Costa Rica – Blue Zone Wellness – W24

Join Be World Ready this Winter 2024 and experience the beauty and excitement of Costa Rica!  This tiny, but mighty country surely lives up to its motto. From its vast biodiversity, dedication to the environment, amazing scenery, to the enchanting and happy people that occupy it, the Pura Vida way of life will leave you forever wanting more!

Educational and Resume Highlights

  • Learn firsthand about health and wellness in a Blue Zone community
  • Learn from the director of the Nicoya Peninsula Blue Zone Association
  • Visit 1 of the 8 Indigenous Territories of Nicoya to learn about their crops, handicrafts, and their way of life
  • Learn from the Matambu Indigenous community
  • Experience Turtle Hatching at Ostional National Wildlife Refuge

Tourist and Cultural Highlights

  • Tour the Marimba Forest
  • Hiking and beaches
  • Visit Poas Volcano National Park
  • Enjoy an immersive health and wellness experience

They say that seeing is believing and what better way to experience Costa Rica than by signing up today! Put travel and enhanced education on your calendar this Winter.  Costa Rica is waiting for you.

My Advisor
Elisabeth Vint
Study + Work Abroad Advisor
Phone: 905-735-2211 x 3669
Location: Daniel J. Patterson Campus

Day 1: February 24, 2024

Passport? Check. A bit of spending money? Check. Excited for the most incredible break week ever? Triple check! Make your way to Toronto Pearson International Airport to check in for your direct flight to San Jose, Costa Rica! Get comfy, enjoy the flight, and try to catch a few winks as the excitement begins upon landing!

Your private transportation will deliver you to your hotel where you’ll have free time for dinner.

Day 2: February 25, 2024

Wake up bright and early, grab some breakfast, and head out to Santa Cruz! Enjoy a city tour in an open tour bus to see the town and learn about the rich history and culture of Santa Cruz. Grab dinner in town and then enjoy the traditional music of the Municipal Philharmonic!

  • Included:
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner

Day 3: February 26, 2024

Enjoy a typical Costa Rican breakfast then grab your bathing suit as you head out to the Diria National Park where you’ll get to experience bird watching and wildlife, and take a dip in the scenic river with waterfalls! Once you’ve dried off, head out to the Marimba Forest to see the the beautiful trees used to make marimbas, the national instrument and symbol of culture and tradition of Costa Rica.

Enjoy lunch in town followed by a talk with the founder and director of the Nivoya Peninsula Blue Zone Association, Jorge Vindas.

Enjoy some free time in the evening to grab dinner and explore the town!

  • Included:
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

Day 4: February 27, 2024

Once again, enjoy a typical Costa Rican breakfast then grab your bathing suit as you head out to the ocean today!

Visit the Factory of Blue Zones to learn about their support of the values, culture, and high-quality foods of this area. Afterwards, head to lunch at Lola’s Restaurante, one of the most famous beachfront restaurants in Guanacaste, named after a pig who still resides there today. After lunch, take a dip in the ocean before departing towards La Senda in Tamarindo where you’ll get to experience the biggest labyrinth in the world!

Enjoy dinner from farm to table at La Senda.

  • Included:
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner

Day 5: February 28, 2024

Head out for the day to Nicoya to visit one of the 8 indigenous territories in Matambu and learn about their handicrafts, their crops, their way of life, and about finding purpose and belonging. After lunch, visit Coopepilangosta R.L., to learn how to brew and taste coffee produced using the Matambu Process. Proceed to learn about their pottery making process, then depart for Nicoya.

  • Included:
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

Day 6: February 29, 2024

Pack your day bag and head out to Samara Beach! Learn from Donna Lanni on the Art of Happiness and the role Costa Rica plays in promoting wellness. Take part in a cooking class with Donna and enjoy your creation for lunch!

Stop at a permaculture farm to learn about permaculture principles to reconnect with nature, followed by free time to explore.

  • Included:
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

Day 7: March 1, 2024

Head out after breakfast to Samara for a free day at the beach! Optional activities with additional fees include surf classes or dolphin tours. Optional activities with no additional fees include volunteer work with Costas Verdes, and learning from the Global Wildlife Rescue Project as they patrol the beaches during turtle nesting season.

  • Included:
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner

Day 8: March 2, 2024

Enjoy the beach of Carillo after breakfast, followed by lunch at the hotel before check out. Depart from Nivoya on the Naranjo Ferry towards Puntarenas, arriving in the evening.

  • Included:
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

Day 9: March 3, 2024

Pack up our suitcases and hopefully a couple of amazing souvenirs and head back to the airport for the journey to Toronto. We hope you had an incredible week and leave feeling inspired and already planning your return adventure!

 

Selection Process: International Field Studies participation will be prioritized for students who have not yet experienced a Be World Ready IFS since beginning their studies at Niagara College. Participants will be confirmed by Be World Ready based on not having participated in a BWR experience before, being in good academic standing now and before the departure of the IFS, being actively enrolled in a program at Niagara College during the term of travel, and confirmation that you understand and agree to your enrollment in the general or liberal elective course requirements to participate.

NEW Payment Process: Students will not be able to make payment until after Be World Ready has reviewed their application and confirmed eligibility. You will receive a link by email from [email protected] with instructions on submitting payment once your eligibility has been confirmed.

Disclaimers: Be World Ready does their best to execute the itinerary as outlined above, however all elements are subject to change based on availability or requirement to adapt due to circumstances outside of our control. Students are also reminded that it is their responsibility to research the entry requirements to the destination countries visited per their nationality and vaccination status.

* Price per student is in Canadian Dollars and reflects the Be World Ready (BWR) grant which has been applied to the total trip cost to heavily subsidize the rate per person for our Winter 2024 International Field Studies (IFS). To qualify for the full value of the BWR grant applied to this IFS, mandatory training and tasks are required to be completed, training and task expectations will be clearly communicated by BWR staff upon registration and further clarified at the beginning of the Be World Ready course. Failure to complete the requirements as outlined by BWR staff will result in the value of the grant being billed back to the applicable student account, up to a maximum of $2500. Securing your seat on this trip will occur on a first come, first serve basis based on registration date, and meeting payment deadlines; however, if we receive more applicants than there are spaces, preference will be given to those who have not yet had the opportunity to travel with Be World Ready.

INCLUDED:

  • Round-trip airfare, including 1 checked bag (maximum weight is 23kg/50lb and maximum size is 158cm/62 linear inches)
  • Accommodations
  • Travel Insurance
  • Meals as outlined in the itinerary
  • Ground transportation in country
  • Activities as described in the itinerary
  • Rate per student is inclusive of taxes and fees

NOT INCLUDED:

    • Visa Fees (if necessary)
    • Passport (or any associated costs)
    • Transportation to/from Toronto
    • Meals not outlined in the itinerary
    • Souvenirs
    • Items of a personal nature
    • Departure taxes (otherwise known as an Exit Tax) or additional fees for items not noted as included, if applicable. Example of additional fees could be overweight baggage.

PAYMENT TERMS

Deposit
Second Payment

PAYMENT AMOUNT

$500
$500

PAYMENT AMOUNT

11/07/2023
12/15/2023

*Price may increase or decrease depending on exchange rates, final vendor quotes and number of participants.

APPROXIMATE. PRICE
$1000 (BWR grant already applied)

TRIP DATE 02/24/2024

TO

03/03/2024

TRIP DESTINATION
San Jose, Costa Rica

PROGRAM

This opportunity is available to all full-time or part-time, international or domestic, Niagara College students currently enrolled in any program, and will be actively enrolled at the time of travel. Part-time students are defined by Be World Ready as those actively enrolled in a Niagara College program, taking a minimum of 2 classes during the term of travel that contributes to their program progression. Students taking a class that does not contribute to a program would not qualify to participate in a Be World Ready International Field Study. Participation will be prioritized for students who have not yet experienced a Be World Ready IFS since beginning their studies at Niagara College.

 

APPLICATION DEADLINE
10/17/2023

Download Semester Exchange Handbook

Payment Options

Other Important Information

*Note: if we will be flying through the United States of America, you must have permission to enter and leave the United States. If you require a U.S travel visa it is your responsibility to obtain this document and email [email protected] a copy/photo.