THREE SEEDS ECO-EDUCATION SUMMER CAMP
FOR STUDENTS GROUPS!!
Do to Covid-19 we are closed until further notice. Thank you.
The Three Seeds Eco-Education Camp experience is all about organic farming,
nourishing the body with amazing meals, immersion and rainforest adventures.
Many mind-expanding transformations have occurred in prior visitors after a few days
here.
nourishing the body with amazing meals, immersion and rainforest adventures.
Many mind-expanding transformations have occurred in prior visitors after a few days
here.
Campers will travel deep into the Costa Rican countryside to a hidden valley where the agricultural frontier meets the primary rainforest. On a small family farm and adjoining
protected eco-parks (Las Abuelas and Buenaventura), they will live an authentic eco-cultural experience. Its beauty is rarely seen by tourists because there is no public transportation and it is very remote. It is for adventure-seekers and not for the faint of heart - the nearest sizeable town is 1.5 hours away on a 4x4 dirt road. The lasting impacts, memories and rewards of this kind of educational adventure are priceless.
protected eco-parks (Las Abuelas and Buenaventura), they will live an authentic eco-cultural experience. Its beauty is rarely seen by tourists because there is no public transportation and it is very remote. It is for adventure-seekers and not for the faint of heart - the nearest sizeable town is 1.5 hours away on a 4x4 dirt road. The lasting impacts, memories and rewards of this kind of educational adventure are priceless.
Highlights:
- Organic cooking, herb, plant and permaculture workshops
- Chocolate Class
- Cheese-making Workshop
- Swimming Holes, waterfalls
- Soccer Games
- Old growth rainforest exploration
- Lodging in an authentic Costa Rican farm house
- Up close and personal with a working organic farm
- Intense nourishment with local flavors and farm-to-table meals
- Amazing bonding experience
- Spanish immersion (activities offered in English too)
- Service-hands on learning with the local community ( Eco-Projects)
- A “100%-no-artificial-ingredients-experience
Open - June-Aug
Campers depart San Isidro de El General by 10am and make their way by 4x4 vehicles to Three Seeds Farm. This final leg of the drive will take 1.5-2 hours. There will be a steady climb up to the top of a high ridge where a now deforested cloud forest once stood and then the road goes down over 3,000+ ft. into the spectacular División River Valley, where campers will be able to see the protected forests on the Northern side of the valley is. This area is a sharp contrast to the deforestation just one valley over and what most of the rest of Central America looks like. The whole Northern ridge and beyond of the steep and beautiful División Valley (aka Savegre Valley) is the Southern border of the 12,000 acre Los Quetzales National Park, which, thanks to local leaders, is one of the first national parks that is allowing private land ownership and stewardship within it. During the last part of this exciting ride deep into the countryside, campers will be driving right along the Division River, which is about where the border of the national park begins.
Day 1 - EXAMPLE ITINERARY - 5 Night/6 Day
Campers depart San Isidro de El General by 10am and make their way by 4x4 vehicles to Three Seeds Farm. This final leg of the drive will take 1.5-2 hours. There will be a steady climb up to the top of a high ridge where a now deforested cloud forest once stood and then the road goes down over 3,000+ ft. into the spectacular División River Valley, where campers will be able to see the protected forests on the Northern side of the valley is. This area is a sharp contrast to the deforestation just one valley over and what most of the rest of Central America looks like. The whole Northern ridge and beyond of the steep and beautiful División Valley (aka Savegre Valley) is the Southern border of the 12,000 acre Los Quetzales National Park, which, thanks to local leaders, is one of the first national parks that is allowing private land ownership and stewardship within it. During the last part of this exciting ride deep into the countryside, campers will be driving right along the Division River, which is about where the border of the national park begins.
DAY 2 -Campers will start their day off with a hearty breakfast and then off to milk the cow like most campesinos (farmers) do. Throughout this day and over the next few days, campers will also learn about the multi-day process of cheese-making and will help, tend to, and make cheese from the milk they themselves milk from the cow.Later that morning, campers will enjoy a magical rainforest hike to Las Abuelas Preserve where they will be able to walk among ancient, giant old-growth rainforest trees, learn about medical rainforest plants from a local healer, and feel the awe of a old growth rainforest. They will end the hike with a picnic by the river, where they can spend a few hours lounging, swimming in the river and exploring the rainforest.Before dinner, campers will enjoy a Chocolate-Making Class whereas they will learn how to harvest, process and make chocolate! Then they will help cook the chocolate into a brownie recipe to enjoy as that evening’s desert. Double Yum!DAY 3 -After breakfast, campers will tend to their cheese and then will hike about 1 mile down a dirt road next to the river, to the small village of El Brujo to see and help the town that brave farmers built along the banks of the Division River so far from “civilization.” Campers will have an opportunity to help the community with a pressing need through a 3 hour Service Learning experience. The final project will be determined by community partners (El Brujo Elementary School and a local women’s collective) closer to the date of arrival, depending on what the community’s pressing needs are at that time and with approval of group organizers. Past service learning examples: paint the school, river clean-up, recycling program, garden-to-cafeteria program, ecological-art workshops for local kids, murals, Building gardens for local families. etc. During and after their service-learning project, campers will have the chance to interact with and meet local neighbors and the school children. Campers will have lunch with the community and can stay in El Brujo all afternoon to play soccer with local residents, explore the area, go swimming,DAY 4 -After another nourishing breakfast, campers will tend to their cheese again and enjoy another rainforest experience - The Blue Clay Adventure. Campers will hike a mile up into the Buenaventura Ecological Park to a rainforest creek where they will be able to play in the creek and its waterfalls and can cover their bodies with blue mud and pretend they are avatars! A picnic lunch will be provided, wrapped in a banana leaf, a traditional way that local farmers take lunch to work when they have to travel through rainforest farm trails, like the one campers will travel on.Campers will spend the afternoon relaxing, painting murals on the farm’s walls, enjoying a soccer game, exploring the river, or just enjoying a siesta on one of the many hammocks.The last evening will be marked by a bonfire activity whereas campers act out skits of their funnest memory and also get a chance to reflect on what they have learned over the last days and commit to changing one small thing to live closer to nature from that moment forward.DAY 5 -Campers last hearty breakfast will be bittersweet, as it will be followed by farewells. Because of how deep into the countryside Three Seeds is, and unpredictable weather conditions, it is recommended that you depart no later than 10am. Good luck readapting to "civilization" after experiencing the "Pura Vida" farming lifestyle!
- Three Seeds Farm tour and sugar cane activity campers visit the greenhouse and walk through an edible forest trying different fruits and veggies as they go. The tour ends with a fun activity whereas campers help press sugar cane and drink the raw sugar cane juice, and learn about where cane sugar comes from and then see how it is used to naturally
- Spend the afternoon in the garden harvesting or planting, settling into your "new" home, exploring the gardens and nearby rainforest, or just relaxing in a hammock before dinner and have another siesta.
- *This example itinerary shows how typical camp days are structured. But each session is a little different, depending on length of stay and what is in season at the farm. All the activities that are rotated are listed on the Three Seeds website under Workshops and Classes Page.
