Where in the world was Unquowa this summer?  In Costa Rica on the adventure of a life time!!  This past July eleven Unquowa students traveled with Ecodestination on a twelve day Science Adventure Tour.  Ecodestination has been running student tours for 14 years throughout CR. We were fortunate enough to have the most amazing tour guide, Mariano Cruz.  He was with us from the minute we landed in CR until we said our tearful goodbyes 12 days later.

Our Group landed in rainy San Jose on the afternoon of July 5^th.  All of us were a bit anxious and definitely excited. After a restful night to catch up on some sleep and recharge after a day of travel, we headed to the Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast. On our way to the coast we stopped at a sloth sanctuary. There were 120 sloths at the sanctuary and 80% of them will be release back into the wild. Sloths are amazing creatures! After a quick bite to eat we continued on to Puerto Viejo. We spent the afternoon playing in the waves at Playa Negra, a black sand beach on the Caribbean Sea. We settled into our hotel for dinner and a relaxing night playing cards, swinging in the hammock pavilion, and writing in our journals.

The next morning we journeyed to the town of Soci in the province of Talamanca to visit the Bri Bri tribe. We had an hour ride on our tour bus, and then crossed a river in a motor canoe, and another local bus to where the road ended!  Next we were onto our 2.7 mile hike to the Bri Bri Village. When we arrived at the school we met the principle of the school, the students, and the Bri Bri Shaman. They introduced us and told us about the history of the Bri Bri people. They believe that the Bri Bri were born from a corn seed. This is their tie to the earth. They value the sky, earth, trees, and air in the most beautiful air and appreciate all that they have. We toured the grounds and sand some songs and danced with the students. The village Shaman sang us a special song to bless our group with safe travels. Our group then played soccer, swam in the river, and ate a beautiful lunch prepared by the Bri Bri people. After lunch we said our good byes.  The principle welcomed us back with an open heart anytime Unquowa would like to visit.  We began our trek back to Puerto Viejo.  It was such a special day.

Next we headed out for Serafin Turtle Station. We drove through miles of banana plantations until we arrived at the boat launch. We loaded our things into a small boat and cruised down the canals out to the sea. We arrived at a lagoon where we gathered our things and hiked to the turtle station.  Serafin turtle station in off the grid. There was no electricity, only a simple solar panel to light a few of the rooms for 1 hour at night. We settled in had dinner and went out on turtle patrol for 4 hours that night. We were fortunate enough to watch a mother leatherback turtle lay her eggs. Some of us help to hold her fins back while a biologist from the station caught her eggs in a bag so they could be brought to a safe chamber. The next afternoon we had a class about sea turtles in CR and we were able to watch the release of 200 leatherback hatchling into the Caribbean Sea. We set out for turtle watch again on the second night. One of our groups was able to collect hatchlings, weigh, measure, and release the turtles into the sea.  It was an unforgettable experience. 

Next on our adventure was white water rafting! We traveled to the Saraqui River on our way to La Fortuna. We took a lesson about safety and what to expect and then go in our boats for a wild ride on the rapid! We stopped halfway though our trip and sat on the bank of the river for fresh pineapple, mango, lychee, and papaya. We arrived in La Fortuna where Arenal Volcano is located. We stayed at the base of the Volcano! 

The following morning we headed for Venado Caves. The cave was under the sea at one point and over thousands of year rose above sea level. We hiked underground through waterfalls, coral, bats, spiders, fish, and much more. Some of the spaces were so small we had to crawl on our bellies in order to fit. That night we were guests at La Finca Don Juan, a small organic farm in La Fortuna. Everything that we picked on the farm that night was cooked for us for our dinner. It was the most delicious dinner.  Everything tasted so fresh and bright. The farmer, Don Juan uses his farm as a teaching tool for students, so that they can understand the importance of sustainable farming. 

After leaving La Fortuna we took a boat ride across Lake Arenal. On the far side of the lake we met our horses that carried us up into the mountains, across the continental divide and into the Cloud forests of Monteverde. We rode through streams, rivers, and down steep hills. When we completed our trek we loaded onto the bus and drove into the green mountains of Monteverde.  After lunch and a quick rest in was on to the Zip Line!  We had a quick lesson and then zipped over 8 lines in Monteverde Cloud Forest. We also took the plunge on the Tarzan Swing! What an adrenaline rush! 

We left the cool air of  Monteverde and journeyed out to the Pacific Coast next. While on the coast we had plenty of time to enjoy the sun and the ocean. We went to Samara Surf School at Samara Beach were we had small group lessons before we jumped into the ocean to surf.  Yes…surfing is a lot harder than it looks! We had a blast playing in the waves and trying to balance on our surf boards.  After a quick lunch we explore the shops and town of Samara before going back to our hotel. 

Finally we headed back to central CR where we ended our trip in San Jose. We couldn’t believe how quickly 12 days had gone by. We stayed overnight in San Jose and then it was off to the airport where our adventure had started. We said good bye to our guide Mariano and our driver Marlon with memories to last forever.

I cannot thank the families of our student travelers enough. If it wasn’t for your support and faith in Ecodentination and our chaperones, this trip would never have been possible. I am so proud of each of our students for stepping out of tier comfort zones and trying new foods, new activities, speaking Spanish, and being there for each other. They have represented Unquowa beautifully! 

A special thanks to Amy Hellman.  I could not have done this trip without you! We already miss you at Unquowa! Special thanks also to Zach Hutchens for helping to chaperone.

Maureen Becker