Costa Rica 2026

Costa Rica : July 13 - 20, 2026

8 Days, 7 Nights of Learning in La Fortuna, Sarchí, San Marcos, San Jose

In July of 2026, come learn with Teach With Love® and a small group of educators during our Costa Rica International Education Program.

Together, in this transformative experience, we’ll gather as a community…ready to listen, reflect, and learn in deep relationship with the people and places of Costa Rica. Guided by Teach With Love® Founder Taína Benítez and Costa Rican educational leader Jannia Brunson-Pérez, we will participate in, amplify, and uplift the diverse voices of the communities we meet.

Costa Rica is a vibrant land known for its lush rainforests, volcanic landscapes, and deep cultural roots. In the highlands of San Marcos, we’ll learn from coffee-growing communities whose stories are steeped in ancestral memory. Every bean carries the imprint of Indigenous and Afro-descendant labor, resistance, and love for the land. We’ll walk their fields, hear their histories, and understand coffee not just as a drink…but as a way of life. In the town of Sarchí, the sound of chisels and the scent of fresh paint will guide us into the world of master artisans who keep Costa Rica’s iconic oxcart tradition alive….learning directly from the women and men who practice it, allowing the community to have control over their own narrative and traditions. Here, color becomes resistance. Under the umbrella of the L.O.V.E. framework, we celebrate and acknowledge their struggles, their successes, and their unique worldview. We engage, not as mere spectators, but as active learners, opening ourselves to new ways of seeing and being in the world.

In the beautiful region of La Fortuna, a place where the mountains carry mist like memory, we’ll rest near waterfalls and springs, wander through trails, and share meals rooted in tradition. Guided by our Teachers of Culture in Costa Rica, who are farmers, cooks, and educators, we’ll participate in a hands-on culinary experience rooted in the growing, preparing, and sharing of food as an act of love and cultural preservation. We’ll also visit one of Costa Rica’s majestic volcanoes—Poás or Irazú—where we’ll stand in awe of the Earth’s raw power.

Together, we engage in this exploration not as consumers of experiences but as active participants, fostering understanding and respect, honoring the voices and stories of the landscapes and cultures we are privileged to encounter.

Your Thought Leaders, Taína Benitez and Jannia Brunson-Perez are both fluent Spanish speaking advocates, speakers, and educators. Our entire approach for the program will incorporate Teach With Love's culturally informed principles, with guidance from our Thought Leaders. Our philosophy is centered around seeking knowledge through ongoing, hopeful inquiry with the world and each other, as proposed by Paulo Freire, the author of "Pedagogy of the Oppressed." Throughout the program, we aim to immerse ourselves in every experience, expand our cultural understanding, forge meaningful connections, and return home with a renewed commitment to using L.O.V.E. as the foundation for culturally intelligent teaching and leading.

(The daily itinerary will be provided closer to the dates of the program, and will be dependent on weather)

100% of proceeds go to support our Teach With Love programs!

Limited to: 10 educators
Program Length: 8 Days, 7 Nights
Activity Level: MED
✈Airport: SJO

What's included:

Costa Rica Itinerary

Note: As in all things with International Travel, itinerary is subject to change.

Included in Booking:

• Visit Sarchí
  Begin in the historic town of Sarchí, home to Costa Rica’s iconic painted oxcarts. At La Fábrica de la Carreta, we’ll witness the artistry passed down through generations and honor the hands that preserve this vibrant cultural tradition.

• Explore San José’s Cultural Heart
  Together, we’ll wander the capital’s rich cultural spaces—Museo de los Niños invites us into imagination and creativity, while the Museo Nacional helps us trace Costa Rica’s layered history of resistance, resilience, and transformation.

• Connect with Costa Rican Makers

  We’ll engage in community spaces and community markets where artistry, culture, and everyday life come together.

• Connect with the Land
  Journey to one of Costa Rica’s majestic volcanoes—Poás or Irazú—where we’ll stand in awe of the Earth’s raw power. This moment offers more than a scenic view; it’s an invitation to reflect on our relationship with land, ancestry, and the deep wisdom held in the natural world.

• Visit San Marcos Coffee Plantations
  In the lush highlands of San Marcos, we’ll join farming communities to learn the full journey of a coffee bean—from soil to cup. These aren’t just farms; they are living legacies of family, tradition, and deep-rooted knowledge, including contributions of Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities whose labor shaped the land’s abundance.

• La Fortuna
  In La Fortuna, surrounded by mountains and mist, we’ll engage in a community-led experience that connects food, family, and land. We’ll see firsthand how growing practices honor both sustainability and ancestral techniques.

  Together, we’ll take in the lush beauty of waterfalls, hot springs, and trails that wind through one of Costa Rica’s most treasured regions.

Payment Options

*Terms + Conditions

Have more questions? Read our FAQ page here!

 HOW IT WORKS

*Then do a happy dance right in your classroom, cause you’ve got plans next summer!

Have more questions? Read our FAQ page here!