The summer has almost finished and many memories were left behind. For some people it was the perfect time to relax at the poolside, enjoy the sun and warm weather, for some others was the chance to experience some new adventures and when I said ¨adventures¨ I really mean it.
Summer vacations are one of the most expected times of the year by teenagers and kids, because of so many reasons; great weather, leisure times and fun activities almost everywhere. The fact is; being off school is an excellent chance for teenagers to immerse themselves in new and adventurous experiences.
Last time on my article Summer Adventure in Costa Rica, I mentioned summer camps, their characteristics and how Costa Rica is an excellent place to enjoy this kind of adventures, but this time I can actually talk you about the last summer camp in Turrialba Valley featuring Explornatura and the ISLS Teen Summer Costa Rica.
The Extreme Adventure & Spanish Camp took place this past July, during 8 days with the participation of 8 boys. It was a great success and the boys really enjoyed the whole camp, they were immersed in new and unknown experiences in the middle of nature with a very high dose of adventure.
The adventure started on July 24th when the teens arrived at SJO airport, where they were met by the staff to be transfer to the guesthouse near the airport, in order to have some food and call their homes. When all the students arrived, there was a bus waiting to take them to the real fun and the beginning of this experience: Turrialba.
Their itinerary included a number of activities that helped the boys to get immerse in the local culture, get in contact with nature, learn some spanish, gain some camping skills and enjoy the adrenaline and adventure of the tours.
This summer camp was a weeklong adventure, enough time for the students to keep some great memories, make new friends and enjoy the very unique Costa Rican essence. The first two days, they stayed with host families to share some quality time and explore the everyday life of Costa Rica´s families, also received spanish classes at the grounds of CATIE (Tropical Research Center), did some social and nature activities and enjoy the first adventure tour: Canyoning and canopy tour by Explornatura. This tour took them to the mountains just outside Turrialba town, the boys rappelled down 4 waterfalls and zip lined thru 5 cables, the whole tour was a great new experience for them.
After lunch on the second day, they were taken to La Marta Preserve, for their first camp, they did some hikes and climbing, explored the natural species and learned about it, enjoyed their first rafting trip and off course started to gain some camping skills. By night six, they stayed at a mountain lodge to refuel energies, relax and play some games, these teens needed to be rest for their next big adventure: ¨Pacuare Overnight Rafting Trip¨, featured by Explornatura.
This time they were prepared to explore and enjoy one of the top ten rivers to white water raft in the world and at the same time, keep getting more camping skills. The trip began with the regular safety and basic rafting instructions in order to start the challenge of descending down the class III & IV rapids, mixing it with some stops for side hikes, waterfalls and swimming holes. Then, the students took care of their specific lodging assignments and were taken to an indigenous village, were they learned about local crafts and tribe´s history, gaining lots of cultural enrichment. During night they enjoyed a BBQ dinner at the camp site.
On the second day, they rafted down the river with more stops for side hikes and finally arrived at Siquirres. This great experience was almost over; the boys took a shower, changed their clothes and were transferred back to the guesthouse near the airport to a farewell dinner at a typical Costa Rican restaurant, were they enjoyed the last activity of this great camp.
By August 1st, all the students flew out to their homes, with a backpack full of memories, new friends and unforgettable adventures. The 2011 Extreme Spanish & Adventure Camp was a great success, looking forward for the new adventures 2012 will bring up. Check some photos below.
By Maricel/Explornatura
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- Summer adventure in Costa Rica! (enchanting-costarica.com)
- Rafting: An unforgettable adventure!! (enchanting-costarica.com)
- More adventure in Costa Rica!! (enchanting-costarica.com)
