The following is the Itinerary for the Teen Spanish and Surf Camp in Playa Dominical, Costa Rica. Upon arrival in San Jose, we will be staying at the Hotel Rosa del Paseo. In Dominical, we will be staying at the Lookout Hotel. All activities are scheduled for the dates and times listed below, but are subject to change due to weather conditions or other circumstances beyond our control. In case of a tour or activity being changed, we will do our best to reschedule. If a tour or activity must be cancelled and cannot be made up, there will be no refund.

Sunday, June 15th, June 29th or July 13th
9am – 4pm – WELCOME! Students arrive in San Jose and are taken to Hotel Rosa del Paseo. There will be time to relax, settle in and get orientated. Lunch will be provided for those students that arrive in the morning. (Vegetarian meals are always an available option.)
7pm - Welcome to Costa Rica dinner at a local restaurant Maria Bonita with typical Costa Rican food and entertainment.
9pm – Return to Hotel Rosa where we will all meet together for introductions, group building activities and games.

Monday, June 16th, June 30th or July 14th
6am – Wake up for River Rafting on the Rio Pacuare.
Students are picked up at about 6:30 am and transported by bus to the Rio Pacuare. Along the way there is a stop for breakfast at a country restaurant. At the river, students receive a half an hour of training in how to raft, along with safety tips and emergency procedures. Once on the river, students will experience some of the best rafting in Costa Rica over class two, three & four rapids. This is the perfect trip for both beginners and seasoned rafters alike. The countryside and deep gorges are awesome. The total time on the river is about five hours with a stop in the middle for a picnic lunch. After the ride is finished, there will be an opportunity for students to purchase photos of the day’s rafting. Students will return to San Jose around 4 p.m.
5pm – Students will be given a Spanish evaluation to determine their ability in the language and to place them into the correct class levels. They will be given a written evaluation to complete along with a one-on-one meeting with one of our Spanish professors. Once their levels have been determined and classes assigned, students will receive their course material and a brief overview of how classes will be conducted.
7:30pm – Dinner at local restaurant Machu Picchu.
9pm – Return to Hotel

Tuesday, June 17th, July 1st or July 15th
7am – Wake up
7:30am – Breakfast at the hotel
8:30am – Transportation by bus to Playa Dominical/Playa Uvita.
11:30am – Lunch stop in the town of San Isidro. This stop will include a visit to a local bank to exchange traveler’s checks and dollars.
1:30pm - Arrival at the Lookout Hotel in Playa Tortuga. This hotel is located south of Playa Dominical near Playa Uvita. It is an absolutely breathtaking location overlooking the ocean with fantastic views and sunsets. Our groups will be taking over the entire hotel and having most of our meals at the gourmet restaurant on the hotel grounds. Students will receive room assignments and have time to settle in.
2:30pm – Spanish Classes begin. Students will split up into their groups and begin classes. Classes will be conducted entirely in Spanish. This method of learning is called immersion and is used to get the students speaking and thinking in the target language. There will be in-class activities and out of class field trips. Each day, classes will be for three hours with a short break in the middle.
5:30pm – Return to hotel with time to get unpacked, swim at the pool and get to know their surroundings. Before dinner, there will be a tour of the facilities.
7:30pm – Welcome to Dominical/Uvita dinner at the hotel restaurant
8:30pm – After dinner, we will go over the rules of the program. They will be given an outline of their time in the Dominical/Uvita area as well as what is to be expected of them.
10:00pm – Curfew

Wednesday, June 18th, July 2nd or July 16th
8am – Breakfast at the hotel
9am – Tour of Dominical and Uvita, pointing out locations of interest and boundaries.
9:30am – Surf Lessons! Students that are already experienced surfers will be shown the different breaks and the individual characteristics of the beach and surf. Instructors will take these students out and see that they get comfortable in the new surroundings. All other students will be taught how to surf from the beginning on the sand. Students who have not brought their own boards will be provided with one. At the end of the lesson, all students will meet with the head lifeguard to go over beach safety rules.
12pm – Lunch at the hotel.
1pm - Free time to continue surfing or swim at the pool or study Spanish (you can even get a massage at the hotel’s spa).
2:30pm – 5:30pm Spanish classes.
7pm – Dinner at a local restaurant in town.
8pm –Free time and study period until 10pm

 

Thursday, June 19th, July 3rd or July 17th
8am – Breakfast at the hotel
9am – Meet at the beach to continue surf lessons. Experienced surfers will again go out with instructors and beginners will continue with their lessons.
12pm – Lunch at the hotel
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm – Free time to hang out at the beach or return to hotel to swim or study Spanish.
7:30pm – Dinner at local restaurant in town.
9pm – Return to hotel
10:00pm – Curfew

Friday, June 20th, July 4th or July 18th
8am – Breakfast at the hotel
9am – Depart for Surfing at Playa Hermosa. Experienced surfers will surf on their own, those still learning will continue their lessons.
12pm – Lunch at the hotel
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm – Relax until dinner
7:30pm – Dinner at local restaurant followed by free time.
11pm – Curfew

Saturday, June 21st, July 5th or July 19th
7am – Breakfast at the hotel
8am – Depart by bus to the town of Sierpe to catch boat transportation to the Poor Mans Paradise Eco Lodge, www.poormansparadise.com. Drake Bay sits on the northern coast of the Osa Peninsula on the edge of Corcovado National Park. This is a pristine and untouched rainforest and coastline of unparalleled natural beauty.
12pm – Lunch at the lodge after time to get settled in.
1:30pm – Corcovado National Park. Corcovado National Park has been cited by National Geographic as "one of the most biologically diverse places on earth" and our tour through its northern section will be filled with monkeys, sloths and many different types of birds. Right near the lodge are well maintained trails that take you to waterfalls, rivers, ponds and some of the last primary rainforest in Central America.
4:30pm – Everyone will return to the lodge to swim or relax
7pm –. Dinner at the lodge.
8:30pm – Bonfire on the beach after dinner with music and games, with free time until lights out at 11pm.

Sunday, June 22nd, July 6th or July 20th
8am – Breakfast at the lodge.
9am – Boat ride to Isla Cano National Park to swim, hike or snorkel. This is one of the most famous parks in Costa Rica with an incredible beach and abundant wildlife. This is the island that for years has been known as Treasure Island and is a unique ecological environment.
1pm – Picnic lunch on the island followed by more time to explore the island.
4:30 – Return to Sierpe by boat, pick up by bus and ride back to The Lookout Hotel.
7:30pm – Dinner at hotel.
10pm – Curfew.

Monday, June 23rd, July 7th or July 21st
9am – Breakfast
10am – Meet at beach Playa Ventanas for surfing or swimming. Playa Ventanas is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. It is a quarter mile crescent beach with high towering forest topped cliffs on either side. In the background are verdant hills covered in primary rainforest. While surfing or swimming in the water it is impossible to see any buildings or signs of human habitation. It is very close to the Lookout hotel.
12:30pm – Lunch at the hotel
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm – Relax!
7:30pm – Dinner at restaurant in Playa Uvita.  
10:00pm - Curfew

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, June 24th, July 8th or July 22nd
8am – Breakfast at the hotel
9am – Zip Lining at Hacienda Baru Nature Preserve. Here students will be fitted with harnesses and repelling gear for zip lining through the forest canopy. They will hike through trails in the forest to get to the first platform. From there they will travel to 8 different platforms connected by steel lines. They will see many different birds and animals, including sloths, monkeys (both Howlers and White Faced), toucans, parrots and others. They will have bilingual guides and they will be instructed in all safety issues and equipment function. They will also learn about the forest ecosystem and flora. We will split the groups up in to two and each will go through the tour separately. While not on the tour, students will have a chance to hang out at the beach in Playa Dominical.
1pm – Lunch in town on the beach.
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm –return to the hotel for free time.
7:30pm – Dinner at the hotel.
10pm – Curfew

Wednesday, June 25th, July 9th or July 23rd
8am – Breakfast
9am – Meet at beach Playa Ventanas for surfing or swimming, followed by visit to nearby waterfall and swimming hole.
12:30pm – Lunch at local restaurant or hotel.  
2:30pm – Spanish Classes.
5:30pm – Free time
7:30pm – Dinner at hotel
10pm – Curfew

Thursday, June 26th, July 10th or July 24th
7:30am – Transfer by bus inland, up the mountain to Platanillo for Don Lulo’s Horseback Tour to the Nayaca Waterfall. Students will be given horses according to their ability to ride and those that need it, basic instructions on how to handle a horse. Once everyone is ready they will set off through the hills on about a half an hour ride to Don Lulo’s ranch house. Here they will have a large, typical Costa Rican breakfast. There is also a small petting zoo where they can feed toucans, scarlet macaws, deer and other animals of the forest. After everyone has been fed and had a chance to pet the animals, they again set off on horseback through the forest. This part of the ride takes another 30 minutes until they reach the Nayaca Waterfall. This is a three tiered, 280-foot waterfall with a large swimming hole and beautiful natural surroundings. There are changing rooms and bathrooms just before the falls. After spending about an hour relaxing and swimming, they will again ride back to Don Lulo’s ranch house for lunch. Here they will receive an incredible chicken lunch with plenty of food and drink. After lunch they will again have time to visit the animals and take pictures before returning by horse to the start of the tour.
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm – Free time.
7:30pm – Dinner at hotel
10pm – Curfew

Friday, June 27th, July 11th or July 25th
7am – Breakfast at the hotel
8:30am – Meet at Dominical beach to participate in a Beach Clean Up Project to give back to the community. There will also be time to swim, surf and shop from the local artisans.
10am – Spanish classes followed by a Graduation Ceremony with the teachers and staff.
1pm – Depart from Lookout Hotel for trip back to San Jose. Students will be given a box lunch and drinks for the ride.

5pm – Arrive in San Jose and stop by a local artisan market to buy gifts and souvenirs.
6pm – Arrive and check in to Hotel Rosa del Paseo
7:30pm – Farwell to Costa Rica Dinner at local restaurant Maria Bonitas.
10pm – Curfew

Saturday, June 28th, July 12th or July 26th
6am to 9am Breakfast
Students will be transported to the airport as their flight times dictate. A staff member will drive with them up to the airport and see that they get checked into their flight and through to the correct gate. As students will be flying out at different times throughout day, there will also be a staff member remaining at the hotel. If students fly out in the afternoon or evening, they will receive lunch and/or dinner.