Reef to Rainforest ESP Two Week Itinerary 

Day 1:  Arrive at Liberia International Airport (Airport Code: LIR).  Our staff will be waiting for you and take you to the Country Day School Guanacaste campus.  Dinner and orientation, review of course material, followed by campfire and capture-the-flag or other activities. 

Day 2:  Offshore Sail & snorkel—Marine Study of reef systems.  Lunch on board.  Sunset sail home.  Dinner followed by star gazing. 

Day 3:  Spelunk 100 meters underground into the Barra Honda Caves.  Full day of travel, hike, spelunking, and hike./travel back to CDSG.  Dinner followed by review of sites/discussion. 

Day 4: Palo Verde Wildlife/Wetland Preserve.  You will take a quiet boat cruise down the incredible Palo Verde River and be amazed by the wildlife.  Activities and dinner back at base CDSG camp. 

Day 5:  Rincon de la Vieja.  Explore the mud baths, sulfur vents, and other bubbling volcanic stuff found everywhere around Rincón.  Why is it called Rincón de la Vieja?  

Day 6:  We will travel down the coast towards our ultimate objective of Osa Peninsula.  But first, we will stop at the impressive Manuel Antonio National Park which puts us a little over half-way towards Osa. 

Day 7:  Travel through Rio Sierpe and on to Osa. The town of Sierpe, on the Sierpe river, is as far as the road will take us!  From here, we will transfer everything onto boats and travel 1 hour down the mighty Sierpe to the Pacific Ocean.  Once on the ocean, it’s another hour to our cabin-tent camp on the outskirts of the Corcovado National Park, on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula.  Enjoy the amazing mangroves along the Sierpe!   

Day 8:  Rainforest study and hike. We will explore the primary and secondary forests of Corcovado National Park, identify wildlife, learn about unique ecosystem organisms, edible vs. poisonous plants and leaves, special behavioral traits of native animals and insects, and witness the life cycle of the forest by seeing different trees in different stages of life. 

Day 9:  Rio Claro Rainforest study.  We will follow the Rio Claro inland, by foot, through cool clear waters and return.   

Day 10: Cano Island snorkel and reef system study.  We will travel by boat about 1 hr. to Cano Island Biological Preserve.  The abundance of ocean life here has led Cano Island to be named a Wildlife Heritage site.  There are no words to describe what you will see!  If there is time, we will also hike the short trail on the island, which was once the ancient burial ground of native Indians.   

Day 11:  Beach day.  Bat catching and observation at night.  

Day 12:  We’ll had back to the Sierpe River, to the town of Sierpe, transfer back to bus, and ride to the town of Jaco, just north of Manuel Antonio.  The afternoon will be consumed by a Canopy Zipline tour of the mountain tops overlooking Jaco and the nearby beaches.  Shopping and dinner in Jaco, followed by overnight stay. 

Day 13:  Travel to Miravillas Volcano and surrounding Forrest Preserve.  If available, we will tour and learn about the unique geothermal project that takes volcanic energy and converts it into electricity for the nearby communities. 

Day 14:   Rio Celeste.  Rio Celeste, as it’s name implies, is a blue river.  Another by-product of the Miravalles/Tenorio volcanic area, the river’s unique mineral content creates a surprising and beautiful color.  The hike around and through the river will take the better part of the day. 

Day 15: Travel from Rio Celeste to Liberia International Airport and return home.