Hiking Programs in Costa Rica

My son participated in a program with Rustic Pathways in Costa Rica last year, and it was an incredibly positive experience for both him and our family. The counselors updates, looking at the photos and videos gave me a great sense of comfort and connection. He was able to keep his phone, so we stayed in touch throughout the trip. Hearing how happy and even on days focused on community service validated that I chose the right camp. The program was a wonderful balance between meaningful work and fun. He is super excited to go on a trip this year to Belize My son returned home more independent, and inspired to continue to connect with many cultures and see the world.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewJune 02, 2026

Thanks so much for your comment, Susie! We're thrilled your son had such a great experience! We love hearing about their transformation post-trip. We hope he joins us for another awesome summer soon :)

Outward Bound Costa will without a doubt be one of the most challenging things you will ever do but you will meet the most amazing people and achieve things that felt unachievable. My favourite thing about OBCR was the people I met, not only did I make some great friends in my group but also the local people we met along the way who made it so special. It could be laughing with Kenneth an instructor, listening to Santiago tell you about the man who fought off a Puma, Swimming with Jefferey the Kayaker, Holding Goat Man Ricks new baby goat, talking to the hosts at the home-stays or making burritos with Samuel the chef, there are always people with something to teach you or tell you. I went on the trek course and there is no denying that it is challenging, I would advise being in reasonable shape because it will make it easier but whatever your fitness level you will complete it. It's one of those things you wish you had a choice about in the moment but afterwards your glad you didn't because you know you would have backed out. As hard as the mornings of hiking were the afternoons in the tarp are some of my funniest memories. When I refer to the tarp I mean the two massive pieces of tarpaulin that form a group tent during the trek. Sleeping packed in like sardines is a great ice-breaker and I learnt more new card games than I thought existed. I think you should go on outward bound just to experience the feeling of joy you get when a comfort that you haven't had in a long time comes back. I have never had a shower as good as the one I took at the first homestay, the water was freezing and I had limited toiletries but it felt amazing. Even walking without the weight of a backpack is a joy on trek. I cannot explain to you the excitement and anticipation about getting our suitcases back when we got back to base which had our clean clothes in. The weirdest experience from trek was definitely the third day. It started off great, the views were spectacular, there was a lot less uphill than yesterday, it was all looking good. Then the rain came. I cannot put into words how wet we all were, jogging down paths that had turned to rivers, wading through mud, giving up on rain jackets (they made no difference by that point), hoping desperately to reach the promised campsite. When we'd eventually set up camp (the rain was still going) we call crawled into the tarp, stripped off our wet clothes and just sat there for about half an hour. No one new what to do, everything was soaked, but I remember just laughing hysterically with some others from the group just trying to process the absurdity of the situation. After that we could all confidently say, it doesn't get any worse. While this may sound like a negative thing outward bound will push you to breaking point, but after that you will feel like you can literally do anything and that is the best feeling in the world. (Don't worry we also had relaxing beach days and fun activities like zip-lining it's not all pain.) Highly recommend!

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewSeptember 19, 2022

Keira, thank you so much for sharing your story here! You've truly embraced the spirit of Outward Bound & we're so proud of what you accomplished. Come back and see us soon!

The first week of hiking in the rainforest in Costa Rica was really fun and I grew a lot. However, we never got to repel down an 80 foot waterfall as described. This was a little disappointing. Overall though I would highly recommend this experience. I met great people, learned a lot about myself, and feel invigorated and motivated after completing it.

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 13, 2022

Hi Aileen! We're so glad you saw growth through your experience with OBCR & had a ton of fun. Apologies about the rappelling – weather can be finicky, but come back and see us again soon and we can get you up there! Thanks for the recommendation & hope to see you back in CR soon.

I did a summer course at OBCR (tropical trek) and it was a culturally enriching experience. I was able to practice my Spanish speaking skills with my instructors and have a blast with my coursemates. The hikes were physically grueling and I would advise being physically able to handle uphills and downhills with a heavy pack. The course itinerary was great and had a healthy mix of cool activities with educational ones. I recommend!!

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 11, 2022

So glad you had a culturally enriching experience here with us! We appreciate your recommendation – come back to Costa Rica soon.

This trip has made me a better person. It makes you go out of your comfort zone in ways you didn’t know you could and now I know I can do more fun things like this in the future. You meet so many new people, you learn about so many new things and you try amazing stuff!

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 11, 2022

Olivia, we're so glad you're leaving Costa Rica as a better person. It was an honor to have you on course with us! Come back and see us again soon.

This was an amazing experience. I had a lot of fun. Our guides were really great, and I made so many wonderful new friends. I especially loved the waterfall rappelling and zip lining. I would go again in a heartbeat!

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewJuly 28, 2022

Thanks for the kind words about our guides, Sofia! We're so glad you had an amazing time. Come back and see us again soon!

I would recommend the program to others to challenge yourself, make new friends, do amazing activities, meet new people, and to immerse yourself in a new culture! You really get to learn about yourself and who you are as a human on this program! I would tell myself that I can do anything so I got this and I should just enjoy myself! My trip to Costa Rica was truly life-changing. I made deep connections, did amazing activities, and I really gained clarity as to what I want out of life. I came out of this experience with more confidence and a greater appreciation for life!

This trip exposed me to so many new people from different places. I really value getting to meet all of them while also getting to experience an amazing new country. I loved honing my Spanish skills and getting to be adventurous and so crazy stuff.

I wouldn’t have traded this life experience of mine for anything. I met 13 other people that I can now call family. I am eternally grateful for all the conversations I’ve had, the ups of the trip, and even the downs because it makes the trip more real and not on the surface

Over the course of my 6 week trip to Costa Rica I learned so much about respecting other people’s cultures and being a global citizen. This trip changed the way I look at important issues at home and in my own life such as consumership and sustainability. I highly recommend this program to anyone who is looking to enrich their knowledge and experience traveling in a foreign country. It’s a trip I will always appreciate and never forget!

This program is great if you’re looking to get out of your comfort zone and make new friends and challenge yourself. I feel like I have grown a lot as a person throughout this trip. I definitely have become more independent and I feel a lot more confident that I can rely on myself to get me through hard times and I feel a lot more prepared for college. My leadership skills definitely grew a lot during this trip and I also feel just mentally stronger overall than when I started this trip. I am a lot more confident in myself as a person and I am proud of my values. I feel a lot stronger and I’m so glad that I did this trip.

Traveling to Costa Rica was the first time I had been abroad since the pandemic began. The combination of physically challenging days punctuated by the thrills of activities, the joy of acquiring new knowledge and the entertainment of building a close knit community of people along the way was the perfect set of experiences to get me into interacting with the wider world and new people.

Great personal growth experience. Loved the staff and the group of kids. created lasting bonds. would love to come back again or even lead a trip in the future. came out more self aware and ready to take on school

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 26, 2021

Thank you so much for this review, we're so glad that it was such a valuable personal growth experience!

A mother writing here....our daughter called and asked to stay for the one-week surf extension, following the two-week scuba course. This is her second time returning, and would be third if we didn't experience the pandemic. I can't say enough for the amazing communication offered by the enrollment manager, Brynna. I felt at-ease knowing our daughter was in great care, and I couldn't wait for the email and photo updates each week! Outstanding. I hope she goes back again next year.

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 20, 2021

We're so glad that she had such a great experience the second time around and would love to welcome her back again to Costa Rica!

It was a wonderful experience! I enjoyed the people and activities -especially scuba diving. I am happy that I received my Advanced scuba certification. Seeing the sloths and manatees was amazing; I wish we could have seen the sea turtles.

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 14, 2021

Thank you for your review, Lauren! We're so glad you managed to see some sloths and manatees!

Learning new things about the culture of Costa Rica, myself, the importance of nature, and wildlife. I learned about the typical breakfast in Costa Rica, for example, Pico de gallo, plantains, etc. were just a few examples of the great foods to experience. I learned a lot of new things about myself, and ways that I can improve to better impact the people around me. I’m so glad I got to experience this. Karina and Henry are amazing!

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 14, 2021

Thank you Jessie! We'll be sure to pass this on to Karina and Henry. We're so glad you had a valuable experience and learned a lot along the way!

I absolutely loved this course! I have never bonded with people as fast or closely as I did with other people the way I did with the amazing people I got to meet on this trip! I had challenges and experiences I never could have imagined and I am so grateful for every single part of this trip. The amount of reflection we did as a group made us really trust each other and find out a lot of people struggled with the same things in life so we were able to bond over that and grow together. I realized the person I truly want to be for myself and for others, I came home 10X more confident than I have ever been and knowing what true happiness is. It's feeling like your legs are going to fall off as you're walking up your tenth hill and it is pouring rain on you and all your things but you are so grateful to be there with the people you have, you are grateful for the strength you feel after pushing up those hills and you are even grateful for the rain as you all dance and laugh together while you're soaking wet! It's meeting host families and sharing laughs even through a language barrier, it's realizing we are all people living on earth, and there is so much beauty in the people and the environment around us that even the worst times make you smile because you feel so blessed to be where you are with the people you have.

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 14, 2021

Wow, what an amazing review Aria! Thank you for sharing this. We are so happy that you came away with so many positive experiences and gained so much from the reflection time on the course.

I had the best experience of my life so far ! Everything was Amazing ! I have made friends that I continue to stay in touch with ! My scuba experience started off rocky but I’m glad I stuck with it. This experience helped me realize how important it is to explore new things because there’s so much to learn. I now appreciate the simple things like a hot shower !

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 12, 2021

Wow! Thank you for this review Shaina! It is so great to hear that your experience had such a positive impact on you. Pura vida!

I learned a lot during my time at Outward Bound. The living conditions were challenging , but having a group of people that you live and bond with for 2 weeks helps you get through the challenges. The instructors on my 2 programs were great and know how to interact with teenagers - they really made a big difference for me.

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewAugust 12, 2021

Thank you for your feedback, Chris! We are glad to hear that you learned a lot and overcame those challenges during your time on the course!

My Outward Bound Costa Rica trip was such a blast! The other girls in my group were the kindest and most amazing people I have ever met, and I know that we have formed bounds that will last well beyond our trip has ended! I feel like I have known the girls in my group since kindergarten even though we were complete strangers before meeting at the Outward Bound base in Costa Rica. I loved this trip because it pushed me to take risks and become a more adventurous leader and traveler. I got to go cave jumping in pitch darkness (it was so exhilarating), scuba diving in the coral reefs and in a real shipwreck, release sea turtles into the ocean as part of a sea turtle conservation project, and learned how to wake board and knee board. Everywhere I looked was natural beauty and wonders, and this trip made me feel closer both to the other girls, but to my myself and the environment. I would recommend this trip to anyone who is willing to get dirty, take risks, and grow! I am so thankful for my experience and would totally go again if I had the chance! :)

Outward Bound Costa Rica responded to this reviewJuly 16, 2021

Thank you so much for your review, Eliza! We are delighted that you gained so much from this experience and made some life-long friends. We hope to welcome you to Costa Rica and Panama again in the future!