Day 1:
Morning
Coffee Tour*
Visit to Poás Volcano*

Visit to Waterfall Gardens*

Late afternoon
Arrival and Introduction

Evening
Lecture on Biodiversity

Day 2:
Early morning
Bird Walk: Students will learn to locate birds using sounds and spotting. The natural history of each species will be given by a naturalist guide. Please see ECOTOURISM ACTIVITIES for more information.

Morning
Introductory walk in the Rainforest: A naturalist leads the students through the trails at Tirimbina Rainforest, showing the most important components of this ecosystem, its diversity and importance.

Afternoon
Studies in Biodiversity: Field work on how to measure, count and analyze biodiversity.

Evening
Bats: Explore the bat world through an indoor presentation (20 minutes) and examine live bats previously caught in mist nets. Students will have a chance to study and identify each species. Please see ECOTOURISM ACTIVITIES for more information.

Day 3:
Morning
Forest Structure: Using field work techniques to study species composition and their vertical arrangement. This is a visual method to understand the complexity of the rainforest.

Afternoon
Lecture on Rainforest Plants
Botanical Garden Walk: Identify and learn about pre-Columbian, medicinal and ornamental plants.
Plant Family Identification: With the use of plant identification keys, students will use different plant characteristics to identify the families plants belong to.

Evening
Night Creatures: Students will learn how the rainforest changes in the dark, and how different groups (plants, frogs, mammals, birds, etc.) adapt to that condition.
The activity starts with a short presentation indoors (20 minutes), followed by a walk in the garden, bridges and forest. The whole activity lasts approximately 2 hours. A black light will be used to attract insects for their identification; mist nets are open for bat catching, and visits to key places allow the visitor to see some night creatures such as tarantulas, frogs, kinkajous, and others.

Day 4
Morning
Aquatic Ecosystems: Students will learn the importance of the fragile stream and river ecosystems in the forest. Students will study physical, chemical and biological indicators.

Afternoon
Sustainable development in the rainforest: Using real case studies, students will analyze situations facing the forest will propose solutions to protect the forest.

Chocolate Tour: Participants will walk to the cacao plantation and learn about history, production process and importance of chocolate. The activity finishes by making chocolate bars. Please see ECOTOURISM ACTIVITIES for more information.

Evening
Frogs: Students will study local frogs through a lecture (about 20 minutes) a visit to the Frog Pond to find and identify frogs observed. Please see ECOTOURISM ACTIVITIES for more information.

Day 5:
Morning
Banana or pineapple plantation* : Students will see the process of harvesting and packing the crop. Ecological and social issues are discussed as well.

Afternoon
Boat tour*: A two hour tour on the calm water of the lower Sarapiquí River. Participants will see local wildlife, possibly including monkeys, sloths, caimans and more.

Evening
Workshop on rainforest crafts or Salsa and Merengue lessons* : a local group will show the most common tropical rhythms and will invite participants to dance with them.

Day 6:
Morning
Community outreach (one of the following):

Visit the High School at La Virgen and participate in the English-Spanish classes and sports (subject to School Calendar).
Help improve schools in La Virgen through selected activities.
Visit women´s community group, be part of their project and help them implement it.

Afternoon
Rally in the Rainforest: Different clues will be hidden in the forest leading to a final treasure. In order to find the clues, students will have to answer questions about the natural history of the rainforest.

Evening
Bon Fire

Day 7: Departure after breakfast