Overland Summer camps for 4th - 12th graders

Day 1: Trip Start

We will meet in San José and then head immediately to the charming city of San Isidro de El General, where we’ll spend the day reviewing our itinerary goals and getting to know one another.

Days 2-6: Serve at a Nature Reserve and Begin Language Class

Every morning this week, we’ll work near San Isidro de El General at a nature reserve established to protect the ecosystem and watershed of San Isidro. On the reserve, we might do trail work, light construction work, general maintenance or painting. We’ll also hike on these very same trails, surveying our work, enjoying views of the beautiful San Isidro valley and catching glimpses of Mount Chirripó (12,533 feet), Costa Rica’s highest peak. We’ll take a brief placement exam, meet our language teachers and attend afternoon Spanish classes.

Days 7 & 8: Raft the Savegre River and Explore Manuel Antonio National Park

On the weekend, we’ll spend one day rafting the Savegre River with professional guides. We’ll wind through the Costa Rican rainforest on exciting rapids, keeping our eyes open for wildlife. The next day, we’ll explore and relax on the beach at Manuel Antonio National Park.

Days 9-13: Continue to Serve, Learn and Visit an Indigenous Reserve

After rafting and exploring the beach, we will return to San Isidro to volunteer with community members and a local school. Our projects might include mural painting, light construction or reforestation work. In the afternoons, we will continue to improve our language skills through classes that consist of cooking, dancing and a visit to the local farmers market. We’ll finish week two of classes with a visit to an indigenous reserve.

Days 14 & 15: Explore the Pacific Coast

On the weekend, we’ll travel to the unforgettable shores of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Based near Marino Ballena National Park, we’ll hike, explore the beaches and swim along the coast. We may even see families of monkeys, whales and other wildlife.

Days 16-19: Work at a Local School and Visit Natural Hot Springs

During our final week, we will return to our home base in San Isidro to continue to serve and learn in the community. We’ll work with the students and teachers at another nearby school and resume afternoon Spanish classes. We’ll also make time for a visit to the area’s natural hot springs. Before leaving San Isidro, we will celebrate three weeks of Spanish improvement with our teachers.

Day 20: Trip End, San José

After returning to San José, we will eat dinner in the city and celebrate three weeks of Spanish language skills, communities served, cultural understanding and new friends.

ACCOMMODATIONS

15 nights in private group accommodations with bathrooms and showers.

4 nights in hostel in private group rooms with bathrooms and showers.

• Is the language level appropriate for my child’s language experience?
  

  We require that your child arrives with at least one year of classroom instruction in Spanish or equivalent experience (time spent studying abroad). Overland groups are divided into smaller language classes upon arrival. Classes focus on speaking and listening comprehension and accommodate varying levels of language abilities.

• Is this a language immersion program?
  

  No. All of Overland's language programs require dedication to learning a language and appreciating a new culture. Although there is not a language pledge, classes are conducted exclusively in Spanish and your child will speak Spanish outside of class for approximately two hours per day.

• What are the teachers like?
  

  Overland partners with a language school in Costa Rica with professional, native-speaking Spanish teachers who create lesson plans to engage our groups. Overland leaders will sit in on classes, but the professional teachers are responsible for classroom language instruction. Teachers will typically join the group for activities outside the classroom several times throughout the program.

• Does my child need to have previous international or group travel experience?
  

  While no previous experience is required, we have high expectations of our students. We expect your child—with your help—to select a trip that is appropriate for his or her interests and abilities. You should spend some time familiarizing yourself with the details of the specific program and help your child understand what to expect. We also expect our students to prepare ahead of time: to review the packing list, gather clothing and gear and complete whatever training the trip requires (for recommended training please see the Before You Go tab). Once the trip begins, your child should be ready—and excited—to contribute to a wholesome and enthusiastic group where each group member feels welcomed and valued.

• What is the weather like on Language & Service Costa Rica?
  

  The weather on Language & Service Costa Rica varies. It is typically warm and sunny with temperatures ranging from the 70s to 80s in the morning followed by a period of rain in the afternoons, cooling to the 60s and 70s. Our packing list takes these variables into consideration. Layering is the best strategy. Please follow the packing list.

• What are the arrival and departure airports for my child’s trip?
  

  You will need to arrange transportation for your child to and from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) at trip start and trip end. We will provide more specific travel information once we have placed your child on a program.

• Please tell me about the currency on this trip.
  

  Costa Rica uses the Costa Rican Colón. Some US banks may be able to order Colones. At various airports within the US, it is possible to exchange dollars for Colones. Students can also exchange money in airports throughout the US, or leaders can help students withdraw Colones using a debit card or exchange US dollars upon arrival in Costa Rica.

• Please tell me about safety at Overland.
  

  Safety and risk management are at the forefront of our decision-making–from trip planning to leader training to supporting our groups in the field. We cannot guarantee absolute safety–no program can. All recreational activities include inherent and other risks. Therefore, we strive to manage the risks that we can, knowing we cannot eliminate them. We work hard to recruit, train and support our trip leaders so they can create the kind of trips that have made us successful for over 30 years. Please click here to read more about our approach to risk management and our accreditation by the American Camp Association.

• Please tell me about Overland's admissions process.
  

  For more information, and to access our application, please visit our Apply page.
  
  When we receive child’s application, if the first choice is available, you will receive a phone call and an email containing a link to our Overland Portal where you will find our Admissions Review Forms. We will accept your deposit to hold your child’s place in the program pending a favorable Admissions Review. If the first choice is not available, we will call you to confirm that the second choice is acceptable. If neither the first choice nor second choice are available, we will call you to discuss options. For those students placed on our waitlist, we will notify you as soon as a spot becomes available.
  
  We seek to admit students who have demonstrated that they possess the personal qualities and experience necessary to succeed on an Overland trip. While Overland is always supportive and nurturing, an Overland program is unlike a traditional camp in that our small groups–12 students and 2 leaders–travel, live and work as a group, making all of their own meals, helping each other and cooperating in ways big and small, and they do all of this far from home. As a result, every student must be able to thrive in an environment that places equal emphasis on:

  1. 1. Teamwork and Shared Responsibilities. 
  2. 2. Independence and Self-Reliance. 
  3. 3. Support of Others and Consideration for Others. 
• What are Overland’s policies on phones, electronics and communication?
  

  PHONES:
  To maximize independence and self-reliance, we do not permit phone calls, emails or text messages to or from our campers (the exceptions to this are: your child will call home on arrival and departure with our phones and assistance, and in the case of an emergency). If your child brings a phone for use while en route to Overland, please do not send him or her with an expensive smartphone; instead bring an inexpensive prepaid cell phone. All phones will be collected on arrival and returned at departure. While we will take reasonable steps to prevent damage, theft or loss to phones, we take no responsibility for phones and we will not make any reimbursements for lost, damaged or stolen phones.
  
  ELECTRONICS:
  Cameras are welcome but please do not bring any other electronics (e.g., iPods, iPads, Kindles or other readers, GPS or similar devices). All electronics (except cameras) will be mailed home on arrival (at your risk and expense).
  
  COMMUNICATION:
  We are committed to providing extraordinary support to you and your child; to that end, the Overland office is staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. seven days a week during the summer (outside of office hours our answering service provides emergency coverage). Our leaders in the field are in touch with our office regularly; they carry cell phones (and in some cases satellite phones). Anytime a camper is treated for an injury or illness by a doctor or medical personnel, parents are notified by our office. A director will call the parents to explain the nature of the injury or illness, the sequence of events leading up to the injury and/or the steps leading to the treatment. Parents are typically able to speak with the medical personnel, with the leaders and with their child.

• What vaccinations and medications does my child need in order to travel abroad with Overland?
  

  Overland strongly recommends that families of students traveling abroad consult their child’s doctor and visit a travel clinic well before the start of the program to discuss options for travel-related vaccinations and medications. These are in addition to your child’s routine vaccinations and regularly prescribed medication.
  
  You and your doctor are encouraged to generally review information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. State Department, the World Health Organization (WHO) or other sources, in addition to the specifics of your selected program, to consider health issues and determine what, if any, travel-related vaccinations and medications are appropriate for your child. Overland will provide a “Travel Vaccinations & Medications” form to assist with this process.

• Can my child get credit for service hours?
  

  You should check with your child’s school about whether or not Overland’s service hours meet their requirements. The approximate number of hours of service are listed in the sidebar. We will provide your child with proof of participation after completion of his or her service work.

• Can my child get school credit for the language program?
  

  You should check with your child’s school about whether or not Overland’s language programs fulfill their requirements. The approximate number of hours of language instruction are listed in the sidebar.