Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Proposal for Parker Middle School
Dates March 2011 TBD
Parker Middle School
Dates TBD March, 2011
Day 1:
We land in Costa Rica’s capital city of San Jose where we are greeted by our guides and begin the adventure of a
lifetime. We leave the city far behind as we head north to the Guanacaste region where we encounter several
volcanos. On our way to the beautiful Tenorio Volcano, Pass through an Indigenous land called Malekus, where
the people used to have a very particular way of living that included burying their relatives inside their houses.
The roofs of their homes are made out of palm leaves, with a hole at the top to keep the house fresh. This
makes the roof look like the surrounding volcanoes, which these people once worshipped. Upon arrival to our
lodge we learn about our new surroundings and the adventure to come tomorrow.
Overnight: Rio Celeste Area
Day 2:
After breakfast, we begin the day with a visit to the Tenorio Volcano and Rio Celeste. We start out with a
majestic hike through the rainforest, where we visit a beautiful waterfall with crystal clear waters of celestial
color. This waterfall is truly stunning ‐ a natural wonder. Our hike then takes us to Tenideros where we will
find the two springs that cause the geophysical reaction that creates the otherworldly color of the water, the
reason behind the name “Rio Celeste.” After a lovely day, we rest with sounds of the rainforest all around us
and the endless sky above us.
Overnight: Rio Celeste Area
Day 3:
This morning we head towards Costa Rica’s most active volcano, the mighty Arenal. Today we hope to make a
positive impact in the wake of our visit by contributing to a community service project in a nearby village. This
small village, off the beaten path, is not frequented by tourists and therefore does not receive a lot of attention
or help, even from their own local government. Our projects may include a day of interaction with local
students, gifting school supplies, helping build or paint desperately needed classrooms or other structures, and
general school improvement, and probably a quick game of soccer!
Overnight: Don Juan’s Farm
Day 4:
After breakfast we tour Don Juan’s farm where we investigate organic farming, sustainable agriculture, bio‐
digesters, raising tilapia, milking cows, and even squeezing sugarcane juice! We then continue our service
project from yesterday, completing our work and saying goodbye to our new friends. In the evening, after all of
our hard work, we’ll bathe in soothing natural hot springs, hoping for a clear view of the lava‐streaked volcano.
Overnight: Don Juan’s Farm
Cancellation Policies
Land Package Cancellation Policy:
We require a $300 per person non‐refundable but exchangeable deposit early in the planning process. We will
refund for cancellations according to the following schedule:
Date of Cancellation Amount refunded
98 days or more prior to departure Full refund (less deposit)
70‐97 days prior to departure 75% of trip cost (less deposit)
42‐69 days prior to departure 25% of trip cost (less deposit)
Within 42 days of departure No refund *see note about exchange
*Exchange: If the traveler finds a replacement for him/herself with another participant of the same gender, the
land package can be directly exchanged between them at any time up to departure, resulting in no cancellation
fee, which is defined as the non‐refundable deposit. If the replacement is of a different gender, check with your
trip planner to see if the change can be made and if a change fee will be incurred. Gender is relevant only
because of its affect on hotel room reservations. See below regarding airline ticket exchange.
Airline Ticket Policies:
Airline tickets may be exchanged with another traveler for a name change fee, determined by the airline
(varying from $100 to $275). Airline tickets may or may not be refunded according to airline policies. Seats are
ticketed 8‐10 weeks prior to departure. Please be aware that airfare prices are not final until tickets are fully
paid for. Taxes and fuel surcharges are subject to change at any time up until that point and prices may change
accordingly. Costa Rican Adventures assumes no control over or liability for changes in airfare prices and cannot
guarantee prices until all payments have been received and tickets have been purchased.
Cancellation Insurance:
If you believe there is a chance that you will need to cancel your trip for any reason, we encourage you to look
into cancellation insurance policies. We recommend our partners at STA Travel:
Marin Voth, STA Travel Expert, STA Travel, Inc.
267 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
T: 650.322.4790 F: 650.322.5896
E: mvoth@statravel.com OR www.STATravel.com
For any other less frequently asked questions, contact us:
Costa Rican Adventures
2721 Shattuck Ave., #214, Berkeley, CA 94705
Phone: 800.551.7887 or 510.922.9585 Fax: 510.922.9586
requests@costaricanadventures | www.costaricanadventures.com
Fundraising Ideas!
If you start early enough, fundraising for your trip can be an extremely successful way of getting the kids excited,
educating them on environmental and cross‐cultural principles, and showing the parents and the community
great enthusiasm for the project. An early start, along with a dose of creativity, can make raising funds for this
valuable experience easy! Please let us know how we can help make Costa Rica a reality for you and your
students.
Some of our past groups have become quite creative in their fundraising techniques:
1) One of our Canadian groups paid for the entire trip by selling citrus!
2) Put together a Costa Rican tropical Dinner for parents/faculty/town/friends, etc. Charge admission and
serve tropical fruits, Costa Rican foods, and fresh fruit drinks. Have the food donated, the parents help
cook, and the students serve. You could include a raffle with gifts donated by local businesses.
3) Ask local companies to sponsor the visit. In exchange for their donation, the students wrote articles in
the local paper following the trip and included a “Thanks to…” section to highlight the businesses. They
also took group pictures holding signs of the different businesses that sponsored them.
4) Bake sales. Believe it or not, some groups have made $1600 in one weekend! It is best to tell what it is
for and ask for a donation rather than price items. You could also do this with craft items the students
have made.
5) Appeal to local groups for scholarships. Some examples: the Triangle Club, American Legion, Women’s
Club and Sons of the American Legion, Rotary Club, Lion’s Club, Elk’s Club.
6) Raffles can make a lot of money. Get prizes donated by writing a letter to companies and a nice thank
you note with a picture of the group you are taking to Costa Rica. Students sell tickets and get a
percentage of what they sell (usually almost all of it, marketing costs are distributed among the costs
taken out...)
7) An auction with student labor works well (if students are willing to babysit or mow lawns or whatever
cleaning or yard work is needed). Auction tickets to prom, front row seats at the big game, school plays,
etc.
8) Try to clear it with the cafeteria and have a pizza day. See if one of the local pizza shops will offer a
good deal and deliver a bunch of pizza to the school at lunch. The group can sell it by the slice for a
profit.
9) Hazardous Waste Pick‐Up. We had one school that offered to pick up the hazardous materials from
people’s homes on the hazardous waste disposal day. People would give them a donation for their
help.
10) www.goodsearch.com– This website is a yahoo search engine where you can sign up your school and
then ask people to use it. Every time someone searches the web and chooses your school, you get
Costa Rican Adventures 800.551.7887 www.costaricanadventures.com
money. Also, people can shop with their online vendors and earn proceeds for your school. You can
easily add “Good Search” to your toolbar so that every time you search the web, money goes to the
charity (your school) you have listed on the Good Search homepage.
11) www.letsgogreen.biz – You can sign your school up on this website that sells eco‐friendly products, and
then advertise it around your community. Your school will get a percentage of every sale that is made
in your name.
12) www.weaddup.com/fundraiser ‐ WE ADD UP is a global count of people committed to helping stop
climate change. As our count grows, we demonstrate to the world that WE ADD UP. No one can do
everything, but everyone can do something. Your school or group can earn 15% commission on t‐shirt
sales, either offline or via their website. See website fundraising page for full details.
13) Fundraising Made Easy (These groups have done all the organizing so that you can easily participate):
• Equal Exchange Fair Trade Organic Chocolates. Buy the bars for $1.95 and sell for $3‐$4. (774)
776‐7333 http://www.equalexchange.com
• Café Humana Organic Fair Wage Costa Rican Coffee. $4‐$5 per bag profit. (877) 220‐4476
http://www.cafehumana.com
• Grounds for Change Fair Trade Coffee. Buy for $7, sell for $12. (800) 796‐6820
http://www.groundsforchange.com
• Down to Earth‐ A socially and environmentally responsible company that offers many fund‐raisers
with Costa Rican products, such as coffee, body care products, coffee paper journals, chocolate
covered coffee beans, and textiles. www.godowntoearth.org
• Endangered Species Chocolate Company. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these chocolates
to your group go to environmental causes around the world that are working to educate people
about conservation and protecting the Earth. Your group can then sell the chocolates to raise money
for your trip. (541) 535‐2170 http://www.chocolatebar.com email: info@chocolatebar.com
• 3‐4 Shorts (quick drying)
• 5‐6 T‐shirts (quick drying if possible)
• 2‐3 bathing suits and/or board shorts
• 2‐3 Long pants (light and breathable for hikes and cool nights. Many guests have recommended the
lightweight pants that zip‐off into shorts. See note about jeans at the end of this list.
• 2 long‐sleeved shirts
• 2 sweaters, sweatshirts, or fleece
• Light, breathable poncho or raincoat
• Hat (to shield face from the sun)
• Underwear and lots of socks
• 1 pair knee‐high socks (if trails are extra muddy, for provided rubber boots)
• Clothing for wearing in the evening for dinner and/or walking around town (nothing fancy is necessary.
Some people like to have an outfit or two to wear in the evenings)
Shoes:
• Comfortable hiking boots or tennis shoes‐ It is very important that your hiking shoes are comfortable.
They will likely become muddy and wet.
• Keen or Chaco‐type beach sandals (that won’t slip off during river rafting)
• Extra shoes or sandals to keep clean and dry for evenings and non‐activity times
Jeans:
Jeans are NOT recommended for hikes, as they will not dry in the humidity once they are wet. If you are going
horseback riding, they are good to have to protect against chafing, scratches and bug bites. These jeans will get
very dirty! Please bring a plastic bag to put them in afterwards. If you are NOT riding, but get cold easily, one
pair for the night time is sufficient and will last you the length of your trip.
• Pillow (for the bus rides)
• Swiss army knife (pack in your suitcase to avoid security issues at the airport)
• Binoculars
• Alarm clock (pack in your suitcase to avoid security issues at the airport)
• Rain pants (if traveling during the rainy season)
• Sarong for the beach (this is great for laying/sitting on, drying off with, sun protection, etc. – And they
dry quickly.)
• Synthetic shirt (surf rash guard) for river rafting or surfing – material other than cotton that will keep
you warm and dry. These are also good for sun protection while swimming or snorkeling.
How To Dress:
The climate will be warm and we recommend shorts and t‐shirts for each day. However, you may consider
wearing lightweight pants for hikes in the forest in order to protect against insects and scratches. Bring a pair of
pants and a long‐sleeved shirt and/or sweater for the nights spent in San Jose, Turrialba, the Seelye Farm, and
Monteverde, as it tends to be cold at these higher elevations. No dressy clothes are required, but some
students like to have “regular clothes” for evenings.
Socks made of wool or other moisture absorbent materials are recommended for hiking because of their ability
to keep your feet dry. You can never have enough pairs of socks! (extra tip: Remember to wear socks between
dusk and dawn to prevent mosquito bites on your ankles!)
Because of the humidity and the potential for mud, clothes tend to get pretty messy! Please only bring clothes
that you would not mind getting dirty, and be prepared to bring home lots of wet clothes.