Costa Rica | Experiential Learning and Research with Keystone College

Arrive in San José and travel from the airport to the hotel. Attend a welcome orientation followed by dinner.

This morning, check out and depart toward Sarapiquí, stopping at Don Alvaro's Macaw Farm along the way. This farm is a private initiative aimed at homing, protecting, and rehabilitating previously caged or abused macaws. Enjoy an up-close experience with the macaws and witness as they fly free through the surrounding rainforest as they prepare to be reintroduced into the wild. Have lunch en route and then continue to Selva Verde Lodge & Rainforest Reserve, situated in the Caribbean lowlands, at elevations ranging from 180 to 220 feet. Established by the Holbrook family in 1985, the lodge is renowned for its commitment to ecological preservation and sustainability. The reserve is home to a large assortment of avian life, including several types of herons, egrets, hawks, falcons, macaws, hummingbirds, flycatchers, warblers, sparrows, and tanagers. Specific species often spotted at Selva Verde include the Keel-billed Toucan, Sunbittern, Crimson-collared Tanager, Wood Thrush, Crowned Woodnymph, and Russet-naped Wood-Rail. Selva Verde is also home to the endangered Great Green Macaw, a species that seems to be recovering thanks to area conservation efforts. They can occasionally be found feeding on the giant fruiting almond trees in the rainforest. Check-in and then attend a brief orientation to get acquainted with the facilities before birding on the lodge trails. This evening, enjoy a lecture on Selva Verde's role in the creation of a biological corridor between Braulio Carrillo National Park and the Caribbean coast. This lecture highlights the plants and animals found in and associated with the rainforest at Selva Verde.

This morning early departure to visit the Ecovida Foundation. On arrival receive an orientation to the facilities and monitoring protocols. The Ecovida Foundation was established in 2006 and focuses on sustainable initiatives to protect, restore, and conserve the diverse habitats and flora and fauna of Costa Rica. Some of their local commitments include the protection of tropical forests from deforestation through land purchases, reforestation with native tree species, planting of fodder crops for local animal species, repopulation of native animals, protection from poaching in the protected area, care of the different habitats (forest, bush, grassland, wetlands, water bodies), sensitization of the local population for the appreciation of nature and its protection (cooperation with schools, ecotourism, job creation), and networking with other organizations and protected areas in Central America. Walk over to the observation tower to participate in the bird monitoring project. Start the visit with a basic practical introductory workshop on Macaw monitoring by an Ornithologist. During each monitoring session, meteorological data will be recorded hourly, including cloud cover, temperature, light intensity, and wind speed. This information is collected to assess potential relationships between weather conditions and macaw flight behavior. Observers will continuously scan the forest canopy and remain alert to vocalizations. Upon detecting individuals, they will be located using binoculars whenever possible, and their behavior will be observed until they are no longer visible in order to confirm the species and document their activity. All data will be systematically recorded on a data sheet by the monitoring coordinator. After breakfast, experience a mammal workshop. Have lunch and then this afternoon, second monitoring session. Return to the lodge for dinner.

Today early departure to Ecovida Foundation; continue bird monitoring and have breakfast. Return to the lodge for lunch and some down time. Return to Ecovida Foundation this afternoon. Have dinner back at the lodge and this evening, attend a lecture about the Great Green Macaw by Alex Martínez.

This morning, depart toward Arenal, with a visit to Ecocentro Danaus en route. This private biological reserve develops programs for conservation, training, environmental education, and sustainable production, and boasts a number of optimal birding locations to explore. Grassland areas, a bridge over the Burío River, secondary forest, and a natural spring are all excellent vantage points to seek out some of the 150 species found here. Continue to the town of La Fortuna and stop for lunch along the way. Upon arrival at Arenal Paraíso, check in and enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure to relax in the thermal hot springs heated by the nearby Arenal Volcano. Depending on the weather, the hotel also affords excellent views of the immense volcano from every room. Have dinner this evening in the dining room. After dinner, participate in the Night Wings Project with biologist Willy Pineda, a program that promotes education and conservation of bat species in Costa Rica.

This morning, have a very early breakfast, and then transfer to to the dock at Lake Arenal for boat ride across the lake to Monteverde. Upon arrival at the dock, transfer to Monteverde Institute to participate in a reforestation project. Monteverde Institute, a non-profit educational organization that aims to guide the growing tourism in the area into sustainable programs that benefit both visitors and the local community. The Bellbird Biological Corridor extends from the cloud forests on the continental divide in Monteverde to the mangroves on the Gulf of Nicoya coast. This pacific portion of the Three-wattled Bellbird's annual migration route provides the birds with fewer habitats than what is found on the Caribbean slope portion due to deforestation for agriculture and livestock. This led the Costa Rican Conservation Foundation to create the biological corridor and reforestation program that is now based at the Monteverde Institute. Reforestation service work can include nursery work like preparing bags with soil, transplanting seedlings into bags, planting tree saplings, making signs, and doing infrastructure maintenance. Meanwhile, the field work in restored sites can entail collecting data to determine growth, survivorship, cause of mortality, etc. for cutting edge research on tropical habitat restoration and, in the rainy season, planting and distributing trees to local landowners. Have lunch at on site. This afternoon talk about the Bellbird Conservation initiative. Return to the hotel; dinner at hotel.

This morning after breakfast visit Life Monteverde. This farm is dedicated to sustainable coffee production, agriculture and education on sustainability for local communities and visitors alike. Have lunch and then learn about coffee, sustainability, organic gardens, compost, and the role of farm animals in this valuable operation. Discuss the agriculture research being conducted here and its implications. As part of the Monteverde Community Fund, Life Monteverde donates a portion of all their sales to fund local community projects. After lunch, depart to Curi Cancha Reserve and enjoy a guided hike in the cloud forest. Located in the Arenal Tempisque Conservation Area at the center of Monteverde, Curi Cancha comprises 205 acres of forest, secondary growth, and open pasture. This evening, enjoy a talk by a local Quaker family. Then, have dinner back at the hotel.

Start the day with breakfast, and then visit the Monteverde Biological Reserve. Montverde’s consistently cool and wet environment receives more than 118 inches of rain annually and is home to an astounding variety of flora and fauna. More than 2,500 plant species have been identified here, including 300 individual orchid species and over 200 species of ferns. The beginnings of the reserve can be traced back to a group of Alabama Quakers that emigrated to Monteverde in the early 1950s. Visiting biologists discovered that the cloud forest located around the Quaker community was rich in plant and animal life. Due to the foresight of the Quakers and the Tropical Science Center, the first non-governmental scientific and environmental organization in Costa Rica, Monteverde became the biological reserve it is today. Continue to San José and stop for lunch along the way. Check in and enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel in the evening.

Travel to the airport to catch your flight(s) home.