Students in Costa Rica

December 21, 2025

Yesterday was the tropical ecology class’s last day in Costa Rica! The day started with a trip to the Monteverde cloud forest preserve for birding, followed by a visit to the nearby hummingbird gallery. Then the class hit the road! Along the way, they stopped for lunch, visited a butterfly garden, and did a bit of souvenir shopping. Tonight was a final dinner in San Jose and tomorrow morning they fly home. The class would also like to thank their dedicated guide for the week, Lenin Duarte, along with their driver Esteban! Pura Vida! Safe travels home today!!

December 20, 2025

The tropical ecology students spent another day in Monteverde! They started the day with a tour of Life Monteverde, a sustainable coffee farm, where they learned about the process of growing, harvesting, and processing coffee. They were also introduced to several native edible Costa Rican plants growing on the farm! Later, they birded at Curi Cancha, a cloud forest preserve, and then finished the day with a talk with a Quaker family who founded the Monteverde community and established the Monteverde cloud forest preserve that they will visit tomorrow.

December 19, 2025

Our tropical ecology students left La Fortuna and made the journey to Monteverde by bus and boat! They visited the Monteverde Institute where students worked on a restoration project and then attended a lecture on the Three-wattled Bellbird, an endangered species living in the region. They finished off the day exploring the nature preserve at their hotel.

December 18, 2025

Yesterday the tropical ecology class left Sarapiqui and headed for La Fortuna. Along the way, they went for an interpretive hike at Ecocentro Danaus, learning about the plants and animals at the preserve. They also had the opportunity to visit a butterfly enclosure! After arriving in La Fortuna in the shadow of the Arenal volcano, the class explored the hot spring and then visited the Night Wings Project to learn about bat ecology and research and see several species up close! 

December 17, 2025

Yesterday was our last day in Sarapiqui and we made the most of it! The tropical ecology class went birding at Refugia Lapa Verde followed by a lecture by EcoVida on their Great Green Macaw research. Students also attended a workshop on hawk counting and were able to try a counting simulation used for training hawk watch volunteers! The day ended with a night hike at Selva Verde. Besides seeing amazing birds, some other wildlife highlights included a sloth, a tamandua, a green basilisk, and a red-eyed tree frog!

December 16, 2025

It’s the second day in Sarapiqui for the tropical ecology class and students spent much of the day at the EcoVida observation tower counting Scarlet and Green Macaws. They also participated in a mammal techniques workshop and were able to go on a nature hike to observe additional bird species and tropical insects such as leaf cutter ants.

December 15, 2025

The tropical ecology class headed to Sarapiqui today! Along the way, they stopped at the Mirador Cinchona Cafe to view a variety of birds at their feeders and then made a visit to Don Alvaro’s Macaw Sanctuary to see several Scarlet Macaws up close. They also learned how to mill sugar cane! The class finished up the day in Sarapiqui, where they will spend the next few days monitoring endangered macaws.

December 14, 2025

We are embarking on an unforgettable 9-day journey with Keystone College to explore one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth. With 12 climatic zones and countless micro-ecosystems, Costa Rica is truly a haven for neotropical flora and fauna.

Our adventure will begin in the lowland tropical rainforests of the Sarapiquí region. From there, we will visit temperate forests and volcanic landscapes around Arenal Volcano, and continue on to the cloud forests of Monteverde.

Along the way, we will have countless opportunities to learn about conservation initiatives and get hands-on experience in local research projects. We’ll assist with wildlife monitoring programs, attend lectures by local scientists and specialists, and meet descendants of the Quaker settlers who helped establish the Monteverde Biological Reserve. Every step of the journey will give us firsthand insight into the critical importance of tropical ecosystems and the ongoing efforts to protect them.