There is a lot of mystery surrounding Costa Rica’s tiny remote Pacific island called Isla del Coco. Its Jurassic Park affiliation brought it some fame, and its restrictions for entry have increased the level of infatuation to visit it. Cocos Island is an uninhabited island located off the shore of Costa Rica. This National Park […]
“Service is an active expression of valuing our common humanity, our diversity, and the natural world.”This statement comes straight from the Outward Bound Costa Rica website under the Mission and Philosophy page. It is one of our goals to enrich the students not only through the challenges they face in and around the rainforest, but […]
El Castillo in Spanish means “The Castle”. Did you know there was a castle in Nicaragua? Not only is there a castle, but it has a fun history as well. This week, our Tri-Country students are seeing and learning about this northern neighbor and its rich history which includes El Castillo.To understand why El Castillo […]
We professional types pronounce “WFR” as “woofer”. The WFR, or Wilderness First Responder, is a certification combining the Emergency Response Certification with additional hours of curriculum and practice for application in the wilderness setting. The ERC (a 48-hour DOT course certification) is required for police, athletic trainers and firemen in the USA, and it is […]
It’s a bird. It’s a raft. It’s Tejas. This is no ordinary vida lata (literally meaning “life out of a can”, or “mut” as we say in English). Tejas has been an adventure enthusiast since the day our new Program Director, Laura Statesir, adopted her four and a half years ago as a scruffy homeless […]
gait⋅er /n./ a covering of cloth or leather for the ankle and instep and sometimes also the lower leg, worn over the shoe or boot.One of the most important items on our CRROBS packing list for our hikers is a pair of gaiters. The majority of incoming students – and their parents – have never […]
November 2, 2009 This week we sent our Water & Wave and Tri-Country students out to Rio Pejibaye to get a taste for what it takes to be a river guide. They will have two days of training in WRT, Whitewater Rescue Technician, while our Leadership students receive the full certification. What does it take […]
Long live the turtle! ‘Tis the season to be nesting. Every year from August to October, two of Costa Rica’s three sea turtle species lay most of their eggs on the coastlines: the Green Turtles in Tortugero National Park (Caribbean coast) and Olive Ridley Turtle in Guanacaste (Pacific coast). There are seven species of sea […]
October 23, 2009 Our three fall semester courses, Tri-Country, Water & Wave, and Leadership, are all daring Costa Rica’s world-renowned clean waterways this week. Rivers, estuaries, surf breaks, oceans, waterfalls… they’re experiencing it all! Water & Wave and Tri-Country students have combined courses this week on the Pacific coast. The first day of their “combo […]
If you are a past student, an instructor, or a wilderness enthusiast, you have been in this situation: the fire won’t build, and you’re hungry. Hopefully, you finally succeeded, or maybe you resulted to eating raw food. In the case of the latter, we have gathered a few tips to help you the next time […]
The most common drink – and probably most common souvenir as well – in Costa Rica, is coffee. Wanna know a little secret? Coffee plants are NOT native to Costa Rica! (Neither are bananas, but that’s another blog at another time.) They arrived in the late 1700s in a serendipitous import – the “coffee barons” […]
Incoming students frequently ask us about the proper water shoes for their course. This summer, for example, we received this question: J F wrote: “I was going over the suggested packing list and came across the mandatory non-velcro sandals. I was just wondering if a water shoe (also known as a Water Sock) is ok […]
Homestays are a big part of our programs down here at CRROBS. We have great relationships with the families, and the students love their interactions with these Ticos. One of our families, Parra Mora, is welcoming our Colegio Europeo students today in a place called Ranchos Tinamú. (description below is translated from the Authentic Tourism […]
4 Days and Counting… Those Water & Wave Semester students are about to board those flights, head to Costa Rica, and spend 70 days with complete strangers; this list of unknowns includes their trusted instructors. Who are they? Alex Cook, Water & Wave Instructor Hometown: Mount Pleasant, SC Certifications: WFR, CPR for the Professional Rescuer, […]
We know ’em. We love ’em. We learn from ’em. We laugh with ’em. They are the Lopez’s. Almost every CRROBS student that hikes through parts of Costa Rica’s jungle has been lucky enough to pass through the homestay (what is a homestay?) of this 20-person immediate family’s village in Piedras Blancas (just north of […]