Costa Rica Summer High School Programs with Rustic Pathways

If you are deciding between Rustic or any other teenage travel program, choose Rustic. Although I've never traveled with any other programs, I've heard stories about other programs that were not so impressive. Rustic has to be the most organized and well thought out travel program out there. From people greeting you at your home airport, to flight leaders, to someone greeting you when you land at your destination, Rustic Pathways values safety above all. Although it is total chaos trying to move over 100 other rustic kids through airports, customs, and baggage claim, Rustic really makes every effort to make sure no one gets left behind and everything is in order. Which is pretty impressive. So after you choose Rustic, you start looking at prices and program lengths. As a first time traveler, I knew I wanted a community service and adventure component, without spending a month in a foreign country. For what you are getting with rustic, paying $3,000ish dollars sounds like a lot, but for what you are getting, its an amazing deal. If you want to save money, book your trip early and pay in full (I think it's like a 15% discount). For me, I ended up choosing Sarapiqui, which ended up being one of the best choices of my life. I traveled alone (which I recommend if you really want to have a new exciting experience) and I met some of the best friends I will ever meet. Our program leaders all were amazing and we made such strong bonds with them as well. What is really cool about Rustic is that they have connections with local people and tribes all over the world, so one of our team leaders was actually a local that got us the coolest "ins" such as taking us to a hidden waterfall, arranging soccer matches with the locals, and showing us to the best shoppes in town. You won't follow the iternary necessarily because Costa Rica weather will be unpredictable, but don't worry! Your team leaders do their best to make sure you are having a blast, and if you want to do something, just let them know and they will do everything to make sure its arranged. As for lodging for this trip, you stay in "eco-tents" If you want to learn more, you can just go on their website and look at the tents and their bathrooms. For being immersed in the rainforest, it is the perfect balance of luxury and rustic (which is what your trip should be based around). This will seriously be the best week of your life if you willingly let go and enjoy being in such an amazing country. I found that everyone on our trip was being super real with each other, which only made our bonds stronger. Don't be afraid of getting wet, making new friends, or speaking spanish, because I promise that if you step out of your comfort zone you will have some great benefits! If you have any questions about Rustic or specifically about Sarapiqui, please email me at kkunkle4@gmail.com because I would love to tell future Rustics about my trip or help them find a trip to suit them!

There are many things that made my jaw drop and my heart race during the Sarapiqui program, especially the white water rafting and the ziplining, but I honestly think the best part of it was the service work we did. At least it was for me.
I can honestly say it was very humbling experience. Especially when we had to mix cement ourself, mainly because at home we take that for granted. To do it yourself is back breaking work. It takes maybe 30-45 mins to make a batch, so don't even get me started on if they need more batches after you've made about 3.
It was also quite neat that we got to work with some of the locals on the project. I wish I understood them more, but that added to the amazing experience. The language barrier was tough at first, but soon you seem to comprehend everything they're trying to tell you, even if you only know obvious phrases and saying.
The trip was an eye opening experience, it makes you realize how fortunate you are. I would strongly recommend Sarapiqui to anyone that wants to have a perfect balance of adventure and service. Pura Vida everyone!

I extremely enjoyed my time in Costa Rica on this trip. I loved the service that we did and the locals that we worked with. It was especially empowering when you got to see a project from start to finish. Adventure activites like zip lining and rafting were also a blast. I will say that it is the rainy season, so be prepared to get wet and maybe muddy. I suggest bringing closed toe shoes that aren't brand new, maybe rain boots? And be prepared to eat lots of rice and beans at every meal. I loved every experience I encountered on this trip because it was the perfect balance between adventure and service, I highly recommend it for anyone.

My daughter just returned from her RP Costa Rica Summer Camp trip for two weeks. I can say without a doubt this company took excellent care of my child. We were supported effortlessly prior to the trip and updated during the trip. Her travel adviser was always available to me. All of the accommodations were nice and clean and safe. Airport travel was well coordinated. All of the activities were well planned and very fun!!! She loved them!!! Plenty of food, and time for friend bonding. The time with the children in the summer camp was life changing. I can certainly recommend this organization.

I decided early in my sophomore year that I would spend a part of my summer in a different country helping people I didn't know. I chose to go to Costa Rica on the Heart of the Jungle trip, alone. The idea was daunting and I spent the rest of the year mildly freaking out about the decision I had made. When I got to Costa Rica I instantly made three friends who I know will be in my life for a long time. The trip was good for me because it mixed service, which I was pretty excited about, and adventure, which I was very excited for. My leaders were nice, but one stood out above all. If you ever get to go on a trip with Katherine, you'll know instantaneously that she's the kind of person you want to be around. She's super upbeat and funny and I was lucky to have spent two weeks with her leading me through this beautiful country. If you're considering this program, I would highly recommend it and if you choose it, I'm positive you'll have an amazing time!

My daughter just returned from the Costa Rica/BriBri Village trip. She went alone and was initially a bit nervous. The friends she made, however, likely will be hers for life and the village experience showed her how others in the world live -- challenges and opportunities, joys and hardships, and being human through it all. It was amazing for her to travel so far to find that people are people ... you just have to open your mind and let yourself experience their world. And, she participated in some rather difficult work while there (building a ramp into a school for disabled children), learning that hard work has its rewards and knowing that she made a small difference in someone's life through her couple of days of giving. Thank you RP and staff!

The Bri-Bri Village Experience was an incredible trip that I will never forget. We worked in an indigenous community with no electricity or hot water that gave me a new perspective on the world. I cannot wait to do another trip just like this.

My daughter did this program in 2014. Only after she had been in costa rica for 2 weeks did we discover the kids are NEVER allowed out of the sight of program staff. So something as simple as 2 kids going somewhere for a soda is forbidden. This means the only interaction with the locals happens if there is an activity planned that involves locals. Otherwise the group just spends time with itself. Very insulated. A bunch of privileged American kids hanging out just with each other in one of the top rated countries in the world for happiness and quality of life. No spontaneous interactions are allowed.

Lots of exciting activities, but they might as well just go to an amusement park in the US, in my opinion.

Some parents want their kids under 24/7 complete supervision and restriction. My take is why would they want to send the kid to Costa Rica. The biggest value of international travel is the opportunity to learn how other people live and that the "Reality" in the US is not what most of the world enjoys. Ziplines are great but you don't need to spend $6k, or travel to a foreign country. In my opinion, this program completely misses the value of being in Costa Rica. I called it a jail, which really offended them. I'm sure e staff works hard, but what is the point of a program like this? In my opinion your kid will not experience life growth in this program. They will get to ride a zipline though.

Company literature was not clear on this level of supervision, or in my view, restriction. They told me that because of my experience they were changing company literature. I have not checked.

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This is part 2 of a review for the rustic pathways costa rica program.

My daughter was sent home early because she broke the rules. She snuck away with another student (a boy) during a soccer game to get a soda. Staff found them and gave her a warning. Then that's night she snuck out again. She's a sneak. So they sent her home. I did not have any problem with their decision and agreed with their action. I do wish they had communicate with me earlier than they did because they basically called to say shed be home the next day, and we were traveling. They had known about the issue for at least 2 days and were trying to be thorough. So I understand. But I would have liked to have been included in the conversation earlier.

All of this would have gone differently if there was some amount of independent time in the itinerary. Because there was no unsupervised time, she snuck away. It would not have happened if the program was what we thought going in because our daughter would have been able to explore. We honestly thought they would get free time.

I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with Chris, the CEO. He's a good guy and, like me, he traveled extensively and independently as an teen and adult. I told him he's got the best job in the world. I also challenged him as to why our kids experience should be so much more limited than our experiences as travelers when we were young adults. The answer, unfortunately is that we live in an uncertain world and most parents want a completely supervised itinerary. I suppose this makes sense but I have to wonder if that's how most parents really feel.

In any case Chris agreed with me that the program description and info sent to parents did not clearly describe the level of supervision. So it was the CEO who agreed that the Rustic Pathways program description needed to be revised to reflect the actual experience.

So if you want a tightly run and supervised experience for your kid, with absolutely no opportunity for independent exploration, then this is a good choice, in fact a great choice. If you think your kid would have a more meaningful experience being allowed to explore, even with a buddy model, this is not a good program for your family, and the Chris the CEO agreed with that exact statement.

They did tell me that a foreign traveler was raped in costa rica in 2013, although nowhere near where rustic pathways goes. It was a solo traveler over 18 who was in a small town by herself. Of course, rustic pathways uses a few carefully selected towns that are quite safe, and by program staff admission, these towns have no history of problems for foreigners. As one of the safest countries to travel to, I have to wonder how the risk compares with letting your daughter go to the shopping mall at home.

However as a program for teens, they have only liability so they have to play ultra ultra safe. For our family, foreign travel is not about staying in a protective bubble. It's about seeing how far you can challenge yourself. I'm sure there are many families like that. For all of us, this may not be the best choice for our precious summer experiences.