Waterfalls, Waves, and the Practice of Enough: A Field Learning Expedition in Costa Rica | Somos Impact Travel
Somos Impact Travel
{{ slidesEl }}
COSTA RICA · 9-DAY FIELD LEARNING EXPEDITION · GRADES 9 TO 12

Community, Waterfalls & Waves

Three nights with the families of Coope San Juan in the central highlands, the waterfalls of Bajos del Toro, and the Pacific coast at Santa Teresa for high school groups.

{{ slideCount }} {{ dotsEl }}
Duration9 days, 8 nights
Group8 to 20 students, plus 2 to 4 adult leaders
LocationsSan Jose, Bajos del Toro, Coope San Juan, Santa Teresa
DatesCustom dates, flexible scheduling
Program rate$3,950 per student, airfare included
The program

From the Highland Watershed to the Pacific

Nine days move a high school group through two of Costa Rica's most distinct landscapes: the rural highland communities of the central volcanic region, where students live and work alongside the families of Coope San Juan for three days of homestay and community engagement, and the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, where they encounter surf culture, coastal ecology, and one of Central America's most biodiverse marine environments.

The thread running through the program is pura vida, which in Costa Rica means far more than its tourist translation. It is a philosophy of sufficiency: take what you need and protect what remains. The Coope San Juan partnership is a direct, long-term relationship with the cooperative and the families who make it work.

A tall waterfall dropping into a mossy volcanic canyon at Bajos del Toro
The driving question

What does it mean to live in reciprocity with the land and the community you depend on?

Coope San Juan has built an entire cooperative economy around not taking more than it needs, and the Pacific reef that makes Santa Teresa economically viable is the same ecosystem surf tourism is gradually degrading. The program does not resolve that tension. It asks students to sit inside it.

Lenses of inquiry
01

Where the Water Comes From

Bajos del Toro

How volcanic geology, rainfall, and forest cover produce the water systems highland communities depend on.

02

An Economy Built on Enough

Coope San Juan

A rural cooperative that governs land and livelihood collectively, and the families who lead that work.

03

The Forest the Cooperative Protects

Highland jungle corridor

Canopy, understory, and the endemic species that depend on an intact highland corridor.

04

When the Reef Is the Product

Santa Teresa

A surf town where tourism is the economy, and the coast that sustains it is under pressure.

Program structure

Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1 · San Jose

Arrival and Orientation

Arrival, welcome dinner, and a program orientation on the driving question and pura vida as the thread.

Day 2 · Bajos del Toro

Waterfalls and the Cooperative

A waterfall hike in the Poás Volcano buffer zone, then arrival at Coope San Juan and host families.

Days 3 to 4 · Coope San Juan

Two Days Inside the Cooperative

Community engagement on projects the cooperative chose, a bonfire, a jungle walk, and a farewell potluck.

Days 5 to 7 · Santa Teresa

The Pacific Coast

Town orientation, surf lessons with local instructors, Montezuma waterfalls, and the Malpais tide pools.

Days 8 to 9 · San Jose to home

Synthesis and Departure

A final beach morning, the road back to San Jose, a farewell dinner, the closing synthesis, and the flight home.

See the full itinerary
Safety and student support

Safety Makes Everything Else Possible

Every Somos program runs on protocols developed and refined across 10+ years of in-country operations. In Costa Rica that means specific plans for highland trails, homestays, ferry crossings, and open ocean, with access to medical facilities at every program location.

24/7 In-Country Support

Round-the-clock emergency communication, with a named in-country contact and clear escalation protocols.

CPR and First-Aid Certified Guides

Bilingual guides certified in CPR and first aid, with comprehensive medical kits on every activity.

Licensed and Insured Transport

Private ground transport and ferry crossings with vetted providers experienced with student groups.

Ocean and Surf Protocols

Surf lessons with certified local instructors, and supervised swimming at the waterfalls and on the coast.

A local guide speaks to a group of students gathered in the forest
10+
years of in-country operations
1,000+
travelers guided across the region
About Somos Impact Travel

We Build the Bridge. Local Experts Do the Teaching.

Somos Impact Travel builds partnership-based learning expeditions across Central America, pairing field-based rigor with community access most operators cannot offer.

The homestay placements, community engagement, and cultural activities in this itinerary were designed with members of Coope San Juan to build real exchange rather than managed observation. Our NGO partners and community leaders are the teachers and the protagonists of every program, never the supporting cast. That is a structural choice, not a marketing line.

Somos was started by educators and travel leaders with decades in the region. The communities we work with need advocates who listen, and partners who return.

Testimonials

From Somos Student Travelers in Belize

"One thing I learned here that I couldn't learn in the classroom back home was people's living situation, like how they live and their own personal stories."
Student · Shoulder to Shoulder · Belize · 2026
"If I can go away from a week without my phone and not talk to anyone back home, and just meet a whole new group of people, then I can do more things."
Student · Shoulder to Shoulder · Belize · 2026
"I would say to the student to try to be more open-minded about different things, because you're going through a new culture, a new place, and all of that."
Student · Shoulder to Shoulder · Belize · 2026
Detailed itinerary
A student group standing together in front of a tall highland waterfall
DAY 1

Arrival in San Jose

Students arrive in a country that has staked its national identity on the idea that protecting the natural world is inseparable from protecting the economy, culture, and future. The orientation introduces the driving question that runs through every field encounter.

Afternoon
  • Arrival at Juan Santamaria International Airport, San Jose
  • Meet Somos guide at arrivals, private transfer to hotel
  • Check-in and brief city orientation
Evening
  • Welcome dinner at a local restaurant
  • Program orientation: lenses of inquiry, pura vida as the Costa Rica thread, daily structure
  • Safety briefing and group guidelines
EVENING REFLECTIONWhat does it mean to arrive in a community as a learner rather than a visitor? What question are you carrying into this program?

Overnight: Hotel near San Jose
Logistics: Airport pickup, road transportation, urban orientation

A tall waterfall dropping into a mossy volcanic canyonA hiker resting on the rocks beneath a narrow waterfallA hanging bridge over a bright turquoise forest river
DAY 2

Bajos del Toro and Arrival at Coope San Juan

Students move from the capital into the central volcanic highlands, stopping at Bajos del Toro to encounter the watershed ecology that makes highland life both productive and ecologically critical. The waterfall hike introduces the hydrological system connecting highland forest to agricultural community to coastal river.

Morning
  • Breakfast at hotel, checkout
  • Depart San Jose for the central highlands (about 2 hours)
Midday: Bajos del Toro
  • Guided hike to the Bajos del Toro waterfalls in the Poás Volcano buffer zone
  • Highland watershed ecology: how volcanic geology, rainfall, and forest cover produce the water communities depend on
  • Picnic lunch at the falls
Afternoon
  • Continue to Coope San Juan: history, governance structure, land management programs
  • Meet host families and settle into homestay accommodations
Evening
  • Dinner with host families
  • Evening cultural activity organized by cooperative members
EVENING REFLECTIONThis watershed rests and regenerates on its own. What does that make us responsible for?

Overnight: Coope San Juan, homestay with vetted cooperative families
Logistics: Road transport through highlands, moderate waterfall hike terrain, homestay check-in protocols

Cooperative leaders briefing students in the forest before the day's workStudents and community members gathered together in a clearing
DAY 3

Coope San Juan: Community Engagement, Day One

The first of two full days with Coope San Juan. The projects students take part in are set by what the cooperative needs at the time of the visit. The cooperative sets the agenda, and students contribute to work already in motion.

Morning
  • Breakfast with host families
  • Briefing with cooperative leaders: the day's work, why the community chose it, and what students will contribute
  • A full morning alongside cooperative members; may include environmental restoration, agricultural work, infrastructure projects, or trail maintenance
  • Lunch with cooperative members at the work site or community kitchen
Afternoon
  • Continued engagement with the cooperative
  • Working conversations about how decisions get made and what collective governance requires in practice
Evening
  • Bonfire celebration organized by the cooperative community
EVENING REFLECTIONWhat does cooperative governance look like from the inside? What does fairness look like in a community that has built its economy around collective decision making?

Overnight: Coope San Juan, homestay
Logistics: Physical activity in highland conditions, community interaction protocols, evening outdoor gathering

Students walking single file along a trail through dense green forestA keel-billed toucan perched in the canopyA three-toed sloth holding onto a tree trunk
DAY 4

Community Engagement, Day Two, and Jungle Walk

The second day builds on the relationships and project momentum. The afternoon jungle walk moves students through the forest the cooperative is working to protect. The evening potluck is from food grown on cooperative land, shared before the group leaves for the coast.

Morning
  • Breakfast with host families
  • Continue the Day 3 project work
  • How this work connects to the cooperative's larger environmental and economic goals
Afternoon
  • Guided jungle nature walk with a local naturalist
  • Canopy structure, understory layers, epiphytes, and endemic species of this highland corridor
  • How intact forest cover connects to the watershed at Bajos del Toro
Evening
  • Community potluck dinner with host families and cooperative members
  • Farewells and final exchange with host families
EVENING REFLECTIONWhat is the cooperative protecting that cannot be seen in a spreadsheet or a conservation report?

Overnight: Coope San Juan, homestay, final night
Logistics: Jungle hike terrain, rain gear, insect exposure, community farewell protocols

Sunset over the Pacific seen through coastal trees and flowers
DAY 5

Transfer to Santa Teresa and Arrival on the Pacific

Students leave the forest rhythms of the cooperative and arrive at one of Costa Rica's most visited surf destinations in a single afternoon. Santa Teresa's relationship with tourism now has to answer the questions the highland days raised.

Morning
  • Breakfast, farewell, and checkout from Coope San Juan
  • Depart for the Pacific coast (about 4 to 5 hours, including ferry or road route to the Nicoya Peninsula)
  • En route discussion: observations from the cooperative and questions to carry to the coast
Afternoon
  • Check-in at a locally owned beach hotel
  • Orientation walk with a guide: how Santa Teresa works as a place, not just a destination
  • What tourism has changed, what has been preserved, and what is under pressure
Evening
  • Group dinner in Santa Teresa
EVENING REFLECTIONYou have just arrived in a surf town where tourism is the economy and the reef is the product. What do you owe a place you are about to become a tourist in?

Overnight: Locally owned beach hotel, Santa Teresa
Logistics: Extended road and ferry transport, coastal heat and sun, group check-in at beach accommodation

Two students carrying a surfboard across the beach toward the waterA surfer riding a green Pacific waveA surfer carving across a wave face
DAY 6

Surf Lessons on the Pacific

The morning surf lesson is an encounter with Santa Teresa's primary cultural offering: the Pacific wave. The afternoon is free, and the evening dinner is the week's integration point, a pause at the edge of the same ocean the reef is trying to protect.

Morning
  • Beginner surf lesson with local instructors (about 2 hours); all equipment provided, no experience required
  • Discussion with instructors about surf culture and what the wave economy has changed on this coast over two decades
Afternoon
  • Free afternoon: more surfing, swimming, exploring Santa Teresa, journaling, or rest
Evening
  • Group dinner in Santa Teresa
EVENING REFLECTIONThe reef that makes this beach surfable is also the reef that tourism is degrading. What do you owe a system you benefit from and are also part of straining?

Overnight: Beach hotel, Santa Teresa
Logistics: Ocean swimming and surf safety, certified local instructors, sun and heat exposure

Swimmers in a rocky pool at the base of a jungle waterfall
DAY 7

Montezuma Waterfalls and Malpais Tide Pools

An unhurried morning, then the afternoon moves inland to the waterfalls above Montezuma before finishing along the tide pools at Malpais, a different ecological encounter than the reef the group has spent two days getting to know.

Morning
  • Late breakfast at hotel
  • Free morning: journaling, rest, or quiet beach exploration
Afternoon: Montezuma and Malpais
  • Hike to coastal jungle waterfalls above Montezuma, swimming in freshwater pools
  • Exploring tidal pool invertebrate communities at Malpais
Evening
  • Group dinner in Santa Teresa
EVENING REFLECTIONThis waterfall connects to the one at Bajos del Toro two hundred kilometers away. What does that tell you about what it takes to protect something people also depend on economically?

Overnight: Beach hotel, Santa Teresa, final coastal night
Logistics: Waterfall trail terrain, swimming supervision, tide pool safety

Aerial view of surfers in deep green Pacific water
DAY 8

Final Morning and Transfer to San Jose

A final morning on the Pacific. The farewell dinner and closing synthesis in San Jose close the arc of the program, from the collective governance of highland land to the economics of surf tourism.

Morning
  • Final free time on the beach: swimming, journaling, or quiet time
  • Checkout and transfer to San Jose (about 4 to 5 hours, including ferry or road route)
Evening
  • Check-in at hotel near San Jose airport
  • Farewell dinner
  • Closing synthesis: the driving question revisited across all nine days
EVENING REFLECTIONWhat is one thing you are carrying home and one thing you commit to doing with it?

Overnight: Hotel near San Jose airport
Logistics: Extended road and ferry transport, group cohesion for final session, luggage prepared for early departure

Surfers paddling out on a calm, open Pacific
DAY 9

Departure

Students leave Costa Rica having lived inside a rural cooperative, worked alongside community members on projects, and surfed the Pacific.

Morning
  • Breakfast, checkout, and luggage coordination
  • Final debrief: program evaluation and next steps
  • Private transfer to Juan Santamaria International Airport

Logistics: Airport transfer, departure coordination, group document check
Impact partner

Who Students Learn From

Students and cooperative members gathered together in a clearing at Coope San Juan
Rural cooperative · Days 2 to 5

Coope San Juan

Coope San Juan is a grassroots rural cooperative working to preserve the cultural identity, environmental health, and economic resilience of its highland community in Costa Rica's central volcanic region. It manages land and livelihoods through collective governance, running programs in environmental protection, sustainable agriculture, and cultural preservation that keep decision-making inside the community.

Students contribute to projects cooperative members designed to address real community needs. The families who host students are the same families who lead the cooperative's programs, and a portion of program fees supports the cooperative directly.

  • Three nights of homestay with vetted cooperative families
  • Two full days of community engagement on projects the cooperative chose
  • Bonfire celebration and farewell potluck with host families

Student outcome: Students see how a rural cooperative builds economic autonomy and environmental stewardship through collective governance: who leads, who decides, and what that requires.

Lens of inquiry question: What does fairness look like in a community that has built its entire economy around collective decision-making?

Watershed · Day 2

Bajos del Toro

Waterfalls in the Poás Volcano buffer zone, where highland forest generates and regulates the water that sustains farms and coastal rivers downstream.

Student outcome: Students connect forest cover to the watershed and see why land decisions carry consequences beyond a community's borders.

Lens of inquiry question: What does it take to protect a watershed, and who leads that work?

Highland forest · Day 4

Jungle Nature Walk

A local naturalist leads students through the forest the cooperative protects: canopy, understory, epiphytes, and endemic species.

Student outcome: Students read the structure of a tropical forest and the species that depend on it staying intact.

Lens of inquiry question: What is the cooperative protecting that a conservation report cannot show?

Pacific coast · Days 5 to 7

Santa Teresa and Malpais

Surf lessons with local instructors, a town orientation on tourism's effects, and the tide pools at Malpais.

Student outcome: Students compare a highland conservation economy with a coastal tourism economy answering the same question.

Lens of inquiry question: What do you owe a system you benefit from and are also part of straining?

Learning outcomes

Academic and Experiential Outcomes

Field Research and Ecological Systems

  • Watershed ecology at Bajos del Toro: how highland forest generates and regulates water for farms and coastal rivers downstream
  • Tropical biodiversity on the jungle walk: canopy structure, understory ecology, and species dependent on intact highland forest
  • Coastal and marine ecology at Santa Teresa: surf dynamics, reef-adjacent habitat, and regional biodiversity
  • Tourism economics and reef health: how economic dependency shapes what a community protects, commodifies, and loses

Community Partnership and Cultural Understanding

  • Three nights of homestay and two full days of engagement alongside Coope San Juan members on projects the cooperative designed
  • How rural cooperatives build economic autonomy and environmental stewardship through collective governance
  • Cross-cultural relationships built at a pace and depth day visits cannot produce
  • Comfort with complexity: a cooperative both thriving and under pressure, a reef both economically vital and ecologically fragile

Ecological and Systems Understanding

  • The connection between highland forest cover and the watershed, and why land decisions carry consequences beyond a community's borders
  • Comparative analysis of a highland conservation economy and a coastal tourism economy addressing the same question in different ways

Personal Growth and Global Citizenship

  • Physical participation in community life and coastal activities that build shared purpose
  • Group cohesion built across a highland-to-coast itinerary
  • Frameworks for carrying the experience into academic, personal, and civic life after travel
Before you go

Trip Preparation

Passports

Every traveler needs a passport valid at least 6 months beyond the departure date.

Flights

International airfare is included, arriving into and departing from San Jose (SJO).

Travel Insurance

Comprehensive coverage, including medical evacuation, is required for all students and adults and is not included in the program cost.

Vaccinations

Consult a travel health clinic. Standard Costa Rica recommendations apply.

Activity Level

Moderate: highland hiking, community engagement work, surfing, and swimming. Students should be comfortable in and around water.

Homestay Stay

Three nights with vetted Coope San Juan families. Somos shares homestay guidelines and a few words of Spanish to practice before departure.

Communication

Somos uses WhatsApp for in-country group communication. Every adult leader should have it installed before departure.

Money and Banking

Notify your bank of international travel before departure so cards work in-country.

Packing list

Highlands, Homestay, and Surf

The highlands are cool and often wet; the Pacific coast is hot and sunny. Pack layers and quick-drying clothes. Somos sends a specific gear list on confirmation.

Daily Wear and Travel Days

  • Warm layer for highland evenings
  • Lightweight, quick-drying clothing
  • Rain jacket
  • Sandals and comfortable walking shoes

Trail, Work, and Water Days

  • Closed-toe shoes with grip for waterfall trails and project work
  • Work gloves
  • Swimwear and a rash guard
  • Reef-safe sunscreen, sun hat, and sunglasses
  • DEET insect repellent
  • Daypack, refillable water bottle, field journal and pen

Community Visits and Homestay

  • Modest clothing for the cooperative and host family homes
  • One nicer outfit for the welcome and farewell dinners
  • A small gift from home for your host family (optional)

Optional

  • Binoculars
  • Camera or GoPro
  • Headlamp
  • Small padlock

Documents and Essentials

  • Passport valid 6+ months
  • Printed travel insurance details
  • Emergency contact card
  • Personal medications in original packaging
  • Vaccination records
FAQ

Answers to Your Questions

For Teachers and Administrators

How does this align with our curriculum?

The program runs on one driving question and four lenses of inquiry, with outcomes in ecological systems, community partnership, and personal growth. It connects to environmental science, economics, and civics coursework. Somos adapts the framework to your school's goals and provides pre-trip and post-trip materials.

What is the student-to-adult ratio?

Groups of 8 to 20 students travel with 2 to 4 adult leaders from your school, about 1 adult to 8 students. A professional bilingual field educator is with the group throughout.

How are medical emergencies handled?

Guides are CPR and first-aid certified and carry medical kits on every activity. Somos provides 24/7 in-country support and access to medical facilities at every program location. Travel insurance with medical evacuation coverage is required.

What is the commitment and cancellation timeline?

A $500 deposit per traveler holds a place. 50% of the program cost is due 90 days before departure and the balance 60 days before. Cancellations more than 90 days out are refunded in full, excluding the deposit. See the Pricing tab for the full policy.

Can we customize the itinerary?

Yes. This itinerary is a starting point. Somos aligns every element with your group's academic goals and travel objectives.

For Parents and Students

Is this right for a first-time international traveler?

Yes. Pre-trip preparation covers each site, the homestay, and what to expect at the cooperative, and staff are with the group from arrival to departure.

How physically demanding is it?

Moderate. There are waterfall hikes at Bajos del Toro and Montezuma, two days of outdoor project work, a jungle walk, and a surf lesson. Days 5 and 8 are long travel days.

What is the homestay like?

Students stay in small groups with vetted cooperative families for three nights, sharing meals and evenings with them. Somos staff stay nearby and check in daily.

How will students stay in touch with home?

Adult leaders and Somos staff communicate over WhatsApp throughout the trip. Connectivity in the highlands can be limited, so families receive a daily communication framework before departure explaining when and how updates arrive.

Can dietary needs be accommodated?

Yes. Vegetarian and other dietary needs are accommodated with advance notice. Share needs and allergies on the traveler forms and Somos briefs host families, hotels, and restaurants.

What if my student gets homesick?

It happens, usually around day two or three. Daily reflection sessions, a steady group routine, and staff who check in one-on-one give students somewhere to put it.

How much spending money should students bring?

Most meals are included. Students need money for 2 to 3 independent meals in Santa Teresa, snacks, and souvenirs. Tips for guides and drivers are optional and separate; Somos shares a recommended range before departure.
Program rate

Pricing and Logistics

This program is offered at $3,950 per student, all-inclusive with international airfare. Adult leaders typically travel at a reduced rate or complimentary, depending on group composition. Custom pricing is developed from final group size, specific inclusions, and airfare options, with a detailed cost breakdown on confirmation.

Budget target
$3,950per student, airfare included
Duration
9 days, 8 nights
Group size
8 to 20 students, plus 2 to 4 adult leaders
Adult leaders
About 1:8; reduced rate or complimentary
Request a custom quote
Eight nights, three bases

Where Students Stay

A waterfall pouring into a bright turquoise pool
Nights 1 and 8

Hotel near San Jose

An arrival night with the welcome dinner and orientation, and a final night near the airport with the farewell dinner and closing synthesis.

Students and community members gathered at Coope San Juan
Nights 2 to 4

Homestay, Coope San Juan

Three nights with vetted cooperative families in the central highlands, with all homestay meals included.

Sunset over the Pacific from the coast at Santa Teresa
Nights 5 to 7

Beach Hotel, Santa Teresa

Three nights at a locally owned beach hotel on the Nicoya Peninsula, steps from the surf lesson beach.

Included in the Program

Accommodations

  • 1 night hotel near San Jose (arrival)
  • 3 nights homestay with vetted Coope San Juan families
  • 3 nights locally owned beach hotel, Santa Teresa
  • 1 night hotel near San Jose airport (departure)

Meals

  • Most meals, including all homestay meals and community dinners
  • Welcome dinner (Day 1) and farewell dinner (Day 8)
  • Community potluck farewell dinner at Coope San Juan
  • Vegetarian and other dietary needs accommodated with advance notice

Transportation

  • International airfare to and from San Jose
  • Airport transfers (arrival and departure)
  • All ground transportation in private, licensed, insured vehicles
  • Ferry transfers to and from the Nicoya Peninsula

Activities and Guides

  • Professional bilingual field educator throughout the program
  • Guided hike to the Bajos del Toro waterfalls with picnic lunch
  • Two days of community engagement with Coope San Juan, including all materials
  • Evening bonfire celebration and community potluck
  • Guided jungle nature walk with a local naturalist
  • Beginner surf lessons with certified local instructors
  • Montezuma waterfalls and Malpais tide pools excursion
  • All community access fees; Coope San Juan compensated for time and expertise

Educational Support

  • Pre-trip materials for group leaders and students
  • Lenses of inquiry facilitation throughout the program
  • Daily structured reflection sessions and journaling
  • Closing synthesis connecting the highland and coastal segments
  • Post-trip educational resources

Safety and Logistics

  • 24/7 in-country supervision and emergency support
  • Comprehensive risk management protocols
  • Emergency communication systems

Not Included

  • Travel insurance (required)
  • Independent meals in Santa Teresa (typically 2 to 3 across the coastal segment)
  • Personal expenses and souvenirs
  • Optional tips for guides and drivers

Payment and Cancellation

Deposit$500 per traveler, non-refundable, honored for life toward any future program
90 days out50% of the program cost due
60 days outBalance due
More than 90 days outFull refund, excluding deposit
90 days or fewerNo refund

If Somos cancels due to low enrollment, travelers receive a full refund including the deposit. Force majeure events may be rescheduled or refunded in part or full at Somos's discretion, excluding the deposit. Cancellation notice must be sent in writing to team@somos.travel. Full terms: Terms and Conditions.
Next steps

Take the first step on your journey today.

This itinerary is a starting point. Reach out to talk through customization, pricing, and logistics, and we will align every element with your group's academic goals and travel objectives.

Start Planning Your Journey
Contact Shad Qudsi Somos Impact Travel shad@somos.travel WhatsApp +502 4681 4697