Program Directed by
Andrew Manzella
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
Travel abroad to a welcoming host community in Costa Rica and complete volunteer projects on this summer service program for middle school students. Work on projects such as painting a classroom, building a rainwater harvesting system, preparing a soccer field, or pouring a cement foundation for a communal water tank. Surf and snorkel along Pacific beaches, and stay at an ecolodge near the base of Arenal Volcano. Build connections and friendships, and return home with a deeper understanding of daily life in Costa Rican communities and greater confidence as a young traveler.
- Highlights
• Complete collaborative service projects in a host community
• Join a game of pick-up soccer with Costa Rican friends
• Surf, snorkel, and kayak along gorgeous tropical beaches
• Visit Rincón de la Vieja National Park
• Join a game of pick-up soccer with Costa Rican friends
• Surf, snorkel, and kayak along gorgeous tropical beaches
• Visit Rincón de la Vieja National Park
“A very thoughtfully planned, unique program with just the right amount of adventure, service, and learning that fosters a great sense of community and nurtures new friendships.”
—Jenny & Robert L., Santa Monica, CA
Itinerary
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
Departure — Travel Day
Meet your fellow middle school student travelers and a Putney flight escort in Los Angeles or New York and fly together to Liberia, Costa Rica. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Settling In — 2 days
Begin your adventure at our home base on the Pacific Coast, a villa located a short walk from the beautiful beach of Playa Hermosa. Together as a large group, get to know your leaders and fellow group members and have an in-depth orientation to become acquainted with Costa Rican culture. Then, split into two smaller groups for a more intimate, small group experience. Over the course of the program, each group will travel to our service project host community, and experience the villa, our base on the coast.
Playa Hermosa — 7 days
Visit the incredible sites of the Guanacaste region on adventurous day trips and participate in staff-led enrichment activities at our villa in Playa Hermosa. Surf with professional guides at beautiful Playa Grande, play games with your peers on sandy Playa Hermosa at low tide, and hike past boiling mud pots and sulfur springs at Rincón de la Vieja National Park. Practice your Spanish, snorkel in a nearby bay, visit the local farmer’s market, take a chocolate-making class, draw and paint, or take salsa lessons.
Arenal Volcano — 3 days
Join together as a large group for three days at a sustainable ecolodge tucked into the forested valley at the base of Arenal Volcano. Participate in a hands-on workshop at the lodge and acquire a basic understanding of composting, cheesemaking, beekeeping, or gardening. Kayak on Lake Arenal, learn about chocolate and coffee production, or soak in thermal hot springs. The group then divides back into their smaller group and heads to the next location.
Host Community — 7 days
Spend seven days in a small community tucked into the hills overlooking Lake Arenal. Get to know local residents as you work alongside them on small-scale construction projects. Spend time teaching English to the local children or try your hand at milking cows at the town dairy farm. Play soccer with new friends in the afternoons or relax together as a group. To learn more about our Service programs click here.
Return — Travel Day
Fly from Liberia, Costa Rica, to Los Angeles or New York with a Putney flight escort, then continue on to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Featured
Leaders
Meet some of our featured leaders. Please note that these may not be your leaders for the program.
No posts found
Frequently Asked Questions
Review specific program questions here. For more general information, visit our full FAQ:
What are the main focuses of this program?
Putney’s Costa Rica middle school program blends hands-on community service with coastal and rainforest exploration, giving younger student travelers a structured introduction to cultural immersion through group living and collaborative projects. The focus of the program is working alongside local community members on meaningful service initiatives, such as small-scale construction projects, that benefit a community at large, while learning how daily life unfolds in a rural Costa Rican setting.
Students rotate through different roles in group life, including participating in service work, contributing to shared responsibilities, and engaging in guided reflection and group discussion. Alongside community and environmental service, the program emphasizes outdoor exploration and experiential learning through time on the Pacific coast at Playa Hermosa, adventure activities in the Arenal region near Arenal Volcano, and visits to areas such as Rincón de la Vieja National Park. The overall experience is designed to build independence, cross-cultural understanding, and confidence through active participation in a close-knit group environment. To learn more about our Service programs click here.
What types of service projects do students participate in on this program?
During our middle school Costa Rica program, service work may include light construction projects such as mixing cement, laying blocks, or helping build infrastructure like rainwater collection systems and water tanks. Smaller projects like painting classrooms or community buildings are also part of the day-to-day experience, based on the needs and interest of the community. Students may also participate in environmental and agricultural activities, such as supporting local farming efforts or learning about sustainable land use practices. In addition, there are opportunities for educational exchange, engaging with the local community through structured, informal interaction. To learn more about our Service programs click here.
How many service hours can students expect to receive?
Students on our Middle School Service Costa Rica program in Costa Rica can expect to complete approximately 25–35 service hours over the course of the program. A digital service certificate will be issued after the program confirming the exact number of hours completed.
Will students have the opportunity to practice the local language?
Proficiency in Spanish is not required for this program. However, if you study Spanish in school you will have opportunities to practice while communicating with local people. If you don’t speak Spanish you will have the opportunity to learn some basic language skills.
What is an Independent Project?
All students on Putney programs pursue an independent project as a way to more deeply engage with aspects of local culture that are of particular interest to them—in Costa Rica, you might document local agricultural practices, learn a traditional recipe, or interview local people. The goal is to encourage deeper engagement, independent thinking, and meaningful connection to place, while building confidence in researching, observing, and presenting new ideas.
What is the technology and cell phone policy?
To help students fully engage and immerse themselves in the Putney travel experience, we do not allow use of cell phones, tablets, or laptops on our Middle School programs. Students may have their cell phones during travel to and from the program. During in-country orientation, leaders facilitate a call home, then collect and securely store all phones until departure day. Throughout the program, students have the opportunity for a weekly call home according to a pre-arranged schedule. For more details, please see our FAQ.
How physically active is this program?
This is a physically active summer travel program. Students should expect to spend ample time at the beach, hiking in national parks, and light construction work. You do not need to be at peak fitness to participate, but it is important that you have a desire to be physically active, and that you are excited about trying all activities.
What are the accommodations for this program?
The group stays in shared, comfortable accommodations, including a beachside villa near Playa Hermosa and an ecolodge near Arenal Volcano, plus simple lodging in a rural host community. Leaders reside with students for the duration of the program.
What are meals like in Costa Rica?
The group enjoys meals at small local restaurants in Playa Hermosa, served family-style at the ecolodge, and enjoyed as homemade local fare with the host community in Costa Rica.
What type of student is most successful on this program?
This program is designed for middle school students (grades 6–8) who are curious, open-minded, and eager to step outside their comfort zone while engaging with a new culture in Costa Rica. It is a strong fit for students who enjoy active, outdoor learning and are excited by hands-on experiences like community service projects, beach cleanups and environmental service, rainforest hikes, and other outdoor adventures. Students who are adaptable, collaborative, and interested in forming new friendships while contributing to meaningful work in a supportive group environment tend to thrive on this experience.
What makes Costa Rica a good location for a Putney Student Travel program?
Costa Rica is an ideal setting for a Putney middle school service program because students are able to engage in real, locally identified service projects in a rural community, while also experiencing the country’s varied landscapes, from the Pacific coast near Playa Hermosa to the volcanic region around Arenal. Putney’s longstanding partnerships with trusted local communities ensure that projects are authentic, age-appropriate, and genuinely responsive to local needs, while also prioritizing safety and cultural exchange. What distinguishes this program is its intentional design, which allows students to experience service work, outdoor exploration, and rustic group living with a large support staff. Cultural learning is immersive and students often leave with long-lasting friendships from their student group, as well as the host community.
How does the Costa Rica program compare to Putney’s other middle school programs?
This Costa Rica program differs from Putney’s other middle school programs in that it is intentionally designed as a highly supported “bridge” experience for students aging out of camp-style environments, with an on-site director and close-knit group structure. This program prioritizes stability, repetition of group routines, and guided immersion across service, cultural exchange, and outdoor exploration. It offers students a structured introduction to Putney-style travel, helping them build confidence and independence at a gradual pace while still experiencing meaningful adventure, hands-on service, and cultural engagement.
Do students need prior experience or specific skills to join this program?
No, no specific prior experience or specialized skills are required to participate in our service program in Costa Rica. Students do not need previous service experience, outdoor training, or international travel experience to be successful. The program is designed to support students who are new to international travel or transitioning from camp-style environments.
What outcomes, skills, or growth can students expect to gain from this experience?
Culturally, students gain a deeper understanding of daily life in Costa Rican communities, developing empathy, perspective-taking, and respect for different ways of living. By the end of the program, students often return with stronger friendships, increased self-confidence, and a clearer sense of how they relate to new places, new people, and future travel experiences.
A Day in the Life: Playa Hermosa
Due to the traveling nature of this summer program abroad, each day is different. Here is a snapshot of a day at our villa in Playa Hermosa.
- Morning
8:00am
Enjoy breakfast at the Villa restaurant together as a group
9:00am
Take a day trip to Playa Grande for a surf lesson with professional guides
- Afternoon
12:00pm
Break for lunch at a beachside restaurant
2:00pm
Learn about leatherback sea turtles and nesting sites from a conservationist
4:00pm
Take a short hike to swim beneath a waterfall
- Evening
6:00pm
Share dinner at the Villa with your group
8:00pm
Have a game night incorporating Costa Rican culture
9:00pm
Group meeting to discuss the day and upcoming schedule
“I had fun and learned about a culture, language, and lifestyle I wasn’t familiar with before!”
—— Camille N., San Domenico School, San Francisco, CA
