Costa Rica 2026

We said goodbye to our hotel on the Pacific this morning and are currently in San Jose. Departure time from our hotel on Playa Hermosa was 11:00 am this morning, so they had time to follow their own schedules and desires. There was no pressure to get up and go! Breakfast was served any time between 8-10, so they got to choose when to sit down and eat with their friends. Some got up early. A couple slept in. For those that rose early, they got to see an intense surf session from 6-8 am right out in front of the hotel. Yesterday a big swell came in and the waves were absolutely pumping last night around 9 pm. A bunch of us were down on the beach watching 12 foot barreling waves in the dark (the hotel has a spotlight on them). Overnight the swell settled a little, and with the calm dawn winds the surfers came out in force this morning to give us a little show. So yeah, they just sat on the lawn or in the restaurant (which is basically the same place) watching the waves, surfers, and sunsh...

They spent the morning hiking into Manuel Antonio National Park, seeing all sorts of birds, crabs, snakes, monkeys, and of course the hits were both the 3-toed and 2-toed (rare) sloths! From there they hiked back to town, setup home base on the beach in the shade. They ate, swam, and explored the beach and little town. It was a long day, leaving at 7:30 am and arriving back at the hotel at 5:00 pm. We cleaned up and went to town to have a really good buffet style dinner at a little hole in the wall that served up all kinds of local foods! The kids filled their plates with all sorts of things and they loved it. Honestly, I am pretty impressed with the way this group embraced the local foods. Even the fussy eaters were trying all sorts of dishes. On to San Jose….

We couldn’t take our phones on the zip lines, so Mr. Diaz stayed back and took photos from the start of the practice zip line, so at least we have some photos. See link below for unedited dump. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FP83a4kihAdHFIlxT2vv0q6xhF2Tp5ww

Today is Diego’s 18th birthday! It was also our last long transfer. We descended the mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The drive took much of the morning, then we stopped in the town of Jaco for two hours of exploring, shopping, checking out the beach, and having lunch. Then we checked into our hotel on the beach Playa Hermosa. This is one of the top surfing beaches in the country. Students spent the late afternoon walking the beach, relaxing, and swimming. We dressed up nicely for dinner and to celebrate with Diego. Dinner was at a restaurant in the sand, and the chicken and tuna steaks were a big hit. After singing for Diego we headed back to the hotel for a group photo. Many went straight to bed, as we have a very long day outdoors tomorrow. Others swam for another hour, and some just enjoyed talking on the lawn and beach in front of the hotel. We wake up early tomorrow to go to Manuel Antonio National Park, which is just south of us. We’ll walk to a secluded cove/beach. Along the way...

Mr. Diaz and I did the best we could to take photos yesterday while horseback riding. A lot depended on who we were next to on the trail and how fast our horse was trotting. Holding the reins and phone on the move is a little tricky, ha. This is an unedited dump from our two phones. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OXaIRh6bkqKafdtUxiD_qaUCqPNCUiTW

Today was the day for our long awaited horseback riding and zip lining. After breakfast, we headed to a farm. We split into two groups. One group went riding for an hour and a half, while the other learned about how the farm worked, then we switched. The horseback ride was through fields and forests. The steep descents were, well let’s just say, exciting, and the views spectacular. On the farm tour we learned about a variety of the staple products grown in Costa Rica. In the end, we focused on sugar cane and sugar production. Students crushed cane to make juice, which they drank. Then, they kneaded hot syrup from the juice into a hardened sugar (think our brown sugar). After sampling their creations, we were treated to hot homemade empanadas and coconut bread. From there we headed to the small, quaint town of Santa Elena. They had two hours to explore the town, eat lunch, visit an ATM, go to a big supermarket to stock up, etc.. Then, we headed back up the mountain to the upper cloud fo...

We were treated to a surprise visit from a tucán this morning as we walked to breakfast. Then, we headed back up into the mountains and over to the Pacific side. The weather is much drier, sunnier, and cooler over and up here. It feels good. We took two breaks on the way here, a snack/bathroom break and then lunch. We arrived high in the cloud forest for our hanging bridges tour. We spent the afternoon walking the forest floor and then crossing 5 large hanging bridges to get an up close and personal look into the canopy. Below are photos! The highlight was that we saw two Quetzals! I’ll post a video of one tomorrow, but for now I added one obstructed shot I took. We checked into our new hotel. Most of the students organized a game of kickball in the field, while others ran and explored the trail behind the hotel. We went out to dinner at a really good Italian restaurant. After getting back to the hotel, they had some free time, which most spent outdoors, since the weather was so temper...

After a wonderful breakfast at our “hotel,” we headed north to within a few kilometers of the Nicaraguan border. We took a river cruise into the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge on the Río Frío. I can’t tell you how many species of reptiles, birds, and mammals we saw and learned about, certainly more than 30, perhaps more than 40. Here are some of the highlights.  For mammals, we got to hang out with howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys on separate occasions. The howlers stayed higher in the trees to rest, while the capuchins came right down next to our boat and hung out with us for quite a while. We even got to see a few young ones, along with a baby riding on her mom’s back, pretty special moment for all. We also saw a rare-ish Mexican tamandua (anteater) hanging out. They crawl along dying branches and eat ants all day long high up in the trees.  For reptiles, they were out in force enjoying the sun, as it had rained for a couple of days and they needed to warm up. We saw a lo...

I am not gonna lie, I didn’t take any photos today. Sorry about that!! Today was one of our big transfer days. We headed to one of the three main regions of Costa Rica to experience the hot, wetter Caribbean side. Our trip to La Fortuna at the base of the mighty Volcán Arenal took up most of the morning. Upon arriving, we split into groups and had a couple of hours of free time to have lunch, shop, walk, and visit the ATM. From there, we checked into our “hotel,” which is really nature cabins, and then had time to explore the trails around the property before heading to the thermal pools. The volcano heats an underground river which is diverted into a series of many pools of different temperatures. The action at the water slides was intense and not conducive to photos, so it’s just all a wild memory that won’t be forgotten. They had a blast! We changed into dinner clothes and ate there, as well. After arriving back at our little nature compound, many students swam more and then settle...

Today was a long travel day. Luckily all our flights were on time. After arriving in Costa Rica, we checked into our hotel. Students cleaned up, swam in the many pools, and just relaxed. We are going to have our welcome dinner tonight here at the hotel, so it’s been a pretty simple, smooth day. Everyone is exhausted, so we’ll be going to bed early tonight. We have a big day tomorrow, as we’ll be traveling to La Fortuna in the north, which is at the base of a huge volcano. After a big buffet breakfast, we’ll take a quick bus tour of the city on our way out of town. Daniel will be looking for monkeys and birds for us to see on our trip north. Once we arrive in La Fortuna, some will go to an ATM (no cash needed yet). From there students will have a lot of free time to explore the quaint town, have lunch, and shop, all at the base of the volcano. After that, we’ll check into our hotel and then head to the volcanic hot springs. 

We’ll be arriving 15 mins early. Smooth trip. Long, but no issues all day, which is rare these days in aviation :) 

 On time

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