Location:

San Jose, Costa Rica

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

MayMester Intersession, Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

We will arrive in San Jose on May and return in time for summer sessions. We will travel to various locations from San Jose to the Pacific Coast while basing out of the Instituto Monteverde with homestays and “survival Spanish” courses while in the cloud forest, among the rarest of the biomes on the planet. We will have access to tours and immense biodiversity. Learn to see the country through the eyes of a scientist and be able to appreciate Costa Rica’s cultural heritage and physical wealth of environments. Students will learn physical geography by studying the landscape, including touring the active volcanos, Poás and Arenal; spelunking in the Venado Caves; visiting volcanic hot springs; comparing rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, tropical seasonal forests; and even snorkeling to research reef structures. Students will learn biogeography by learning about bat ecology (including bat mist-netting), decline/ recovery in amphibian populations in the cloud forest, establishment and tour of a corridor for the three-waddled bell bird (a threatened species), day and night tours of the cloud forest flora and fauna. Students will learn about sustainable development and human geography by examining hydroelectric and wind farming, off grid farming, coffee plantation farming, and various sustainability and ecotourism initiatives. All transportation, instruction fees, airfare, park permits, tour guide fees, and food costs covered. Students will need to supply spending/ tourism money and get a valid passport. Spanish language not required, but we will teach you a bit. Bring your sense of adventure and willingness to see the world. ¡Pura Vida!

Students will learn physical geography by studying the landscape, including touring the active volcanos, Poás and Arenal; spelunking in the Venado Caves; visiting volcanic hot springs; comparing rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, tropical seasonal forests; and even snorkeling to research reef structures.

Students will earn four (4) credit hours in GHY 498CA or GHY 598CA.

Setting Description:

The Geography program will be held at the Instituto Monteverde in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Cost:

$TBA The cost includes airfare; tuition; room and board; required health insurance; activities, tours, and entrance fees; and in-country transportation. The cost DOES NOT include exit tax and is approximately $30.