COSTA RICA

Each program has a specific packing list that has been designed to fit the program’s activities, length, climate, and cultural differences. Please click here to view the Costa Rica: Ultimate packing list.

In Costa Rica, the weather is a lot like Florida in the summer time. During the day it can be hot, sunny and humid (80’s-90’s). Late afternoons often bring showers, which will cool us off. Some days you will go to bed with only a simple cover as it is often warm enough to sleep without your sleeping bag. When we ascend into the high elevation rainforest and cloud forest, the temperature becomes cooler (in the 50’s at night).

The specific service projects that each group will work on depend on the needs of the communities at the time that the groups are there. Past projects have included: teaching at a local school, constructing composting gardens in a small village, making improvements to community roads or buildings, reforestation of native trees, or building a community soccer field.

Costa Rica is a relatively clean and safe place to travel. However, ARCC does recommend that you take some health precautions before your program. When you enroll in the program, you will receive more detailed information on pertinent travel vaccinations and immunizations. Please also refer to the Traveler’s Health section of the CDC website. Our leaders carry a full first-aid kit and are all certified Wilderness First Responders (WFR).

During this program we sleep in a variety of accommodations: small simple hotels, jungle lodge, and community houses.

Typically we will take a private 20-person shuttle from place to place. When traveling to more remote areas we will occasionally split into two groups and use smaller 4-wheel drive vehicles. We also take a short ferry ride during the turtle project portion of our program.

On this program, you will experience typical Costa Rican fare – rice and beans. This staple is supplemented with a delicious assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables. The group will also be creating the menu and preparing the meals during some sections of the program.

Vegetarians and medical dietary requirements (i.e. allergies) are catered for. It does help if we are informed of this prior to departure date.

We suggest you bring about $75 per week on your program. This is for souvenirs, laundry, and other incidentals. ARCC pays for all meals, lodging, transportation and activities. There is some time to shop for souvenirs in San Jose and elsewhere during the program. We recommend you bring some of your money in cash and the rest on an ATM card.

In Costa Rica the official currency is the Colon, but US dollars are widely accepted. We suggest that you carry about $25 of your money in small denominations (1’s and 5’s). Visa and MasterCard are also widely accepted. We do not recommend Traveler’s checks. ATM’s are found in San Jose, but are limited outside the city.

As with any international program, we strongly recommend talking to your bank about its international withdrawal policies to avoid any surprise fees or card cancellations.

Yes, all students traveling to Costa Rica need to have a valid passport. Please make sure the passport expiration date is at least six months after your program start date.

Be sure to make a photocopy of your passport and keep it in a separate place. If you lose your passport and you have a photocopy, it is much easier to replace.

No. US and Canadian Citizens do not need a visa for this program.

During the summer, Costa Rica is on Mountain Time. Therefore, on your program the time will be 2 hours earlier than in New York (Eastern Time) and 1 hour later than in San Francisco (Pacific Time).

Students are taught how to hand wash their clothes by their leaders, and will have the opportunity to do so throughout the program. Due to the remote locations we travel to, students do as the locals do, and use the warm Costa Rican sun to line dry their clothes. For ease of travel, quick dry clothes are recommended on the packing list.

You will want to bring two pieces of luggage: your main bag and a daypack. Your main bag should be a backpack, travel backpack or large duffel bag. This larger piece of luggage should be approximately 4,500-5,000 cubic inches or 70-75 liters, and should be able to hold everything on your Clothing & Equipment List. The daypack should be large enough to hold an extra layer of clothing, a water bottle, sunscreen, some snacks, etc. Some travel backpacks come with an attached daypack that you can zip off and use. Otherwise, your school backpack is a good option. When you travel, you should plan to check your large piece of luggage and bring the daypack on the plane as your carry-on.

Please keep in mind that while you will not be doing traditional backpacking on this program, the group will be navigating through airports, on and off buses, up and down stairways, and taking short hikes on unpaved paths. The group will be able to move much more efficiently if everyone is carrying their belongings on their back.

You will also need to pack an EMPTY small duffel bag inside your main piece of luggage. When you get to Costa Rica, you will use this duffel bag to store certain items that you will not use during specific sections of your program.

No. English is widely spoken in Costa Rica and your leaders and local guides will speak both English and Spanish. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to practice speaking Spanish with your host families and other locals that we interact with during the program.

Bringing supplies is completely optional. If you would like to donate items, basic school supplies such as pens, pencils and notebooks are widely accepted. Soccer balls and ball hand pumps are also an incredible way to cross the cultural border and will definitely be enjoyed by local students. Because of limited space on our vehicles ARCC would ask that every person to bring no more than a small gym of bag of goods to donate (please deflate soccer balls to save space).