of the communities at the time that the groups are there. Past projects have included: Constructing composting gardens in a small village, making improvements to community roads or buildings, reforestation of native trees, or building a community soccer field.

What kind of health precautions should I take before traveling on this program?

Costa Rica is a relatively clean and safe place to travel. However, ARCC does recommend that you take some health precautions before your program. When you enroll in the program, you will receive more detailed information on pertinent travel vaccinations and immunizations. Please also refer to the Traveler’s Health section of the CDC website. Our leaders carry a full first-aid kit and are all certified Wilderness First Responders (WFR).

Where will we sleep?

During this program, we sleep in a variety of accommodations: small hotels, community houses, and a jungle lodge.

What is the transportation like once we are in Costa Rica?

Typically we will take a private 20-person shuttle from place to place. When traveling to more remote areas we will occasionally split into two groups and use smaller 4-wheel drive vehicles. We also take a short ferry ride during the turtle project portion of our program.

What is the food like?

On this program, you will experience typical Costa Rican fare – rice and beans. This staple is supplemented with a delicious assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables. The group will also be creating the menu and preparing the meals during some sections of the program.

Vegetarians and medical dietary requirements (i.e. allergies) are catered for. Students should inform ARCC of any dietary needs before the start of the program.

How much spending money should I bring?

We suggest you bring about $75 per week on your program. This is for souvenirs, laundry, and other incidentals. ARCC pays for all meals, lodging, transportation, and activities. There is some time to shop for souvenirs in San Jose and elsewhere during the program. We recommend you bring some of your money in cash and the rest on an ATM card.

In Costa Rica, the official currency is the Colón, but US dollars are widely accepted. We suggest that you carry about $25 of your money in small denominations (1’s and 5’s). Visa and MasterCard are also widely accepted. We do not recommend Traveler’s checks. ATM’s are found in San Jose, but are limited outside the city.

As with any international program, we strongly recommend talking to your bank about its international withdrawal policies to avoid any surprise fees or card cancellations.

Do I need a passport?

Yes, all students traveling to Costa Rica need to have a valid passport. Please make sure the passport expiration date is at least six months after your program start date.

Be sure to make a photocopy of your passport and keep it in a separate place. If you lose your passport and you have a photocopy, it is much easier to replace.

Do I need a visa?

No, US and Canadian Citizens do not need a visa for this program.

What is the time difference between Costa Rica and the USA?

During the summer, Costa Rica is on Central Standard Time (Mountain Time during DST). Therefore, on your program the time will be 2 hours earlier than the US East Coast, 1 hour earlier than Central, and 1 hour later than the US West Coast.

How often can we take showers and do laundry?

Students are taught how to hand wash their clothes by their leaders, and will have the opportunity to do so throughout the program. Due to the remote locations we travel to, students do as the locals do, and use the warm Costa Rican sun to line-dry their clothes. For ease of travel, quick dry clothes are recommended on the packing list.

Do I really need to bring a backpack, or can I bring a rolling suitcase on this program?

You will want to bring two pieces of luggage: your main bag and a daypack. Your main bag should be a backpack, travel backpack or large duffel bag. This larger piece of luggage should be approximately 4,500-5,000 cubic inches or 70-75 liters, and should be able to hold everything on your Clothing & Equipment List. The daypack should be large enough to hold an extra layer of clothing, a water bottle, sunscreen, some snacks, etc. Some travel backpacks come with an attached daypack that you can zip off and use. Otherwise, your school backpack is a good option. When you travel, you should plan to check your large piece of luggage and bring the daypack on the plane as your carry-on. Please keep in mind that while you will not be doing traditional backpacking on this program, the group will be navigating through airports, on and off buses, up and down stairways, and taking short hikes on unpaved paths. The group will be able to move much more efficiently if everyone is carrying their belongings on their back. You will also need to pack an EMPTY small duffel bag inside your main piece of luggage. When you get to Costa Rica, you will use this duffel bag to store certain items that you will not use during specific sections of your program.

Do I need to speak Spanish to join this program?

No. English is widely spoken in Costa Rica and your leaders and local guides will speak both English and Spanish. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to practice speaking Spanish with your host families and other locals that we interact with during the program.

Have questions? Speak to one of our Program Directors, give them a call at (415) 332.5075 , they love talking about their trips!