Liberia the capital of Guanacaste, the northwestern province of Costa Rica is also known as the Ciudad Blanca or ‘white city’. Here is where our Tamarindo Teen Spanish Camp begins with students arriving at Daniel Oduber International Airport. Students will be met upon arrival by the counselors for the program who will be waiting to greet them.

Liberia, as well as Guanacaste, has a very unique and different cultural history from the rest of Costa Rica. This adds a charm and colonial feel to the city missing in other urban parts of the country. Geographically the area is very different as well. Liberia is situated on what is called The Great Guanacaste Plain, with rich volcanic soil and long sloping countryside. This, along with the driest climate in Costa Rica, make it perfect for the grazing of cattle and horses. The rest of the country is very mountainous and receives a great deal more rainfall.

Liberia and Guanacaste were not originally part of Colonial Costa Rica. Up until 1824 the region was a part of Nicaragua. In that year on July 25th, the people of the region voted to secede and join the Costa Rican nation. For this reason every year on July 25th the country celebrates Guanacaste Day. Liberia is the cultural center of the province and as such is the center for the largest of these celebrations.

25 miles to the north and east of Liberia is the Rincon de la Vieja National Park. After the teen students are picked up at the international airport, they will be transport to the Buena Vista Lodge, just outside the park. Rincon is a series of dormant volcanoes surrounded by an area of dry forest. In this region are numerous hot springs, waterfalls and rivers as well as abundant wildlife.

While staying the first two days at the lodge, students will have access to the hot springs, the swimming pool, waterslides and hiking trails. Using this as a branching out point, students will travel down to the Rio Colorado, where they will do white water rafting and zip lining. The full day of activities will end at Buena Vista’s own hot springs resort where dinner will be served at the main dining area.

By starting the program in Liberia and the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, students on the Tamarindo Teen Camp will be able to experience a different section of Costa Rica. It is a good counterbalance to the rest of the program which takes place on the warm tropical beaches of the Guanacaste Province.