Rainforest
Conservation Camps are 7-day and 6-night programs designed for
teachers, families, and students of all ages. While
we formally schedule the camps during school vacations, many groups
choose to come for the experience at other times during the year.
Rainforest Conservation Camps are limited in size to ensure adequate
instruction and supervision. Rainforest Conservation Camps are
ideally suited for visitors looking for an “adventure with a
purpose". For additional information and registration information
please contact us. Click here for updated costs.
What Rainforest Conservation Camp is all about. . .
You
will have a week of adventure exploring the lowland tropical forests:
mangrove, and primary, secondary, and successionary rain forests.
You’ll also be visiting nearby protected areas, recording observations,
exploring tide pools, participating in lectures and discussions,
performing your own investigation, and learning about the pressures
affecting this area. There will be time for swimming, snorkeling, and just relaxing. You can expect to be challenged in your treks through the rainforest, to get wet, dirty, and tired, to experience a corner of the world few people know, and to have a great time.
Where You’ll Stay. . .
The
Campanario field station is rustic, but comfortable, with all the basic
necessities: large kitchen & dining hall, screened-in bunkrooms,
tiled bathrooms, clothes washing sinks, library, study / lab tables,
and a large front porch looking out to the beach. Solar panels
and a small hydro-electric generator provide a bit of lighting in the
evenings. Trails start at the front door and the secluded beach
is just a stone’s throw away.
Living
at Campanario is generally a life style change for most.
Participants help monitor the use of the solar panels, conservation of
food, disposal of waste, etc. You experience life far from a
constant flow of electricity, roads, malls, and TV. Much of the
travel and activities are planned around the tides, while waking and
sleeping follow the sun. Pleasures are simple and uncomplicated:
fresh coconut milk when you're hot and tired, watching a morpho
butterfly flit around you during breakfast, and great conversations
while enjoying the sunset.
How You’ll Get There. . .
Getting
to Campanario is an adventure in itself. You may decide to fly,
take a public bus, or rent a car to travel south to the river village of Sierpe the night before. Early in the morning of the day your adventure starts, you board a boat to travel down the Sierpe River,
spending some time in the dense mangrove forest before heading out to
the ocean at high tide and down the coast to Campanario. Once in
the Campanario cove, everyone hops out into the warm water to carry the
cargo to the field station.
What You Can Expect (sample program). . .
Day 1: early morning departure in boat heading for Campanario, tour mangroves, orientation to lowland rainforest, beach and relax time, visit to bat cave, evening charla.
Day 2: early morning wildlife observation walk, hikes in Campanario, workshops in different habitats, night hike.
Day 3: day hike to Corcovado National Park, late afternoon snorkeling and beach time, evening lecture.
Day 4: visit to local school, explore tide pools, evening preparation for field research.
Day 5: individual or group field research project
Day 6: visit to Cańo Island for hikes, island ecology, and snorkeling, evening presentations of field research, farewell activities.
Day 7: departure for Sierpe in boat, returning through mangroves.
Note: Campanario reserves the right to adjust or
cancel portions of any
itinerary due to bad weather
or dangerous sea conditions.
