Costa Rica and Panama Leadership Semester
Ready to ditch the ordinary and dive headfirst into an unforgettable experience?
This isn't your average travel course. This is your chance to transform yourself amidst the breathtaking rainforests, crystal-clear rivers, and vibrant coral reefs of Costa Rica. Imagine this:
- Trekking through rainforest valleys and cloud forests as you learn the local traditions.
- Living on local, host family farms while you practice your Spanish language skills and the art of cooking with fresh, local ingredients.
- Sleeping under a canopy of stars with the Milky Way as your personal nightlight, helping you reconnect with yourself and discover your passions and capabilities.
But the adventure doesn't stop there!
Catch the perfect wave as you surf the picturesque Pacific Coast beaches, while lending a helping hand to the communities you stay in. Then, channel your inner explorer as you navigate the famous whitewater rapids of the Pacuare, Sarapiquí, or Pejibaye rivers. Adventure alongside your newfound friends and discover untapped strengths while traveling on both rafts and inflatable kayaks.
Finally, you'll round out this amazing experience with a Scuba certification course in the turquoise waters of the famed Bocas del Toro archipelago on the Caribbean coast of Panama. While there, you'll also spend some time supporting community needs.
This isn't a vacation; it's a transformation. You'll push your physical limits, discover hidden passions, and emerge with renewed confidence and leadership skills.
Don't miss your chance to embrace the pura vida lifestyle – the pure life – and immerse yourself in the vibrant culture and breathtaking beauty of Costa Rica. A lifetime of memories await – are you ready to answer the call?
UPCOMING COURSES
Course # HCGL-2581
Age 18 and up
Days 65
Cost $17,940
Dates 2/15/2025 - 4/20/2025
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
Course # HCGL-2681
Age 18 and up
Days 65
Cost $18,175
Dates 1/24/2026 - 3/29/2026
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
Course # HCGL-2682
Age 18 and up
Days 65
Cost $18,175
Dates 2/14/2026 - 4/19/2026
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW – Almost Full
This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!
JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date.
Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.
CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.
COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.
CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.
Most College Savings Plans, including the 529 College Savings Plan, may be used to attend an Outward Bound expedition, thanks to a partnership with Western Colorado University. Anyone can register – you do not have to be a current Western Colorado University student. Registration is easy! Click here to learn more.
Develop outdoor skills, enhance leadership and communication, and gain environmental knowledge in stunning settings. The goal of our Gap Year expeditions is to help you develop the confidence, knowledge, and integrity essential for effective leadership. Whether you are learning how to safely tie in on belay, deciding as a group how to navigate through new terrain, or setting up a minimum-impact campsite for the evening, you’ll be honing and practicing skills for life.
- Build Connections: Find connections with your crewmates based on support and respect (and fun, too!), and in the thick of challenges, discover there is more in you than you know.
- Value Strengths and Strengthen Values: Discover your strengths, embrace independence, and practice compassion as you support your crew.
- Learn Outdoor Skills: Hone your technical abilities as you become a master at ropes courses or swiftwater rescue techniques and Wilderness First Aid. Numerous certificates are available depending on the course, and up to 18 college credit hours can be earned along the way.
- Upgrade Your Outlook: Return home with an enriched and expanded view of yourself, the world, and what’s possible.
Outward Bound is accredited with the American Gap Association and is the longest running program in this elite group dedicated to providing safe, meaningful and high-caliber educational experiences to students.
Depart early to your “far from the tourist route” trailhead, which will take you to some of the most spectacular hidden gems in central Costa Rica. Enjoy hiking through pristine cloud and rainforests, learning about the flora and fauna that thrive in one of the most biodiverse countries of the world. Make camp along the trail and rest under tarps with the sounds of the forest to lull you to sleep. Debrief, dive into Costa Rican culture and traditions, and learn about your new rainforest surroundings through nightly meetings to gain the most out of this unique experience.
Continue hiking through jaw-dropping rainforest areas. Spend a night at a Rainforest Eco Lodge where a breathtaking mountain view and local family welcome you. Learn how locals live in this remote part of the country while enjoying a beautiful open-air, sustainable rainforest home. At nightfall, venture out for a mini excursion to spot rare and colorful Costa Rican tree frog species in their natural habitat at a conservation site on the grounds of the lodge. Spend the night in cozy dorms overlooking the mountains.
Alongside our experienced instructors, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to read wave conditions, maintain equipment, and practice surf etiquette and technique.
Gain skills in the basics of surfboard selection, beach safety, paddling techniques, and popping up on your board. Venture to the Pacific Coast and practice what you’ve learned in the warm tropical waters – great for beginner and experienced surfers. Steps away from the waves, your instructors will teach an initial surf lesson, and you’ll begin to practice your new skills in the water. As your skills progress, you will realize just how amazing this sport can be and your ability to learn new things. Alternatively, have fun in the tropical waves on a boogie board.
During whitewater training, students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to paddle Class II, III, and possibly IV rapids. For two weeks, the group follows the water around Costa Rica, paddling several rivers and setting out on day trips and multi-day expeditions. Depending on water levels, students paddle in inflatable kayaks or a raft. If comfortable, students can even try at guiding the raft through some rapids.
Students will have another chance to step outside their comfort zone and explore a new environment as they earn PADI Scuba Diver Certification in the crystal-clear waters off Solarte Island in the Bocas del Toro region in Panama. This is a unique opportunity to learn about tropical ecology and coral reefs while participating in several dives to complete this certification. With Scuba gear securely in place, students transform into underwater explorers and experience the diversity of marine life firsthand.
Service projects are often incorporated into Outward Bound courses through coordination with local land managers, conservation groups, government, or social service agencies.
On this course, students will be able to give back to the local community by volunteering on service projects where they will gain an understanding of the impact every individual can have on people, wildlife, and the environment. For example, students may participate in a beach clean-up, help a local hatchery prepare for sea turtle nesting, or assist with the high elevation rainforest reserve where the local government runs an environmental education reforestation program for local school children.
While in the wilderness, students are also encouraged to practice service to the environment and their team by sharing responsibilities and following Recreate Responsibly ethics throughout the expedition.
Costa Rica
The coastal and river environments of Costa Rica provide a perfect backdrop for expanding wilderness travel skills. This small tropical nation is fast becoming a renowned destination for whitewater rafting, surfing, rainforest trekking, and eco-adventures in general. About the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica has a variety of climates including tropical dry forest, rainforest, and cloud forest. Due to its mountainous landscape and tropical rainfall, Costa Rica boasts more whitewater rivers than any other country of its size. The warm tropical rivers cut through lush tropical rainforests and create an ideal rafting playground. For the surfing phase, the Pacific Ocean will provide participants with exceptional surf conditions year-round for beginner to advanced surfers. On the surf expedition, the group will camp, cook, hike, and surf together. On the hiking phase, students will tarp camp as well as stay in homestays. Sometimes students will cook their own meals and sometimes the family at the homestay will provide meals for them. For the rafting phase, students will stay in a treehouse-style lodge and prepare their meals together. When at our rainforest basecamp, students will share bunk bed style dorms and have meals prepared for them by our kitchen staff.
These regions are the ancestral lands of the Chorotega, Malécu, Rama, Bostos, Nicarao/Nahoa, Huetar, Tjer-di/Teribe Broram, Brunka, Bribri, Buglé and Ngäbé nations.
Panama
The final phase of the program is located in Panama, where the group will learn two technical skills—scuba diving and sea kayak expeditioning. The Bocas del Torro archipelago is located near the Caribbean border with Costa Rica. The islands are home to a rich, heterogeneous culture including the indigenous Guaymi-Ngobe people, who are direct descendants of the original inhabitants of these islands and the Afro-Caribbean Bastimentenos. The Guaymi communicate in both Spanish and their traditional language, of which there are only about 2,000 fluent speakers left in the world. Their dwellings are typically constructed on stilts over the water with grass-thatched roofs. Several small communities and outlying homesteads will host the group as the crew explores the region in expedition sea kayaks. The Guaymi-Ngobe community on the island of Solarte is the staging ground for the scuba element of the course. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Guna Yala, Guna of Wargandí, Emberá/Eperara/Épera, and Wounaan nations.
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Getting Started
If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.
To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.