Program Directed by
Andrew Manzella
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
Costa Rica
Service, Outdoor Adventure, & Biodiversity
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. *Middle School Costa Rica is a phone-free program.
- 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 either Newark or Los Angeles 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 Newark or Los Angeles with a Putney flight escort, then continue on to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
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 either Newark or Los Angeles 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 Newark or Los Angeles 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.
Featured
Leaders
Meet some of our featured leaders. Please note that these may not be your leaders for the program.
What to Expect
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
Phone Use
This is a phone-free program. After arriving safely in Costa Rica, students will have the opportunity to check in with parents if they wish, and then leaders will help students lock their phones. Phones will remain locked for the duration of the program. Camera function will still be accessible, but all other functions will not. As are all Putney experiences, this is a highly structured program and the on-site director will be available by phone during daily office hours if parents need to communicate with staff or their student. The Putney Student Travel office can be reached 24/7. We believe that abstaining from social media and screen time helps cultivate healthy group dynamics and positively impacts the program as a whole. Our leaders and students keep a program blog where they post updates and photos of the group’s travels each week.
Service
During your time in Costa Rica, you can expect to participate in several different service experiences—light construction projects where you may learn to mix cement or paint a community building, environmental projects such as planting seedlings or shadowing local farmers, and educational projects such as teaching English to local children. This program is designed to provide the opportunity to learn about another culture by forming meaningful relationships with local people and undertaking a shared community service experience together. You should come to the summer with an open mind, eager to participate in new experiences and interested in exploring another culture and way of life. All students participate in each of the group’s projects on a rotating basis, and everyone lends a hand in meal preparation and cleanup. To learn more about our Service programs click here.
Independent Project
Pursue an independent project and explore an aspect of local culture of particular interest to you—learn to cook gallo pinto, interview local girls and women about gender roles in the community, or organize a community-wide soccer tournament.
Language Practice
Proficiency in Spanish is not required; however, students who study Spanish in school will have opportunities to practice while communicating with local people. Students who do not speak the local language will have the opportunity to learn some basic language skills.
Physical Activity
This is a physically active summer program. Aside from community service projects, you can expect to participate in activities such as soccer, swimming, surfing, rafting, horseback riding, and hiking. 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.
Accommodations
The Villa is a small, family-run hotel located just 100 meters from quiet Playa Hermosa. Rooms are doubles with air conditioning. There is a restaurant, a pool, a salón comunal (meeting room), and a basketball court on the Villa grounds. While in our host community, we live in a community center. Living conditions are basic but comfortable. We sleep in sleeping bags on sleeping pads on the floor. Leaders reside with the group throughout the program.
Meals
While at the Villa, we eat meals at the adjoining restaurant and enjoy picnics by the pool and on the beach. During our stay in our host community, meals are prepared by local cooks. Students take turns helping to prepare our meals and form cooking and cleaning crews.
What to Expect
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
Phone Use
This is a phone-free program. After arriving safely in Costa Rica, students will have the opportunity to check in with parents if they wish, and then leaders will help students lock their phones. Phones will remain locked for the duration of the program. Camera function will still be accessible, but all other functions will not. As are all Putney experiences, this is a highly structured program and the on-site director will be available by phone during daily office hours if parents need to communicate with staff or their student. The Putney Student Travel office can be reached 24/7. We believe that abstaining from social media and screen time helps cultivate healthy group dynamics and positively impacts the program as a whole. Our leaders and students keep a program blog where they post updates and photos of the group’s travels each week.
Service
During your time in Costa Rica, you can expect to participate in several different service experiences—light construction projects where you may learn to mix cement or paint a community building, environmental projects such as planting seedlings or shadowing local farmers, and educational projects such as teaching English to local children. This program is designed to provide the opportunity to learn about another culture by forming meaningful relationships with local people and undertaking a shared community service experience together. You should come to the summer with an open mind, eager to participate in new experiences and interested in exploring another culture and way of life. All students participate in each of the group’s projects on a rotating basis, and everyone lends a hand in meal preparation and cleanup. To learn more about our Service programs click here.
Independent Project
Pursue an independent project and explore an aspect of local culture of particular interest to you—learn to cook gallo pinto, interview local girls and women about gender roles in the community, or organize a community-wide soccer tournament.
Language Practice
Proficiency in Spanish is not required; however, students who study Spanish in school will have opportunities to practice while communicating with local people. Students who do not speak the local language will have the opportunity to learn some basic language skills.
Physical Activity
This is a physically active summer program. Aside from community service projects, you can expect to participate in activities such as soccer, swimming, surfing, rafting, horseback riding, and hiking. 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.
Accommodations
The Villa is a small, family-run hotel located just 100 meters from quiet Playa Hermosa. Rooms are doubles with air conditioning. There is a restaurant, a pool, a salón comunal (meeting room), and a basketball court on the Villa grounds. While in our host community, we live in a community center. Living conditions are basic but comfortable. We sleep in sleeping bags on sleeping pads on the floor. Leaders reside with the group throughout the program.
Meals
While at the Villa, we eat meals at the adjoining restaurant and enjoy picnics by the pool and on the beach. During our stay in our host community, meals are prepared by local cooks. Students take turns helping to prepare our meals and form cooking and cleaning crews.
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
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
Program Directed by
Andrew Manzella
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
