The Dream...                                                    

Costa Rica Alumni Journey

This is the idea and we want to make it happen

After 15 years of dedicated service in the Pacific Northwest, the Mount Adams Center is beginning to branch out to the non-AmeriCorps realm.  Our alumni family is large enough to regroup our efforts and explore other avenues of conservation.  By visiting new places and immersing ourselves in their riches we can expand our understanding of how globalization effects conservation.  The Costa Rica Alumni Journey is a trip we want to run annually, with out a big price tag, but with a big value.  We want to take our alumni to the tropical rainforest, golden beaches and high volcanic peaks.  While it is a country the size of Rhode Island it is on of the richest bio-regions in the world, holding 5% of the worlds known biodiversity.  We want to raft it's rivers, snorkel it's reefs, trek through it's sloth and monkey laden forests, and dedicate ourselves to helping protect the awe inspiring landscape that is Costa Rica. 

Sample Itinerary.

Note: this is only an example of one possible Costa Rica Journey itinerary.  There are many other possibilities for what could be, but take this as an example and start to get excited.  

Week 1: Language and Culture Introduction

Everybody will fly into San Jose international airport on Sunday and be picked up by the Montaña Linda Hostel and Language school shuttle.  It will take you to our first weeks lodging 90 minutes away in the beautiful Orosi Valley.  There you will check into your choice of lodging for the week (dorm beds, camping, private room, homestay) and enjoy a trip orientation dinner and a swim in the nearby hot springs pool. 

Three hours out of each day will be spent in personalized language classes at the hostel and school while the rest of the day you will have time to explore all that Orosi has to offer.  There is the nearby Tapanti National Park, hikes to jungle waterfalls, swim holes in the river, organic coffee plantations, mountain biking in the hills above town, and conversing with the locals in this uniquely Tico town.  

Saturday morning opt to visit Volcan Irazu and peer into it's massive crater or follow a local farmer and guide to a waterfall up a valley on his property.  Enjoy your last day here in Orosi because tomorrow we leave for a new adventure.

Week 2: Wilderness, Beaches, Service Project

A bus will transport our group from Orosi to a small town on the northern edge of the Osa Peninsula.  From here we head down the River Sierpe through bird and crocodile laden mangroves to the Pacific ocean and the tiny community of Drake Bay.  If time permits we will enjoy kayaking in the mangroves, surfing or jungle walking before dinner.  Monday morning we board another boat which takes us on a coast line cruise before heading sharply up to San Pedrillo Ranger Station in the heart of Corcavado National Park.  This place is thick with wildlife and National Geographic magazine described it as "one of the most biologically intense places on earth". 

Our accommodation is simple but comfortable with kitchen facilities, showers, hammocks and bunks.  You can also opt to camp out near the landing strip where Bards Tapers frequent in the evenings.  Here you'll have the opportunity to practice your Spanish with each other, the rangers and other travelers.  A few hours each day will be spent volunteering with Corcavado National Park.  Examples of possible projects include anything from Ranger Station maintenance to trail restoration, wildlife surveys and Sea Turtle patrols.  The experience will be incredible and you will truly feel the depth of the Costa Rican jungle.  This is our chance to give back to a place that gives so much to the planet.

Week 3: High Mountain Exploration, White Water Rafting

Now you have the opportunity to have some time on your own.  Two nights will be spent in the rustic but well provided community of Uvita.  Here at the funky Hotel Tucan there is free internet access, a small bar and restaurant, air conditioned rooms (dorm and private) and camping.  Enjoy a movie in the hammock lounge, a nearby natural waterfall waterslide, or good surfing and whale watching at the beach.

Come Monday we will head to San Isidro de General to check in and prepare our gear for the ascent of Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica's highest peak.  The climbing journey starts Tuesday morning and will take us three days round trip.  We spend two nights in remote bunk style housing 4km from the summit with propane stove and amazing mountain scenery in this unique tropical alpine ecosystem.  Views from the summit include both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.  We descend Thursday and have dinner out.

Friday morning we will raft the raging Rio Savegre through the west slope mountains and then finish our organized trip in Manuel Antonio. High on the Quepos/Manuel  Antonio Road there is a restaurant built over a CONTRA cargo plane.  Here we will enjoy our last Margaritas and Casados as a group while the sun sets for our journey.  Head back to San Jose on your own or stay in Costa Rica as long as you want.