Program Itinerary For 2008 Playa Dominical
Playa Tamarindo Itinerary
Can Be Found Here
Playa Dominical
All activities are scheduled for the dates and times listed
below, but are subject to change do the weather conditions or
other circumstances beyond our control. In case of a tour or
activity being changed, it will be rescheduled. If a tour or
activity must be cancelled and cannot be made up, there will
be no refund.
Sunday, June 15th, June 29th or
July 13th
9am to 4pm WELCOME! Students arrive in San
Jose and are taken to Hotel Rosa del Paseo. There will be time
to relax, settle in and get orientated. Lunch will be provided
for those students that arrive in the morning. (Vegetarian meals
are always an available option.)
7pm - Welcome dinner at a local restaurant
Maria Bonita with typical Costa Rican food and entertainment.
9pm - Return to Hotel Rosa where we will all
meet together for introductions, group building activities and
games.
Monday, June 16th, June 30 th or
July 14th
6am – Wake up for River Rafting on the
Rio Pacuare.
Students are picked up at about 6:30 am and transported by bus
to the Rio Pacuare. Along the way there is a stop for breakfast
at a country restaurant. At the river, students receive a half
an hour of training in how to raft, along with safety tips and
emergency procedures. Once on the river, students will experience
some of the best rafting in Costa Rica over class two, three
& four rapids. This is the perfect trip for both beginners
and seasoned rafters alike. The countryside and deep gorges
are awesome. The total time on the river is about five hours
with a stop in the middle for a picnic lunch. After the ride
is finished, there will be an opportunity for students to purchase
photos of the day’s rafting. Students will return to San
Jose around 4 p.m.
5pm – Students will be given a Spanish
evaluation to determine their ability in the language and to
place them into the correct class levels. They will be given
a written evaluation to complete along with a one-on-one meeting
with one of our Spanish professors. Once their levels have been
determined and classes assigned, students will receive their
course material and a brief overview of how classes will be
conducted.
7:30pm – Dinner at local restaurant Macchu
Picchu.
9pm – Return to Hotel
Tuesday, June 17th, July 1st, or July 15th
7am – Wake up
7:30am – Breakfast at the hotel
8:30am – Transportation by bus to Playa
Dominical.
11:30am – Lunch stop in the town of San
Isidro. This stop will include a visit to a local bank to exchange
traveler’s checks and dollars.
1:30pm - Arrival at Lookout Hotel in Playa Tortuga. This hotel is located south of Playa Dominical near Playa Uvita. It is an absolutely breathtaking location overlooking the ocean with fantastic views and sunsets. Our groups will be taking over the entire hotel and having most of our meals at the gourmet restaurant on the hotel grounds. Students will receive room assignments and have time to settle in.
2:30pm – Spanish Classes begin. Students
will split up into their groups and begin classes. Classes will
be conducted entirely in Spanish. This method of learning is
called immersion and is used to get the students speaking and
thinking in the target language. There will be in-class activities
and out of class field trips. Each day, classes will be for
three hours with a short break in the middle.
5:30pm – Return to hotel with time to
get unpacked, swim at the pool and get to know their surroundings.
Before dinner, there will be a tour of the facilities.
7:30pm – Welcome to Dominical dinner
at the hotel restaurant
8:30pm – After dinner, we will go over
the rules of the program. They will be given an outline of their
time in Dominical as well as what is to be expected of them.
10:00pm – Curfew
Wednesday, June 18th, July 2nd
or July 16th
8am – Breakfast at the hotel
9am – Tour of Dominical and Uvita, pointing out locations of interest
and boundaries.
9:30am – Surf Lessons! Students that
are already experienced surfers will be shown the different
breaks and the individual characteristics of the beach and surf.
Instructors will take these students out and see that they get
comfortable in the new surroundings. All other students will
be taught how to surf from the beginning on the sand. Students
who have not brought their own boards will be provided with
one. At the end of the lesson, all students will meet with the
head lifeguard to go over beach safety rules.
12pm – Lunch at the hotel.
1pm - Free time to continue surfing or swim
at the pool or study Spanish (you can even get a massage at
the hotel’s spa).
2:30pm – 5:30pm Spanish classes at the
school’s campus with local instructors.
7pm – Dinner at a local restaurant in
town.
8pm –Free time and study period until
10pm
Thursday, June 19th, July 3rd
or July 17tth
8am – Breakfast at the hotel
9am – Meet at the beach to continue surf
lessons. Experienced surfers will again go out with instructors
and beginners will continue with their lessons.
12pm – Lunch at the hotel
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm – Free time to hang out at the
beach or return to hotel to swim or study Spanish.
7:30pm – Dinner at local restaurant in
town.
9pm – Return to hotel
10:00pm – Curfew
Friday, June 20th, July 4th or
July 18th
8am – Breakfast at the hotel
9am – Depart for Surfing at Playa Hermosa
where the experienced surfers will surf on their own, while
those still learning will continue their lessons.
12pm – Lunch at the hotel
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm – Relax until dinner
7:30pm – Dinner at local restaurant followed
by free time.
11pm – Curfew
Saturday, July 21st, July 5th
or July 19th
7am – Breakfast at the hotel
8am – Depart by bus to the town of Sierpe
to catch boat transportation to the Poor Mans Paradise Eco Lodge, www.poormansparadise.com.
Drake Bay sits on the northern coast of the Osa Peninsula on
the edge of Corcovado National Park. This is a pristine and
untouched rainforest and coastline of unparalleled natural beauty.
12pm – Lunch at the lodge after time
to get settled in.
1:30pm – Corcovado National Park tour.
Corcovado National Park has been cited by National Geographic
as "one of the most biologically diverse places on earth"
and our tour through its northern section will be filled with
monkeys, sloths and many different types of birds. The well
maintained trails will take us along waterfalls, rivers, ponds
and some of the last primary rainforest in Central America.
Our guides are all local naturalists who are very familiar with
the flora and fauna.
4:30pm – Everyone will return to the
lodge to swim or relax
7pm –. Dinner at the lodge.
8:30pm – Bonfire on the beach after dinner
with music and games, with free time until lights out at 11pm.
Sunday, June 22nd, July 6th or
July 20th
8am – Breakfast at the lodge.
9am – Boat ride to Isla Cano National
Park to swim, hike or snorkel. This is one of the most famous
parks in Costa Rica with an incredible beach and abundant wildlife.
This is the island that for years has been known as Treasure
Island and is a unique ecological environment.
1pm – Picnic lunch on the island followed
by more time to explore the island.
4:30 – Return to Sierpe by boat for pick
up by bus and return to Playa Dominical and Hotel Villas Rio
Mar
7:30pm – Dinner at hotel.
10pm – Curfew.
Monday, June 23rd, July 7th
or July 21st
9am – Breakfast
10am – Meet at beach Playa Ventanas for surfing or swimming. Playa Ventanas is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. It is a quarter mile crescent beach with high towering forest topped cliffs on either side. In the background are verdant hills covered in primary rainforest. While surfing or swimming in the water it is impossible to see any buildings or signs of human habitation. It is very close to the Lookout hotel.
12:30pm – Lunch at the hotel
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm – Relax! Students can stay in
town or return to the hotel.
7:30pm – Dinner at restaurant in town
10:00pm - Curfew
Tuesday, June 24th, July 8th
or July 22nd
8am – Breakfast at the hotel
9am – Zip Lining at Hacienda Baru Nature
Preserve. Here students will be fitted with harnesses and repelling
gear for zip lining through the forest canopy. They will hike
through trails in the forest to get to the first platform. From
there they will travel to 8 different platforms connected by
steel lines. They will see many different birds and animals,
including sloths, monkeys (both Howlers and White Faced), toucans,
parrots and others. They will have bilingual guides and they
will be instructed in all safety issues and equipment function.
They will also learn about the forest ecosystem and flora.
12:30pm – Lunch at hotel
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm – Free time to stay in town or
return to the hotel.
7:30pm – Dinner at restaurant in town.
10pm – Curfew
Wednesday, June 25th, July 9th
or July 23rd
8am – Breakfast
9am – Meet at beach for surfing, followed by visit to nearby waterfall and swimming hole.
12:30pm – Lunch at local restaurant
2:30pm – Spanish Classes
5:30pm – Free time to stay in town or
return to the hotel.
7:30pm – Dinner at Hotel
10pm – Curfew
Thursday, June 26th, July 10th
or July 24th
8am – Transfer by bus inland, up the
mountain to Platanillo for Don Lulo’s Horseback Tour to
the Nayaca Waterfall. Students will be given horses according
to their ability to ride and those that need it, basic instructions
on how to handle a horse. Once everyone is ready they will set
off through the hills on about a half an hour ride to Don Lulo’s
ranch house. Here they will have a large, typical Costa Rican
breakfast. There is also a small petting zoo where they can
feed toucans, scarlet macaws, deer and other animals of the
forest. After everyone has been fed and had a chance to pet
the animals, they again set off on horseback through the forest.
This part of the ride takes another 30 minutes untill they reach
the Nayaca Waterfall. This is a three tiered, 280-foot waterfall
with a large swimming hole and beautiful natural surroundings.
There are changing rooms and bathrooms just before the falls.
After spending about an hour relaxing and swimming, they will
again ride back to Don Lulo’s ranch house for lunch. Here
they will receive an incredible chicken lunch with plenty of
food and drink. After lunch they will again have time to visit
the animals and take pictures before returning by horse to the
start of the tour.
2:30pm – Spanish classes
5:30pm – Study time for Spanish homework.
7:30pm – Dinner at hotel
10pm – Curfew
Friday, June 27th, July 11th
or July 25th
7:30am – Breakfast at the hotel
8:30am – Meet at Dominical beach to participate
in a Beach Clean Up Project to give back to the community. There
will also be time to swim, surf and shop from the local artisans.
10:00am –Spanish classes followed by Graduation with teachers and staff
12:30pm – Check out of Lookout Hotel
and pack up bus.
1pm – Spanish classes followed by a Graduation
Ceremony with the teachers and staff. Box lunch provided
7pm – Arrive in San Jose with check in
to Rosa del Paseo
7:30pm – Farewell to Costa Rica Dinner at
a local restaurant in the El Pueblo entertainment center.
10pm – Curfew
Saturday, July 28th, July 12th
or July 26th
6am to 9am Breakfast
Students will be transported to the airport as their flight
times dictate. A staff member will drive with them up to the
airport and see that they get checked into their flight and
through to the correct gate. As students will be flying out
at different times throughout day, there will also be a staff
member remaining at the hotel. If students fly out in the afternoon
or evening, they will receive lunch and/or dinner.
