Reserva Playa Tortuga
Real fieldwork at a nearby reserve. Students join bat-population monitoring, follow research protocols, record data, and see conservation science done where it applies.
The Experience · Field Trips & Expeditions
Signature Experiences
Field Trips & Expeditions
Place as Classroom.
Costa Ballena is more than where our students go to school. It is part of what they study. Each grade takes roughly four field trips a year, into the rainforest, along the coast, out to neighboring communities, and eventually to the capital.
Students count bats at Reserva Playa Tortuga, learn traditional dance from members of the Boruca community, clean the beaches they swim at, and travel to San José. Each trip asks something different of them: careful observation, respect for a culture that is not their own, responsibility for a coast they share, and the independence of finding their footing somewhere new.
A Few Favorites
Experiences That Stay With Them.
Four that show the range: science in the field, culture, care for the coast, and a first look at the wider country.
The Boruca Community
Students travel to Boruca, where members of the community teach them traditional dance and share their history and traditions firsthand.
Beach Clean-Ups
Students help care for the same coastline they swim and surf on. Caring for the place you live starts with a bag and a pair of gloves.
San José Overnight
Older students travel to the capital for an overnight trip: museums, city life, and the independence of finding your way somewhere unfamiliar with your classmates.
Why It Matters
Learning Through Experience.
These experiences ask students to navigate the unexpected, contribute to a team, and become more independent, while building a deeper connection to the place they call home.
Over time, students come to understand Costa Ballena not simply as the place where they live, but as a community they are part of. They learn from its people and its places, contribute to it, and grow a sense of responsibility for caring for it.
Come see it for yourself.
Bring your family. Walk the campus. Meet the teachers.