Costa Rica » Beachside Service Adventure

Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure

From the jungle to the classroom, experience all Costa Rica has to offer – and all you have to offer her.

Highlights:

Live in a coastal village at the edge of the beautiful Salinas Bay
Volunteer to work with local children
Ride inner tubes down a jungle river
Hike along the side of a volcano
Zip line through the forest – check out this video!

Overview

Its name captures the richness of its nature and its spirit, but words pale in comparison to the real thing. Join us on the shores of the Pacific where you’ll volunteer in underserved communities, helping with building projects, cleaning up beaches, and playing sports with local children. Living on our sprawling beachfront Home Base will also give you the chance to enjoy sports, swimming, games, and other activities with your new friends.

Check out an overview video of our Costa Rica program.
Read student blog : GLA Alum Emily Creek writes about things she learned in Costa Rica.

Community Service

We’re living and working in a rural community where most people are farmers or fishermen. We’ll be working with the local community on a variety of projects depending on the need of the community. We may assist in projects to improve a school’s infrastructure (such as a building, playground or outdoor basketball court), provide after-school activities for children, or help the local Development Association and Women’s Group.

Check out a feature article on GLA Costa Rica Alum Max Gehring and his contributions to the local community.

Hands-On Learning

Living in an authentic community is a great way to learn about Costa Rican culture. You’ll spend the afternoon with a local family, learn to dance salsa and cumbia, taste exotic fruits, try your hand at cooking local cuisine, and learn about current social issues in Costa Rica.

Read student blog : GLA Alum Monica Lefton writes about what she learned in Costa Rica.

Adventure

Costa Rica offers many exciting excursions in a natural setting. We’ll zip line through a forest, ride horses through a jungle paradise, and ride inner tubes down a roaring river.

You’ll also hike along the base of an active volcano and spend time on pristine beaches. Our location on a private beach resort allows us space for impromptu soccer and volleyball games as well as a variety of water sports.

Lodging

This program is based on the GLA campus and hosts this program as well as Sports Service Adventure, the GLA Home Base is just a stone’s throw away from the beach in a rural Costa Rican community that most travelers never get to see. The Home Base has dorm rooms with three beds in each room and a private bathroom. There is an eating area with a beautiful thatch roof that looks out over the pool. This is where we’ll have meals and meetings. To cool off, students can take a dip in the large swimming pool or in the ocean.