Cushing Academy
March 6, 2027 – March 14, 2027
Key Information
This is Costa Rica and our dedicated Team
Let yourself enjoy Costa Rica with our amazing team, live with local families, practice Spanish in daily life, and give back through meaningful service projects that support both rural and Indigenous communities. Along the way, enjoy Costa Rica’s wild beauty with highlights like rafting the Pacuare River and soaring through the rainforest on ziplines. This program blends Spanish immersion, cultural exchange, and community service, with just the right touch of adventure.
March 6
Welcome to Costa Rica! Your flight from Boston lands in the evening at Juan Santamaría International Airport. Our team meets you at arrivals and drives you to your hotel Studio Boutique near the airport. After a long travel day, tonight is about settling in, getting some rest, and gearing up for the adventure ahead. We’ll have a light orientation over dinner so everyone knows what’s coming.
March 7
We pick you up after breakfast and drive out to Sitio Mata, just outside the town of Turrialba, in the heart of Costa Rica’s rural highlands. The ride itself is already an experience — volcanic landscapes, sugar cane fields, and small towns along the way. Once we arrive, we do our full welcome session: orientation, ground rules, and what to expect for the week ahead. Then the big moment — students meet their homestay families. These are local families who open their homes and their lives to host students for the next three nights. This is where the real immersion begins. Dinner is with your family tonight.
March 8
Morning starts at a local cacao farm where students learn the full process from pod to chocolate, getting their hands dirty along the way. From there we head to Nórtico, one of the few certified fair trade coffee farms in the region. Students walk the plantation, learn about sustainable farming, and taste some of the best coffee they’ll ever have — straight from the source. In the afternoon, we switch gears with some light canyoning through the river gorges nearby. Nothing too extreme, but enough to get the adrenaline going. Rappelling down waterfalls, jumping into natural pools — a perfect way to end the day before heading back to your homestay family.
March 9
Today is all about giving back. Students set up a community flea market where they sell clothes they brought from home in good condition — everything priced at a dollar or fifty cents. All the proceeds go directly to the local Cabécar indigenous community. It’s a simple but powerful project that gets students interacting with the community in a meaningful way. Then at night, we throw the big fiesta — music, dancing, food, and a proper celebration with the homestay families. This is also our last night with the families, so expect some emotions. Crying is absolutely allowed, and honestly, kind of expected.
March 10
We say our goodbyes in the morning and pack up early. Today we move to our ecolodge, tucked right at the edge of the mighty Pacuare River — one of the top rafting rivers in the world. Students can choose to raft in to the lodge, which is an incredible way to arrive, or ride in on our own trucks if they prefer to stay dry for now. Either way, the setting is something else — dense jungle, howler monkeys, toucans, and the constant sound of the river. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore the lodge, swim in the river, or just take in how wild and beautiful this place is.
March 11
Full adventure day. We start the morning with our zipline course through the jungle canopy — multiple lines strung high above the treetops with views of the Pacuare valley below. Then comes the Tarzan swing, which is exactly what it sounds like and gets a big reaction every time. In the afternoon we hike down to the Leap of Faith cascade, a stunning waterfall where students can cliff jump into the pool below. It’s optional, but the peer pressure is real and most people end up going for it. We head back to the lodge for dinner, where everyone’s running on pure adrenaline and swapping stories from the day.
March 12
We raft out of the Pacuare valley this morning — the full river experience, class III and IV rapids through one of the most beautiful gorges in Central America. Once we’re off the water, we dry off and drive to the Arenal volcano area near La Fortuna. The drive takes us through the heart of the country, with the landscape shifting from dense river valley to open highlands with views of Arenal Volcano ahead. We check in to our hotel and spend the evening soaking in natural volcanic hot springs — the perfect way to let your muscles recover after a week of adventure.
March 13
We start the morning at La Fortuna Waterfall — a 70-meter cascade surrounded by thick rainforest. The hike down the 500 steps is worth every one of them, and the pool at the base is one of the most impressive swimming holes in Costa Rica. After the climb back up, we grab lunch in the town of La Fortuna with views of Arenal Volcano, and students get free time to explore the town and pick up last souvenirs. In the afternoon we drive to San José, check in near the airport, and have our final dinner and reflection circle together. By now the group is tight — the kind of bond that only comes from sharing something like this together.
March 14
Last morning together. We have breakfast and then it’s time to head to the airport. The short drive gives everyone a chance to decompress, look through photos, and start processing everything that happened over the past week. We get you to the airport with plenty of time, say our goodbyes, and send you home changed. See you next time.
