Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
Click here to jump down to the most recent post!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21
It was arrival day for our program! All students have arrived safely to Costa Rica despite some redirected flights, and we’re so excited to have everyone together on the ground! For those that arrived earlier in the day, we did swim tests, read by the pool, and played werewolf. We’re thrilled to have the full group together to start our adventures!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22
Today we spent 3 hours on the bus and 1 hour on the ferry. We arrived in La Cascada in Montezuma. We were welcomed by the owner and their three dogs. As we were getting settled, we spotted howler monkeys and white faced capuchins. We ended the day with orientation and dinner.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23
The first thing we did was head to this turtle conservation place, they told us about the different types of turtles and how they make their nests. We were also shown how to dig their nests and even got to try it ourselves. After we went home and got washed off we headed to the beach. We weren’t able to swim at the first beach but we got to swim at the next one for a little bit. Once we got home and had dinner we did some group activities to get to know each other better.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24
Today was Day 4 in Costa Rica. After an amazing breakfast made by our hosts, we went straight into our service work for the day. We worked as a group to clean the beach so a sea turtle would be able to nest. While it was hard work, we all helped out and kept each other motivated. After that, we went back to home base for lunch, which again was delicious.
After lunch the group was given the choice to go have beach time or group time. Half the group went and enjoyed the sun, sand, and water, while the other half took a much deserved break. Around 3:30 we all met back up for our leadership activities. In that we focused on our personal and communal goals for the trip. We then spent the rest of time before dinner having a little game night.
After dinner we’ll be going on our first patrol watch for the turtles! In all, an amazing day, full of group bonding.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25
Today was so much fun. We started with working on the beach picking up logs & building a barrier. Then filled it with sand. Then after as a reward we got to swim in the ocean, which was a lot of fun & really refreshing. The water was the perfect temperature. After lunch we had two options to go to an amazing waterfall but you had to wear tennis shoes and would most likely be wet for the rest of the trip. I didn’t go cause I only had 1 pair of closed-toed shoes but I heard it was amazing. When they got back we had dinner then left to do our last night patrol. Unfortunately we didn’t see any turtles but I still had fun anyway. I’m really enjoying this trip but also can’t wait to see my mom back home.
– Lena
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26
Today we drove to a national park where we enjoyed a beautiful 1km walk where we saw a crocodile, multiple lizards, various birds, crabs, monkeys, giant ants, and lots of other unique wildlife! After that we took some time to have lunch and go to the ocean for many hours before the bioluminescence tour. During the bioluminescence tour the weather was less than excellent with light showers and some beautiful lightning just over the horizon behind the mountains of the peninsula. Once we got into the water it was like swimming in a sea of stars. There aren’t many words to describe the beauty of the bioluminescent phytoplankton, and finally we enjoyed a delicious meal made by the park staff before a tranquil drive home. I think everyone is going to enjoy our late wakeup tomorrow.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
Today we were lucky enough to sleep in an extra hour. After waking up we began to pack up our bags to get ready for our next destination. Later, we took a trip to Santa Teresa and got to walk around the different shops, cafes, and other cool places. We then walked down to the beach to watch the sunset, and we were pleasantly surprised to see a double rainbow. To finish the day we learned how to salsa dance, and had the opportunity to dance with the kitchen staff of the hotel. Overall it was an activity packed day that was extremely enjoyable.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Today we left the beautiful Montezuma and arrived at our new home base in Parrita. Along the way we stopped at a restaurant for a delicious lunch and shopped at the massive gift shop there. We then passed the famous crocodile bridge and saw a few of the fearsome predators. Once we reached our new home base we had an excellent dinner and participated in a debate about eco tourism and the tradeoffs of economic development and conservation. Now we are enjoying the stunning property and great pool, excited for the next week of activities.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
Today started off with the best surprise the group could have hoped for, sea turtles had hatched in the hatchery of Playa Bandera (where we were volunteering) earlier this morning! The owner, Victor, gave us the opportunity to release them into the ocean. It was truly the experience of a lifetime!
After that, the group worked on painting the fence around the hatchery in order to protect the young, sensitive sea turtles from the rust that the salty air could form. After 3 hours of hard work in the sun (and snacking on yummy fruits!) the group headed back to the hotel for lunch and pool time.
In the afternoon, the group was visited by a guest speaker, Alexa Santanos, who gave a presentation about the program that she’s a part of called Bandera Azul, which works towards protecting a beach called Playa Bandera, by awarding communities for their environmental sustainability efforts and organizing beach cleans. We also discussed the importance of protecting and caring about the ocean and marine life. Her presentation was very moving, and we were allowed to reflect on our own solutions for Costa Rica’s coastal struggles. She also helped us practice our Spanish! Using information from the presentation, the group did a “Shark Tank” simulation to pitch ideas to improve the marine life in Costa Rica. The stakes were high, the judges were harsh, but the groups worked together and came up with FIVE great ideas!
And finally, to end the day, the students separated into their mentor groups and had meaningful conversations where they learned more about each other, strengthening their friendships and bonds. Overall 10/10 day!
– LOD,
Habiba
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
Today we had an early wake up call to go on our ziplining adventure! During our exciting excursion we got to do many different tricks, including the Superman (laying on our stomachs). After we finished ziplining the cooks had a delicious lunch waiting for us. Then, we got to go explore the butterfly garden. There we saw numerous kinds of butterflies, snakes, and even 3 rescued crocodiles! We finished early at ziplining so we got rewarded by getting to go to the market. We were then lucky enough to be welcomed into Lulu’s house where she taught us how to make cheese and bean empanadas! After pool time and dinner we got to surprise Sam for his 30th birthday! We are all so thankful for the experiences we have had, and the friendships that has come from it!
– Sophia
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
Dear families,
Today we drove to a new turtle hatchery in Playa Hermosa and got the chance to stop by the beach right before arrival to witness the discovery of a new nest! There we met Laura while she loaded the newfound turtle eggs into a bag. Once at the hatchery, she showed us how to dig a new nest into the ground and we got the privilege to place all 70 eggs into it ourselves! Once our future turtles were safely placed inside, we got to service which consisted of clearing the area of thick logs, vines, coconuts, vegetation in order to prepare for this years hatchery to be built. Government officials also helped our work by clearing thicker stubborn weeds. Everyone worked the hardest they had yet to finish the service in under 2 hours, helping each other carry, gather and pile up in order to clear the land. Following our volunteering, we had an amazing lunch and got a few well deserved hours to relax and go to the pool. Then, at 3 we had a dance class with Kenneth where we learnt salsa steps, bachata and worked in partners to perfect our costa rican coordination. We then had dinner and proceeded with mentor groups, where we got to tell each other about our life stories, ending the day off bonding with our fellow peers and mentors.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Today, July 2nd, we had an amazing day filled with exploring the natural beauty of Costa Rica and enjoying time in the sun. We started the morning off with a trip to the most famous national park in the country, Manuel Antonio. We were led through a detailed tour where we saw every kind of wildlife you could imagine. Crabs, SLOTHS, snakes, butterflies, bats, hummingbirds, crocodiles, monkeys, you name it! After our beautiful walk, we arrived at the white sand beach with teal waters. While we were swimming in the ocean a surprise showed up, another GLA group! They were the 2-week wildlife conservation program and we got to socialize with them for a while. After our beach day concluded, we walked around the local town scouring for souvenirs, coffee, and ice cream. One of my absolute favorite parts of this experience has been meeting new people and exploring new places and that is exactly what today was all about. Pura vida, chicos!
– Loulou
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Today we started off the day packing our bags, as this would be the last day at the 2nd location of this expedition. We would be arriving at our last location, Puerto Jimenez! We ate breakfast and left for our long bus ride, but first we stopped for an amazing surfing lesson! It was hard at first but we all managed to get the hang of it at the end and rode some sick waves! We then continued our car ride and stopped at another location of a different GLA group for lunch. After a long 4 hour car ride, we arrived at Puerto Jimenez.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4
Boy oh boy, we had an amazing day today. We started the day right in early at 6 AM to leave for our service. When we arrived at the hatchery, we were pleasantly surprised by a bunch of baby turtles that we got to release into the ocean. After that we began our service work of building a new hatchery. After a long hard three hours, we came back to the hotel for some delicious breakfast and some well-deserved rest and pool time. After that, we had lunch, mentor groups and a leadership activity.
We learnt a lot about ourselves and how leadership is such a big part in our lives. We then headed into town for a nice walk and some grocery runs. Once we headed back to the hotel, we had a delicious dinner and a very festive Fourth of July celebration with root beer floats. And that’s the end day 14 of our amazing trip.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
Today we woke up bright and early to go to our service! It was a great service day today — we accomplished so much more than was expected of us and are so close to finishing our work at the hatchery. After a very rewarding 3 hours of service, we had some delicious breakfast and fun beach time! Everyone had a great time wading in the water, looking for shells, or tanning with yummy juices and milkshakes in hand. Then we drove back to the hotel, ate lunch, and were given some chill time to rest after a long day. People spent their time doing different things but we all felt rested and ready for mentor groups. After mentor groups (different groups did different things), we had dinner and spent some time together before heading to our rooms for some hopefully amazing sleep and sweet dreams.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
We started the day early in the morning and went to service. At service we saw little turtles go to the ocean and then we kept sifting through the sand and then put the sifted sand back in its place. Then we had some free time. In the afternoon we went to the insect museum, where we saw amazing insects with beautiful colors. After that we went to town and when we got back we played some games all together.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
Today we had another early wake up call at 6 AM and we got in the bus and drove to the turtle hut with a surprise, waiting for us, there were two batches of turtles that were hatched and ready to be released into the ocean! So we took them and gently dumped them on the sand so they could make their way into the ocean. Then, we went back to the hatchery and ended up finishing our work on the new hatchery by the end of the day. After we finished, our hard work paid off because we got to swim in the ocean and have fun on the beach. Then we had breakfast on the beach which was rice and beans, plantains and cheese. After we rinsed off and got in the bus to go to home base and we had lunch. After that we did a leadership activity where we looked back on our goals from the start of the trip and made new ones for when we leave. Then we went to the Biosur museum we went to yesterday and Jim the CEO talked to us about climate change, and what we can do to help. After that we drove back and finished the leadership activity we were doing before. Then we had dinner and then went to bed.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
The day started early, eating breakfast on the bus ride to Drake Bay, letting people wake up or sleep on the way there. Once we got there, we were picked up in a boat together by Drake Divers in order to get us to the side of the island called The Garden, where we would be snorkeling.
The tour began by learning the three ways to handle our lifejackets, and receiving the goggles and flippers. We took our two sessions back-to-back, managing to catch sight of sharks, starfish, multiple turtles, and a variety of fish. As well as the changing landscape of the sea floor.
Finally, we finished the day back at the hotel with a bonfire, and a short activity using sticks being thrown into the fire to represent something we wanted to leave behind. Afterwards, roasting s’mores and reminiscing about favourite memories before the end of the trip. I’m going to miss you all.
SJ
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
Today was our last travel day. After breakfast we left behind our 3rd home base and started on the road. Around noon, after a long music filled and social bus ride, we stopped at the other GLA group’s home base to have lunch. There we had chicken and our regular rice and beans. After a filling lunch we drove for another few hours to the gift shop and some bought souvenirs, next we finally arrived at our first and final home base of the 2025 GLA 21 day Marine Conservation Expedition.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
For our last day of adventure we got the opportunity to see a dormant volcano turned lagoon in the beautiful mountains of Costa Rica. There we got the amazing opportunity to kayak and explore the lagoon. On the way back to home-base we stopped for scrumptious strawberry’s and cake. Once back we had our final dinner and partook in a group activity including an appreciation circle which highlighted how close we all got. We are so grateful to have had this wonderful experience. Bitter sweet ending but we can’t wait to see you all back at home.
