CANO NEGRO SERVICE PROJECT - High School Summer Programs (800) 321-4353

With sweeping vistas of lush greenery and jungle rivers teeming with wildlife, Caño Negro is an undiscovered jewel in the emerald
crown of Costa Rica’s national park and wildlife refuge system. Rustic Pathways offers students the rare opportunity to experience this refuge while living and working in the friendly communities of Costa Rica’s Northern Wetlands.

An Enjoyable Variety of Service
While living in the Caño Negro area, students participate in a variety of projects benefiting the neighboring communities of Caño Negro, Aguas Negras, San Antonio, and Nueva Esperanza. In each of these communities, Rustic Pathways students work with local leaders on projects ranging from building sidewalks and chalkboards for elementary schools to painting a community center. Students also tutor English in the local elementary schools, as well as paint and refurbish local facilities in a general effort to upgrade their learning environments. In addition, students work on small scale construction projects with local families including building bathrooms, tiling living rooms, and generally helping to improve the living conditions of families with limited resources.

The Wildlife

The Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is a protected site of international importance as a resting ground for thousands of exotic migratory birds. Cruising the reserve’s vast waterways, students will have a chance to spot colorful iguanas, playful monkeys, lazy turtles, sluggish sloths, ever vigilant caimans (mini-alligators), and the amazing Jesus Christ Lizards. Led by knowledgeable guides, students will learn about the reserve’s array of exotic flora and fauna while gaining an appreciation for the importance of preserving these incredible wetlands.

Different Pace of Life
Students will discover the smiling people of the Caño Negro region and immerse themselves into the laid back rhythm of their life. Students live in a spacious and comfortable country house, centrally located between the towns of Caño Negro, Aguas Negras, San Antonio, and Nueva Esperanza. Students will enjoy three hearty Tico meals a day prepared by women from the villages. Free time is spent playing pick-up soccer with the townspeople, boating through the reserve’s waterways, horseback riding, swimming in a nearby pool, or playing kickball with the playful school children. Students can also shake their hips while learning Latin dancing at night from local experts.

Who Should Come
The Caño Negro Service Project attracts students interested in immersing themselves in Costa Rica’s rich culture while performing intellectually stimulating, hands-on service. Students should be prepared to work hard and get dirty while participating in a variety of physically demanding yet very rewarding service projects. A basic understanding of the Spanish language is helpful, but not necessary, while a desire and appreciation for cultural exchange is a must. Full participation on this program will earn students up to 32 community service hours per week. For more information about this program, email us at costarica@rusticpathways.com.

Day 1 (Tuesday)
Depart United States for San Jose, Costa Rica. All scheduled flights to Costa Rica are non-stop and escorted by a Rustic Pathways Flight Leader. Upon arrival at the San Jose airport you will be greeted by your Rustic Pathways Staff. From here you will head over to the hostel rented out by Rustic Pathways where you will meet the other students on your trip and spend your first night. Good luck and enjoy your stay in beautiful Costa Rica!

Day 2 (Wednesday)
Wake up at 6:30 am for breakfast. Depart by 8:00 am and head northwest through the lush, green Costa Rican countryside. You will stop and have a Tico style lunch en route to the peaceful village and beautiful Wildlife Refuge of Caño Negro. After settling into your base house a couple of kilometers outside of town, you will go on a guided tour of the village and receive an introduction to the service work ahead. After a full day, return to the house for dinner and a good night’s sleep to prepare for the days ahead

Day 3 (Thursday)
Rise early for breakfast before heading out to work in one of the four villages nearby your home. You might teach English in the local elementary school and/or work on a community construction project. Then it’s on to lunch and a siesta at the base house, before you head out for more afternoon work in the towns. There may also be time to play pick up soccer with one of the village teams. In the evening you will enjoy a hearty dinner followed by chill time to get to know the group.

Day 04 (Friday)
After an early breakfast, the group will set out on a boat trip to explore the Caño Negro wildlife refuge. This trip will explore many of the park’s jungle covered waterways, with opportunities to see the local flora and fauna. This will be a beautiful, relaxing and educational way to spend the morning. The group will reconvene at lunch, then head over to one of the local soccer fields to watch (or participate in) the village’s weekly soccer matches. Then it’s off to dinner and a relaxing evening at the homestead, or for those more ambitious students, more Latin dance lessons with the local villagers.

Day 05 (Saturday)
This morning after breakfast, the group will split up and continue working on a variety of projects within the nearby villages and in the refuge. After lunch you will be able to choose an afternoon’s adventure from several optional activities including horseback riding, bicycling or swimming at a local watering hole. Later, there may still be time for a game of pick up soccer with the villagers before the sun sets.

Day 06 (Sunday)
Spend the morning working on different service projects in nearby communities. Later, enjoy a lazy afternoon at the base house, or head over to the soccer field to play in the Sunday game. In the evening, enjoy a group dinner at a local restaurant and relax after a hard days work.

Day 07 (Monday)
Another full day of service in the villages followed by an evening of reflection to bring closure to the amazing experiences of the week.

Day 08 (Tuesday)
After breakfast the group will have time to pack and say goodbye to friends from the community. After lunch, its time to head towards San Jose. Along the way, you will make one quick, last minute souvenir stop, and then head back to San Jose for a final dinner with the group and a good night’s rest.

Day 09 (Wednesday)
A sad departure for the USA or on to more great adventures with Rustic Pathways!

*** PLEASE NOTE: The itinerary described above is typical but not set in stone as work and optional activities vary depending upon the needs of the various communities, as well as the weather. This itinerary is designed to give you a good, general idea of the day to day schedule and activities on this program but may be changed during the summer as staff see fit. Students will work hard on this program, and will probably get wet, muddy, and bug-bitten in the process. This is all part of the rural Costa Rican service experience and is a small sacrifice when compared with the positive impact this program has on local communities and on RP participants. ***

1 - How long is the flight to this country?
1A – Direct flight from Newark to San Jose takes approximately 5.5 hours.
Direct flight from Houston to San Jose takes approximately 3.5 to 4 hours.

2 - Will there be a flight leader to this country?
2A – Yes. All flights between Costa Rica and the USA will have a flight leader starting in both Newark and Houston. Return flights to the USA will also have a flight leader as far as Newark and Houston. Flights between Costa Rica and Peru will not be escorted.

3 - Do we need to get visas for this program?
3A – Students from the United States and Canada will automatically be issued a 90 day tourist visa on entry into Costa Rica. Students from other countries should check with their consulate.

4 - What immunizations do we need to get for this trip?
4A – See CDC or WHO websites.

5 – What Costa Rican province(s) does this program pass through?
5A – Students will remain in the Alajuela region and will stay in San Jose for a very short period of time.

6 - How does this program connect to other programs?
6A – On Tuesday afternoon students will depart from Cano Negro for San Jose. They will have a final dinner en route then sleep in a hostel rented out for Rustic Pathways students in San Jose. Wednesday morning students will take off with their new group for their new program.

7 – How long is the drive from San Jose to this program?
7A – The town of Cano Negro where the students will be located is a 5 hour drive away from San Jose.

8 - Is this a good program for students interested in practicing their Spanish?
8A – During their stay in Can Negro students will spend a good portion of their time around Spanish speaking locals which can be an advantage in practicing language skills. However, this very much depends on group dynamics and on the willingness of each student to practice their Spanish.

9 - What costs are not included on this trip?
9A – Additional activities such as horseback riding ($25) and visit to the local swimming pool ($3) will not be included in the program fee.

10 - What kind of food will we be eating? Where?
10A – Students will eat all their meals in the base house where a local Costa Rican chef will be offering traditional real TICO food (tico=Costa Rican) which usually consists of a lot of rice & beans with beef, chicken, fish or pork. However, there will be a variety of meals to make students happy and from years of experience food has not been an issue in our programs.

11 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water?
11A - During this trip students will be in areas where the tap water is fine to drink. Bottled water may sporadically be available for purchase at the local grocery store.

12 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like?
12A – Students will be living in a comfortable base house outside the town of Cano Negro. The house is Rustic Pathways property for the entire summer season and is equipped with all commodities.

13 - How many girls and boys are usually on this trip?
13A – There are typically more girls than boys however the exact numbers vary from week to week.

14 - How often (if at all) will students be able to do laundry on this program and what will it cost?
14A – There will be no laundry option during this program however, if students are connecting to another program they will be able to do this in San Jose for approximately $5-$10 (depending on the amount of clothes). The laundry will be arranged by a Rustic Pathways guide on duty.