Broadreach Summer Adventures

I attended the Costa Rica Broadreach veterinary adventure. Those three weeks were some of the most rewarding, exhilarating, and eventful weeks of my life. By the end of our trip, the counselors became both role models and friends, and the group of students formed close, unbreakable bonds. Broadreach constructed a wonderful balance of veterinary lectures, field exercises, and fun activities. The food provided was always accommodating to everyone's personal needs, and delicious (I am a very picky eater and this was one of my main concerns, but it was very yummy!). The Costa Rica veterinary experience takes place in many locations in the country, so our sleeping arrangements changed every couple of days. With that being said, our sleeping accommodations were clean and spacious.

I have been on 3 Broadreach trips now, and all of them have been incredible. There are so many incredible counselors who help with the trips and really do make it fun. I have done both the land-based trips and live aboard trips and in both cases, the team makes it really easy to get accustomed to the different places. It may seem scary, especially as a first-time trip, but I promise you will make lifelong friends on the trip and more than that, have incredible once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Every Broadreach trip has inspired me to learn to see the world with even more wonder and has given me a renewed respect for our planet.

I touched down in Costa Rica after a 12 hour flight from Germany, and was instantly blown away by my surroundings. I had grown up in a Middle Eastern city and so was in awe of the sheer amount of vegetation that surrounded me. It is not only a vegetated country, but one teeming with wildlife, and it wasn't difficult to spot a family of white faced monkeys or a crocodile in a river wherever you went. Unfortunately, this did mean very few of us left with less than 20 insect bites, and it made nights a war between man and bug.
Even so, that awe and excitement I had initially felt never left me once, and every day of the programme became my new favourite. I started the program wondering if I wanted to become a veterinarian, and left with an unshakable motive to pursue this career. The way the trip was put together completely sold the profession for me, and gave me the perception of Costa Rica as my home.
Whether it was cows, horses, dogs, cats, primates, or a wide variety of wildlife such as two toed sloths, the program allowed us to investigate them all, shadowing surgeries, acting as anaesthesiologists, practicing sutures and saving the animals we cared about so much. At one of the wildlife sanctuaries we were at, I had the opportunity to hear the heartbeat of a sloth, which completely changed my perfection of what life was.
Not only was there a large variety of wildlife, but we also visited 5/7 regions in Costa Rica over 3 weeks, and saw sights we would never forget. Rivers, dense jungle, waterfalls, rapids, lush fields, fiery sunsets, national parks, rolling ocean waves, and even volcanoes!
As you probably do, I had my doubts as to if this program is too good to be true. In all honesty, I expected something to go wrong at any moment, but it never did. The only issue is who your group is, because your trip-mates can make or break the trip, as you continuously share close quarters which can be uncomfortable at times. If you're not good at communicating with people, this aspect of the trip may pose as a struggle. Another prime issue is petty crime in Costa Rica. Thankfully we had no incidents, but it's important to be aware and keep your belongings close at all times.
To wrap up, if you're a high school student, aspiring veterinarian, and someone who loves nature, this is the summer program for you!

I am a thirteen year old boy, and dispute the many camps I have been to, broadreach really blew it out of the water. It was by far the most amazing experience I have ever done. Everything about it was fantastic, from the learning to the views and sails. The scuba dives were amazing too, and I came back home open water certified. The night dive was phenomenal, and we saw an octopus swimming along on the sea floor. I would recommend this to anyone, and hope I can do another broadreach program in the future.

was a little nervous going into but ended up having the most amazing time ever learning so much and meeting so many new people. i learned so much about so many things that i never would have thought i would learned while i was there. we went to coolest places and get to experience the coolest things ever. i was so sad to leave all of my new friends that had been like family for the past few weeks. The councilors were also the kindest and most supportive people ever and were always there to talk about things.