Connect: Costa Rica is an educational travel experience that combines cultural exchange, community engagement, and adventure. Designed for students seeking a deeper understanding of the world, it takes participants beyond the typical tourist experience and into Costa Rican communities, where real relationships, shared learning, and personal growth take center stage.
After three months of guided virtual connections, students travel to Costa Rica to meet their pen pals face to face. Over ten days they explore the country through adventure activities, volunteer projects, school visits, and intercultural experiences, from canyoneering and rafting to visiting Indigenous communities and working with local students.
The program is run with Cross Cultural Connect (CCC), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has connected students from around the world through cultural exchanges, educational programming, and immersive travel since 2014.
Day by day
- Before you travel · Online A three-month guided virtual pen pal program with Costa Rican students
- Days 1–10 · Turrialba, Guayabo, Cabécar Indigenous Territory, Laguna Lancaster, San José Adventure activities, volunteer projects, school visits and intercultural experiences.
What’s included
- A three-month guided virtual pen pal program
- Airport logistics assistance
- Ground transportation throughout the program
- Accommodation in Costa Rica
- Program leadership and educational facilitation
- Cultural exchange activities with Costa Rican students
- School visits and community engagement projects
- An Indigenous community immersion experience
- Volunteer and service-learning projects
- Coffee farm tour
- Chocolate farm tour
- A visit to Guayabo National Monument
- A whitewater rafting excursion
- A canyoneering adventure
- A day on Laguna Lancaster
- Global Citizen Hours documentation
- Safety equipment for all adventure activities
- Program materials and educational resources
Not included
- Flights
Good to know
No. No previous travel experience or Spanish fluency is required, just an open mind, a willingness to engage with new people and perspectives, and a desire to step outside their comfort zone.
Student groups and educational travel programs, for ages 16 to 20.
Light to moderate. Activities range from cultural visits to active outdoor adventures.
