Land or Water Itineraries | Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award | Individuals or Groups
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
For over two decades, Outward Bound Costa Rica has delivered experiential education programs through outdoor adventure. Earn your Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award through the rainforest, rivers and reefs of Costa Rica!
Ideal for Bronze, Silver and Gold Adventurous Journeys or the Gold Residential Project. Whether you join us with your Adventurous Journey group or on your own, we’ll give you the skills and confidence to explore the great outdoors and discover you are capable of more than you thought possible.
WHO CAN EARN THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S INTERNATIONAL AWARD?
Regardless of ability, gender, background or location, any young person between the ages of 14-24 can earn a Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. Participants must be signed up to the Award through a licensed school, college, youth group or club or be individually registered to begin activities toward their Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.
Interested in DofE as a Group?
We’d be thrilled to host your group! To start the conversation with our Partnerships & Enrollment Manager, submit an inquiry form below, and let us know if you are looking for a land or water-based itinerary.
Land-Based DofE Itinerary
Complete your practice journey at the famous Irazu Volcano, navigating rural trails through the Costa Rican countryside and tropical rainforests. Enjoy a canopy adventure which includes a zipline tour and an exciting technical tree climb. Your action-packed qualifying journey will take you from our rainforest base to remote campsites, navigating via map and compass to strategic checkpoints.
Water-Based DofE Itinerary
Kayak across Costa Rica's largest lake, the spectacular Lake Arenal, to complete your practice journey. Hone your navigation skills as your group prepares for the qualifying journey on Rio Sarapiqui! For a longer journey, travel to Panama for sea kayak navigation through the islands of Bocas del Toro. Learn to wakeboard, scuba, snorkel and discover the unique culture of Panamanian communities.
Interested in DofE as an Individual?
Enroll in any of our Summer Courses to fulfill your Residential Gold Award. Be sure to indicate that you are earning your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Our Experience
Edron Academy - Bronze Adventurous Journey
Over 60 students from the Edron Academy were the first group from Mexico to complete their Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award with us here in Costa Rica.
Outward Bound & the Duke of Edinburgh
The Award was founded in the United Kingdom by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956 with the influence of two others, one being Outward Bound’s Original Founder Kurt Hahn. The Award recognizes teens and young adults for completing activities across different categories- Skill, Service, Physical and Adventurous Journey.
For over 65 years, the Duke of Edinburgh has championed the Award and it has been delivered to millions of young people around the world.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH FAQs
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award started in the UK in 1956 and has since spread across the world to 144 nations! The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award oversees the training and running of the Award internationally and ensures consistency with the UK Award.
Any young person between the ages 14-24 can earn a Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. You have up until your 25th birthday to complete the award. You must be 14 to start your Bronze Award, 15 to start your Silver Award and 16 to start your Gold Award.
Your Adventurous Journey will be assessed based on your individual and group performance. You must show that you have positively contributed to the planning, execution and completion of your journey, and you must show that you put forward effort and a willingness to learn and grow outside of your comfort zone throughout the experience. Our Assessors have been through the relevant training with the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.
Yes, be sure you tell your school, college, club, or whomever you enrolled with, that you plan to complete parts of your expedition with us. It’s also important that you mention you are completing this course to go towards your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award on your Outward Bound Costa Rica Enrollment Form.
Yes, any of our courses can be backdated by up to 3 months and still count towards the Gold Residential Project of your Award. However, you should make sure that you backdate from the start date of your course with us, not the end.
In the event you take part in one of our courses before enrolling in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; you will need to make sure that the person who registers you enters an Award start date that predates your course with us.
When backdating you Gold Residential Project you should also be sure that you took part in an Outward Bound Costa Rica course when you were at least 16-years-old, which is the minimum age you can participate in the Gold Award.
If in doubt, speak to your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Leader to confirm.
There is no need for anyone in your group to speak Spanish fluently. There will, however, be ample opportunities for participants to practice their Spanish or English with our instructors, as they are bilingual. All of our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programs can be taught in English or Spanish, depending on your group.
Each participant, whether attending a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award program as an individual or part of a group, will be provided with essential equipment. This includes tents, a sleeping bag and mat, gas stoves, maps, compasses, group first aid kits, backpacks with covers, and food. After your enroll, you will be sent a detailed packing list of additional personal items that you will need to bring with you.
All accommodation, in-country transportation, and food is included in your program experience.
At the start of your program, expert instructors will equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to prepare and excel on your Adventurous Journey. These skills will include map and compass navigation, first aid, campsite setup, communication, meal prep, and more.
We have OBCR Instructors strategically placed at checkpoints along your Adventurous Journey route. Additionally, each group’s progress is monitored via a tracker that is carried with them so the instructors and our Operations Coordinator at base can see their location in real time. If your group is lost, an instructor from the nearest checkpoint will be ready to find your group and set you back on the right course.
No, your Adventurous Journey cannot count as your Gold Residential Project as you must “undertake a shared activity or specific course with people you don’t know, in a residential setting away from home and in an unfamiliar environment.”
The purpose of a Gold Residential Project is to be surrounded by people you do not previously know and in a location you have never been. Participants should join a residential activity as an individual and not part of an existing group of friends. If you do happen to come on one of our courses with a friend and use it as your Gold Residential Project you must make a conscious effort to interact with other participants to make the most of the experience.
Your Adventurous Journey group should be between four and seven people. We can accommodate multiple groups running simultaneously.
Submit an Inquiry