Our three week adventure to Costa Rica began about one month ago at Newark Airport with nineteen campers and seven staff members. We arrived in Costa Rica at 10:30 with the whole day ahead of us.  As we traveled from the airport we kept our eyes were glued to the outside world, taking in the first glimpses of the Costa Rican country. Who would have thought by day two and three we would be walking through the rain forest, seeing volcanoes, waterfalls and monkeys. Costa Rica not only offered our campers new things to see but it gave them a chance to experience how other cultures live and work. 

Costa Rica is known for its coffee beans, so it was no surprise that our next stop was a coffee tour.  Our campers saw how coffee beans are made from step one to the final product of drinking the delicious coffee.  Not only did we take a tour but we watched an interactive play on where coffee originated.  Our campers got to join in on the fun as they were called up to the stage as well.

Our next stop was the Rainforest and our lodge was right in the center of it!  All around us we could hear monkeys, frogs, and insects.  It was amazing to see such wildlife close up and not behind cages.   The campers really enjoyed imitating the monkeys and listening to the monkeys talk back to them.

One of the major highlights of our trip was zip lining through the rainforest.  We soared through the air and swung from tree to tree, taking in the scenery and the wildlife. The Canopy Tour included a total of 12 cables and 17 platforms, 7 of which are built on trees between 60 and 90 feet high. Our combo adventure also included white water rafting where we braved class 3 and 4 rapids.  You can hear the campers shouting, “Forward, back, left, right!” They truly learned what it was like to be a team and work together.

Our trip to Costa Rica would have been incomplete without the chance to discover the marvels of one of the favorite foods of humankind – chocolate, with a tour of a Cacao plantation.

After the humidity of the rainforest lodge we headed west to the Arenal Volcano.  Our hotel literally sat at the base of this active volcano and we were treated to its daily rumblings and tiny eruptions.  It was in the Arenal region that we braved the hanging bridges and swam at the base of a beautiful waterfall in LaFortuna.  What a way to spend the days!

It did not take long for us to appreciate the Costa Rican culture.  One of our favorite sayings was “Pura Vida” which in Spanish means, “Pure Life.”  Everyone in Costa Rica uses this popular saying as a sign of respect and gratitude.  By the end of our journey our campers acted like true Costa Ricans, able to speak a little of Spanish. As our campers immersed themselves in different a culture, their independence grew along with their maturity.

We enjoyed the final part of our trip by relaxing on a beautiful white beach, kayaking and visiting experiencing the butterfly gardens.  We faced our fears with a crocodile excursion, where the crocodiles were nearly twenty-two feet long.  Our guide even got out of the boat to feed the crocs. Lastly, we rode horses -   as we trotted along for five miles we got a true glimpse of the beautiful land, stopping for a snack near a waterfall in the woods.

Costa Rica was something special.  We learned a lot about a foreign country and were able to do things most people only dream of doing.  We overcame fears, worked and grew together as a team, and immersed ourselves into a foreign country.  It was an amazing experience and something that everyone will never forget.

PURA VIDA!!!!

Summit Camp provides a summer camp experience for boys and girls, ages 8-19, who have issues of attention. These may include Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD and/or ADHD), Asperger’s syndrome, verbal or non-verbal learning disabilities, and/or mild social or emotional concerns.  Some of our campers may also have Tourette’s syndrome, O.C.D., and /or mild mood issues. Summit Travel and Summit Travel Club work with older children, ages 15-19, who have similar issues.