Blog

Meet the Team: Phil Perez

Many times students looking for Semester programs through outdoor leadership schools such as Outward Bound are looking for an opportunity to gain professional certifications with the hopes of working in the outdoor industry. For this reason, outdoor schools choose to employ leaders that excel in their particular area of focus to instruct and train these [...]

Links We Like: October 24, 2012

Although we’re based in Costa Rica and have more ample opportunities than others living round the world to see these creatures, we were still delighted to find out that Saturday, October 20 was International Sloth Day (video)! This excellent video showcases the famed Costa Rican sloth sanctuary located along the country’s Caribbean coast. Learn more about [...]

Tri-Country Update Oct 23

They did it!!! Our tenacious Tri-Country students hiked all the way across Costa Rica. The group started their trek from the Caribbean Coast in September. They spent some nights with homestay families and others camping under the stars. They’ve learned about indigeous life, banana and coffee plantations, Costa Rican food and culture, cloud forests and rainforests. [...]

Students practice their skills in Wilderness First Responder.

Leadership Update Oct 19

Since their arrival to Costa Rica, our Leadership students have been tirelessly working and studying in pursuit of the Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certifications. The group has already taken their exams for First Aid and CPR and are studying hard for Sunday’s written WFR exam.

Wilderness First Responder, What’s It All About?

One certification that we require all of our instructors here at Outward Bound Costa Rica to have, regardless of their expertise or qualifications in other adventure activities, is the Wilderess First Responder (WFR) certification. WFR is a 72-80 hour certification course that teaches individuals how to react in emergency situations when a major medical facility [...]

Links We Like: October 17, 2012

Earlier this month, Costa Rica made the historic decision to outlaw recreational hunting. It will be the first country in the Americas to ban the sport. The law aims to protect the nation’s wildlife, an important move as Costa Rica is said to possess 4% of the world’s biodiversity. Costa Rica is a country with [...]

Tri-Country Update Oct 16

The Tri-Country students are just about to finish their cross-country hike! They started their adventure from the Caribbean coast on September 22 and have been steadily making their way, on foot, all the way across Costa Rica. Last night they slept at a family homestay in Brujo and are continuing their journey today. Tomorrow they’ll [...]

Leones and Payasos and Cultura – Oh My!

This past weekend Ticos all across Costa Rica celebrated the Día de las Culturas, Culture Day. A few OBCR staff from the Communications Office decided to head to the center of Tres Rios to learn more about this interesting celebration. Learn more about this tradition and check out photos and videos from the event!

The new Leadership crew on their first day!

Welcome, Leadership Students!

Bienvenidos, estudiantes de Leadership! It’s time again to welcome a new group of Leadership students. This fall, we have a group of 14 that are ready for a semester of challenge and adventure.

History of Carnaval in Limon

Costa Ricans love their fiestas, annual celebrations held all over the country to commemorate historic national events and to pay tribute to local fare, traditional music and more. This month, Costa Ricans will once again celebrate Carnaval in the Limon province, which was originally established in 1949 in remembrance of Christopher Columbus’ arrival to Costa [...]

Links We Like: October 11, 2012

Tomatoes are abundant in Costa Rica and are used in many of our favorite tipico dishes. That’s why it’s no wonder the production of fresh tomatoes in this country is responsible for many jobs and also for supplementing the national economy (around 30 billion colones annually, which is approximately 58.6 million U.S. dollars). Take a [...]

Tri-Country students hiking their way through Costa Rica.

Tri-Country Update Oct 9

Tri-Country students are still trekking along on their coast-to-coast hiking expedition! They’ve seen a lot while exploring Costa Rica on foot. Learn about what they’ve been up to!

Moon Frogs: A Symbol of Transformation

Here at Outward Bound Costa Rica, we like to give our Semester students something more than a cool t-shirt to go home with. We like to give them something they can have with them at all times; something that will remind them of the transformation they went through while on our course. Some students put [...]

My fiancee and I on a canoeing trip in Loveland, Ohio.

Viva La Aventura! Photo Contest Winners Announced

Our Viva La Aventura Photo Contest is now closed! The result? A number of great pics highlighting our fans’ epic experiences in the outdoors.

Links We Like: October 3, 2012

We can’t get enough of hearing about epic journeys done by relatively ordinary people with extraordinary ideas. Gareth Jones and Aaron Chervenak, starting next month, will begin a 9000km trip from Brazil’s most northern point to its most southern point. The duo will photodocument and video their expedition as they kayak, hike and bike to [...]

Tri-Country students experiencing an adventure!

Tri-Country Update Oct 2

Tri-Country students are stepping up their game and moving across the country! They arrived at the beautiful palm-lined Caribbean Coast 11 days ago to start their 24 day hike across Costa Rica. They arrived and crossed the indigenous reserve, seeing many animals and celebrating with locals. They’ve learned about the history of banana plantations along [...]

How to Harvest Sugar Cane Using a Traditional Trapiche!

An age-old practice of rural Costa Ricans is harvesting sugar cane using a trapiche (sugar cane mill). An exciting activity many of our courses offer is the chance to make dulce (sugar candy) using this simple hand-crank mill. Here is how it happens:

Meet the Team: Santiago “Chago” Lopez

Before students arrive on course, a common question we receive is, “Who are my instructors?” While our Meet the Team page provides some info about the Outward Bound Costa Rica crew, we thought it would be fun to share a little more.

Links We Like: September 26, 2012

We offer extensive opportunities for whitewater rafting here at Outward Bound Costa Rica where we run class 3, 4 and 5 rapids on some of the country’s most beautiful rivers. We were thrilled to see rafting’s increasing popularity across the world as displayed in this article about the sport in Lebanon. This kind of adventure [...]

Tri-Country Update Sept 25

Tri-Country has been busy in their first week and a half in Costa Rica! Last week, their days were filled with Spanish lessons both in and out of the classroom. Their teacher, Luis, traveled with them on their day adventures to Irazú Volcano, Istaru Climbing Wall and Cachi Climbing Wall to teach them pertinent words [...]