Without a doubt, this is the best way for teachers to visit the rainforest. And its definately the best value!

    Every April and August, Ecodestination offers Teacher Preview Trips to Costa Rica. These are special trips designed for teachers/educators to come see how our program works, to visit the rainforest, and to work at the turtle station.

    We offer them for two reasons:

    (1) to allow teachers that are debating whether or not to come to see for themselves what we offer and

    (2) for those educators that can't get a group for financial or other reasons to still be able to experience the rainforest, take pictures and create memories that they can take back to the classroom to share.

    Ecodestination is dedicated to the preservation of the disappearing rainforest in Costa Rica as well as to actively trying to make a difference in a desperate marine turtle population. We work very hard to keep our research station staffed throughout the entire nesting season and are proud of the results. Scientists throw around the figure of 1000 to 1 in reference to the number of eggs that are laid to the number of surviving females that will return to the beach as adults to make new nests. In the past couple of years, Serafin Station has averaged around 35,000 eggs that were collected and safely buried at the station, safe from predators, erosion, poachers and pollution. If the numbers are at all close, we can expect around 35 mature females to return in 5 or so years. But our efforts at the station are only a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of work that needs to be done to save the marine turtle.

    People rarely change their habits for things that they aren't involved in. Few people make the connection between plastic shopping bags and dead sea turtles, but they are directly related considering plastic bags that blow away, end up in the drains along the curb. Those drains lead to the ocean and once there, plastic bags look alot like jellyfish, one of a sea turtles' favorite foods. The plastic becomes stuck inside them and prevents digestion and often leads to suffocation.

    So we bring groups to the turtles so that they can see them, hear them, touch them and be amazed. These creatures are real dinosaurs. Their fossil record dates back in fact to the earliest part of the age of reptiles. But we may see their extinction in our lifetime unless we actively decide to prevent that. Its easy to seperate ones' self from them in life. But not after you've met them.

    We want educators to come down and be inspired. We want them to go home and spread the word and hopefully return again with a group of young impressionable minds who will in turn be inspired to make a difference.

    Preview trips are 7 day whirlwind tours. Educators come to see as much as they can in one week.

    Travel Day: Arrive in San Jose and the Ecodestination shuttle brings people to their hotel. Explore San Jose depending on arrival time.

    Day one: Trips head straight for the Caribbean coast and enjoy lunch at a sloth sanctuary. From there they work their way south, to the coastal village of Puerto Viejo for some snorkeling, swimming and general Caribbean lounging.

    Day two: The next day the group will head for Cahuita National park for some hiking in search of howler monkeys, boa constrictors and three toed sloths. Also swimming will reveal thousands of sand dollars. From there the group will head for Matina and the Pacuare river wetlands. A beautiful boat ride where crocodiles, bats, and herons are common, will take the group to the remote turtle station, Serafin Station. That night the group will participate in a turtle patrol, looking for nesting turtles. Eggs will be relocated to the station, tags will be recorded and measurements taken.

    Day three: The next day the group will enjoy another boat trip on their way to a banana plantation and rafting on the Sarapiqui river. A quick stop to see ana iguana colony relaxing in the trees and on to an organic farm and a meal entirely from the farm right down to the bovine methane gas that cooks the food. From there its on to the heated pools of La Fortuna.

    Day four: The next day will have the group caving in search of bats and remarkably coral reefs. The afternoon is spent hiking to waterfalls. The end of the day will be relaxing in the hot springs heated by the Arenal volcano.

    Day five: The next day the group travels to the cloud forest but in order to avoid a long dull bus ride, they will cross lake Arenal by boat and take horses up into the mountains. From there butterfly gardens, hummingbird galleries, serpentarios and all around great birding fill the afternoon.

    Day six: The next morning the group will enjoy a wild ride through the treetops of the cloud forest as they navigate the cables of Monteverde's ziplines. The afternoon will see the group descend from the mountains back to the central valley and San Jose. A little shopping and a museum or two round out the trip.

    Day seven: Sad goodbyes as the group makes their way to the airport. A quick trip to the central market may be possible depending on departure times.

Details

When: August 6-13, 2008

Who: Teachers/educators and their friends.

How Much: $1800 per person (All-Inclusive, airfare too)

How to Sign Up: Send a $300 deposit and the following application to Ecodestination.

994 Foothill Blvd. Claremont, CA 91711. Make checks payable to Ecodestination.