Itinerary (from RainForest World)

Day 1
Our guides and drivers pick up the group at the Juan Santamaria International Airport outside of San Jose, Costa Rica. We will convoy through the mountains to the town of La Fortuna at the base of Arenal Volcano. We will set camp and after dinner take a drive up onto the flanks of the volcano with hopes of a nice view of lava coming down the slopes.

Day 2
We will all participate in an exciting convoy tour which involves zipping through the tree tops on cables. This gives us a unique perspective on the rainforest ecosystems high above the forest floor. Access to the canopy tour is via horseback, making this a truly adventurous day.

Day 3
We head to the Naitonal Park and spend the day hiking the trails around the base of the volcano and up onto the old lava fields. This offers great opportunities for spotting wildlife as well. Late afternoon we'll break camp and head to the town of Turrialba which is the main headquarters of RainForest World. We will spend the night in a local hotel.

Day 4, 5, and 6  (read travel letters!)
In the morning of Day 3 we will attend a lecture at the Serpentarium, owned by reknowned snake expert Mainor Camacho. Then it is on to the Rio Pacuare, featuring a 16-mile long section of river with 25 class 3 and 4 rapids. We will do this in a 3-day river journey, including rafting and an overnight backpack trip up to the mountaintop Cabecar Indian Village, interacting with the tribe and learning about their lifestyle. Day 6 finds us rafting the lower half of the river and finishing up in Siquirres. We will spend the night in cabins on the side of the river.

Days 7 and 8
We switch rivers by taking a short drive to the Rio Reventzaon and make another journey downstream. The Reventazon is a big gentle river here that never gets above Class 1 in difficulty. We will camp halfway down on a sandbar and continue the next day to the barrier island village of Parismina where the Reventazon empties into the Caribbean and we have our own RainForest World reserver right on the beach. Parismina is located just south of Tortuquero National Park and is a have for countless species of animals and birds. Our staff here includes our own "Crocodile Hunter" guide, Rick Knowles, his nephew Jason, who is also an incredible nature guide and Rick's sister Vicki, who will be our village liason and is also a nurse. We will be ccamping and taking meals at our reserve.

Days 9 through 21  (read travel letters!)
This period will be spent participating in two community service projects working side by side with local youths. The first project will be preparing the annual hatching area for transplanted sea turtle eggs. The second will be painting the school. Several days during this period we will have time off for hiking, swimming, and animal safaris. It should be a fun and fulfilling experience for all involved. When it is time to go, we will say goodbye to our new friends and head back to the airport and home.