Study Abroad Costa Rica

San Jose (Novemeber 22) and Jaco Beach (November 23-24) San Jose: November 22 was my friend Jordan's 22 birthday. Since it was a Friday, and we only had class until 11, she decided she wanted to go to San Jose to see a wildlife sanctuary and eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. After class, we walked over to the bus station where we met our other friends Chris and Charlie. The bus showed up shortly after we got there and only took about an hour and a half to reach downtown San Jose. Technically the animal sanctuary was closer to Heredia, so we called an uber to take us there. For some reason it ended up being a 45 minute uber ride, but we got there eventually. We didn't know this at the time, but I guess you are supposed to make a reservation for the sanctuary ahead of time. Luckily the staff was really nice and let us hop into a group that had just begun. This place, the Toucan Rescue Ranch, is known for rescuing sloths, owls, and, of course, toucans. The tour was about an hour a

Monteverde Cloud Forest and Santa Elena This was the second weekend trip that I had planned since Manuel Antonio. When I originally signed up for the program, I thought this was supposed to be included in our program instead of La Fortuna. I'm not disappointed though, because there is so much to see here and I am glad we did it on our own time and schedule. The cloud forests in this area consist of a few different reserves, including Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Children's Eternal Rainforest, and Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. The cloud forests are different than other rainforests in Costa Rica because of their altitude. They are part of a temperate ecosystem at elevations of 900-1800 meters. The vegetation is typically larger and consists of more epiphytes, mosses, and ferns. To me, the vegetation reminded me a lot of Pacific Northwest vegetation, especially that found in the Ho Rainforest. Some of the animals typically found here includes coatis, quetzals, taran

Santa Rosa National Park Santa Rosa National Park is Costa Rica's first official National Park as of 1971. It is located in the northwest corner of Guanacaste near Nicaragua and bordering the Pacific Ocean. This area of land is important in protecting much of Costa Rica's tropical dry forest. Tropical dry forests all over the world are important to protect because they are considered to be the most endangered ecosystem in the world. For most of the 1900s, the area of Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula was used cattle pastures. Due to the increased demand for beef and subsidies from the World Bank, cattle farming was highly profitable and in high demand. By 1970, over 60% of the land in Guanacaste was used for cattle. Even after early years of establishment for the national park, the cattle pastures still harmed the environment, with over grazing, infertile soils, and forest fires. Today, the park and surrounding area is protected by the national parks service and Conserv