Day 01 (Tuesday)
Depart the 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 Rustic Pathways base 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 02 (Wednesday)
Wake up for an early breakfast before departing with your group on the 4 hour bus ride south to the Pacific beach town of Uvita. After settling into your base house and taking in the beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean, head to the beach for your first introduction to Uvita’s famous waves. In the evening, return for a delicious dinner at the base house and enjoy a relaxing evening making new friends.

Day 03 (Thursday)
Rise early for breakfast before heading out to catch some morning waves. Spend the remainder of the morning working on different service projects which may include teaching English at the local school or working on a community beautification project. After lunch at the base house, set off for a boat tour to scout for dolphins and explore the islands outside of Uvita. Return to the base house for dinner and another fun night hanging out with friends.

Day 04-05 (Friday-Saturday)
Wake up early to start the day surfing or working with community members on different service projects. In the afternoon, relax in the sun, explore the famous Whale’s Tale rock formation or play a game of beach soccer with local children. You will also have the opportunity to visit a locally owned Butterfly farm and learn about these beautiful creatures. In the evening, hang out with your friends at the base house or try out your Latin dancing skills with the villagers at the local restaurant.

Day 06 (Sunday)
After breakfast, take a morning hike to a hidden waterfall with the possibility of seeing toucans, monkeys, sloth, and other wildlife. You may spend some time working on the trail in an effort to improve accessibility to the waterfall and promote tourism in the area. At the end of the trail, enjoy swimming and sunbathing in the crystal clear pools at the base of the falls before returning back to the house for the evening.

Day 07 (Monday)
In the morning, take advantage of the early waves before participating in a beach clean-up project at Marino Ballena National Park. After lunch, enjoy an afternoon full of optional activities which may include horseback riding, cooking lessons, butterfly art lessons, mountain biking, or reading a book by the beach.

Day 08 (Tuesday)
After breakfast, the group will have one last opportunity to surf, before its time to say goodbye to friends from the community. After lunch, its time to head towards San Jose for your last night in Costa Rica.

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, the tides, the quality of the waves, 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.

Service & Surf Program Specific Packing List

In addition to the general Costa Rica packing list available at http://www.rusticpathways.com/2008/packing_lists/Costa_Rica.html all students should review the following information specific to Service & Surf:

• Surf Boards - Rustic Pathways boards are available however experienced surfers may prefer to surf on their own boards. Airlines typically charge extra to transport surfboards.

• Board Shorts – you can bring a few extra pairs of “boardies” – bathing suits for surfing.

• Rash Guards – if you have one, feel free to bring it. It is a shirt that can be worn while surfing to prevent a rash from forming on your chest when it rubs against the board. Long sleeve ones can also help protect your arms from the sun.

• Waterproof Sunblock – for use while in the water. Many surfers also choose to bring some form of sunblock with Zinc Oxide and/or Titanium Dioxide in it to further protect their faces.

• Flip Flops – a must for being on the beach.

• Clothes/Shoes that can get used and abused - during service projects clothes often get paint, cement, and dirt on them and so we recommend you bring clothes you don’t mind permanently damaging.

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 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?
Students will be in the Puntarenas Province and will briefly pass through the San Jose province.

6 - How does this program connect to other programs?
6A – On Tuesday afternoon students will depart from Uvita 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?
Approximately 4 hours.

8 - Is this a good program for students interested in practicing their Spanish?
Students will have the opportunity to practice their Spanish with locals during service projects but the focus of this program is not on Spanish.

9 - What costs are not included on this trip?
The focus of this trip is on community service and surfing however possible optional activities include a boat trip to Cano Island.

10 - What kind of food will we be eating? Where?
Students will be eating at local restaurants and food cooked at their base house. Food will be a mixture of typical Costa Rican cuisine such as rice, beans and fish and American cuisine such as pastas, cereals, etc.

11 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water?
No. 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?
Students will be sleeping in a large house overlooking the ocean. Rooms have bunk beds and there are four students to a room. The house is located on a hill and is about a 20 minute walk to the beach.

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 – Will laundry be available during this trip?
Laundry will not be available on this program. For students connecting with another program they can do laundry in San Jose at a cost of $5-$10 USD per load.

15 – Will Surf Boards be provided on this program?
Yes, surf boards will be provided. However advanced surfers may prefer to bring their own as Rustic does not have any short boards to use.

16 – Is this program suitable for beginners?
Yes. Many of the students who attend this program have never surfed before. All students are welcome, from beginners to advanced, as long as they have a desire to learn to surf or surf better.

17 – If all I want to do is surf is this the program for me?
No. Try Surf the Summer. That program is focused only on surfing. Service and Surf, as the name implies, involves Community Service work, Cultural Interactions, as well as Surfing.