Plant trees and learn Spanish in the Rainforest!
'Work & Learn' in Costa Rica

• Do you want to get away from everyday life to experience something special?
  
• Have you ever thought about protecting Rainforest, but you could not realize that dream yet?
  
• What about spending your holidays in a meaningful way and creating something extraordinary, leaving positive traces?
  
• Have you ever felt the desire to see, smell and hear the Rainforest?
  
• Would you like not just to read about the difficulties of development work, but also to get to know the efforts, which are rendered every day by means of various project works, in which you are invited to take part?
  
  

... if so, we've got something for you: Join a 'Work & Learn'-workshop organized by ARBOFILIA in Costa Rica: learning Spanish combined with reasonable work-experience preserving threatened Rainforest.

For such workshops we will arrange placements in Costa Rica for you and all other participants between April and August. The most important concern is of course your participation in one of the projects to restore destroyed ecosystems. The organisation offers three different possibilities:

Last year we organized the first 'Work & Learn'-Workshop, which was performed by ARBOFILIA in Costa Rica. The organisation has planted trees for many years to create the biological corridor of "Carara-Potenciana", which is located in the region "Pacifico Central" near the Carara national park.

Carara-Potenciana is one of the most complex accumulations of tropical forests: the spectrum ranges from dry to humid forests, from lowland rainforests to cloud forests. For thousands of years Carara-Potenciana connected the ecosystems between the cloud forests and the mangroves at the Pacific Coast. Within the last twenty years cattle breeding and destructive development have separated the ecosystem of the mangroves and the cloud forests. However, Carara-Potenciana will remain a so-called "hot spot of diversity", that is a region with a great wealth of biodiversity in a relatively small area. Arbofilia constantly tries to link these small, isolated green islands by setting up restoration/planting projects.

If you want to get an impression of this special region or the activities of the organisation, please take a look at some of the pictures or read our two-sided report (in German language only) 'Exhausting but good: Planting trees in Costa Rica' available as pdf-file.
 
Prices:

The prices cover the pick-up at the next bus station (Orotina), accommodation and food and -in case of having chosen- the language course. The courses with different levels will only be held with at least four participants in each course. The flight to Costa Rica as well as the transfer to Orotina are at the participant's expenses.

Pick-ups from the airport can be arranged and cost 30 US$ per person (at least 60 US$ each pick-up).

Furthermore we recommend a voluntary duty for CO2 emission, which pollutes the atmosphere during the flight. This small fee should be donated to Arbofilia and will directly support reforestation. The fee can be determined depending on the distance travelled and means of transportation. Calculations can be done on Atmosfair.com

Please leave these fields blank (spam trap): REGISTRATION I herewith declare that I would like to participate in the 'Work & Learn'- workshop in Costa Rica. At present this notice of intent applies primarily as feedback for ARBOFILIA/Pro REGENWALD, to help estimate the number of potential participants and travelling dates. Interested travellers, who would like to participate at a later time, are also asked to register here, so that we can keep you informed of the future workshops. Attention: The primary concern of this workshop is to contribute to the preservation of threatened forests/ecosystems. This is the concern of ALL of the participants. The participants will make no other demands to ARBOFILIA going beyond that scope. Pro REGENWALD acts merely as an agent. Please keep in mind that this application is not binding until you have replied to a further e-mail confirmation received from ARBOFILIA/Pro REGENWALD. Please complete the following form carefully! I herewith acknowledge that the primary concern of this workshop is to contribute to the preservation of threatened forests/ecosystems. Personal data: First name: Last name: Education, Training Job, Profession: Street: Postal Code City: Country: prefered airport of departure to Costa Rica: Date of birth: dd-mm-yyyy Non-meat eater: Comment Smoker: E-mail: Tel.: Fax: Statements about the prefered program: Planting trees planting trees & learning Spanish just learning Spanish 3 weeks - costs 570 (480)         [per week: 190/160 US$] 2 weeks - costs 400 (335)         [per week: 200/168 US$] 1 week - costs 205 (175) 3 weeks - costs 1160 (980)         [per week: 386/326 US$] 2 weeks - costs 800 (680)         [per week: 400/340 US$] 1 week - costs 410 (350) 3 weeks - costs 1490 (1315)         [per week: 495/438 US$] 2 weeks - costs 1030 (925)         [per week: 515/460 US$] 1 week - costs 530 (470) My knowledge of the Spanish language: beginner basic knowledge advanced knowledge regarding dates: My period of time most prefered would be from - to (please indicate date): I absolutely can't participate in the weeks/months indicated here: Skills, experiences & physical condition: I am used to hard, physical work I exercise - which sport(s), how often per month? My physical condition i would rate as: the last two years i visited tropical countries i can work as skilled craftsman additional skills, which i think i can contribute to the projekt with: yes no 8 times a month or more often 4 times a month twice a month i am happy with it, could be better i can work/exercise hard i am in super condition yes no i am very skilled sorry, i brek things Miscellaneous: I need support to book my flight (normally a flight from Europe to San Jose is about 700-950 EUR, from US check your travel agent.) I want to be picked up at the airport San Jose (costs about 30 US $) I have learned about the workshop from/by: I wish:: Suggestion, annotation Please inform me about future activities of ARBOFILIA. Please inform me about latest news and development re. reforestation and restoration of ecosystems in general. Please leave these fields blank (spam trap):