Summer High School Programs in Costa Rica with Rustic Pathways

This was an amazing program. Because it was the intro program, we never did the same community service twice. It was so interesting to experience all the different aspects of service as well as the culture. The people and program leaders were wonderful and the accommodations were better than you would expect. The service was also well balanced with fun activities that I loved such ad going to the hot springs, zip lining, and white water rafting. I would definitely recommend this program!

I found this program to be super fun in all aspects. The people were great-- on my trip and in the towns of Costa Rica themselves. Everybody was really nice. Whether we were on the van, or at a restaurant, I always felt like I could have a great time with whoever I was with. I would definitely consider going back in the next few years. I will definitely stay in touch with the friends I made on this trip.

I traveled to Costa Rica with the turtle expedition & really enjoyed it. Working with the baby turtles was a once in a lifetime experience & the leaders were very cool. The activities planned were thought out & fun; I specifically enjoyed surfing & zip-lining. The physical location was unique as it was remote & located directly on the beach. The community service was also fun & different than expected. I loved taking night walks & learning about preserving the turtles. They took into consideration little things, like getting ice cream after trips & getting cake for kids birthdays. Overall, the program was very fun & I hope to travel with Rustic Pathways again.

This was honestly a life changing experience. My group was great, and was not too big. My host mom was an angel on earth, and I will stay in touch with the people I met through my family and group forever. I now have a second family in Costa Rica, and a home to return to whenever I want. My Spanish has also improved a lot. Now, i can communicate with many more people, and language barriers are not as big of a problem anymore. One of the coolest things that happened on a trip was when I was talking to one of the locals, who was learning English. She would talk in English, and I would speak in Spanish, so we could both improve.

My experience with Rustic Pathways has been life changing. Through quickly learning about a new country and new people, I learned a lot about myself. I enjoyed the accommodations, the food, and every single activity that we did throughout the course of the trip. I am nothing but grateful and happy that I chose to travel with Rustic because I have gained important knowledge of myself and lifelong friends.

On this trip, students could spend four hours serving the communtiy doing different activities such as mixing concrete or moving blocks across a field to help build a locker room for a soccer field to make money for the community. On the last day if the service, a little girl came to visit our group ehich made all of the kids in the group realize how much we were making an impact on the community and how we can inspire students do to the same thing thag we are.

My experience was near to perfect. I loved all of the people I met, like my host family, my friends, and my counselors. However, Rustic Pathways runs two different language programs (1 week and 2 weeks) and it was really hard when our group changed each week. The majority of the activities we did were pretty fun, but a couple were a little bit boring. This program helped me see another perspective and lifestyle and I honestly believe I’m a different person because of it.

My daughter and her friend did the Intro to Community Service program in June 2018. They both had an amazing experience and are looking forward to taking another trip next year! They were fully immersed in the Tico culture and shared many amazing adventures. I think my daughter got quite a bit out of the community service aspect, and it provided her a fresh perspective. Thank you for giving her this opportunity!!