* DOCUMENTED COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS AWARDED

Puerto Rico is a proud island nation rich with traditions, abundant wildlife, stunning beaches and the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Park system.  Experience rhythm and music, Caribbean Spanish, and traditional cooking such as bacalao, carne guisado and escabeche de guineos!  Learn about the historic and current relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico. Enjoy adventures amid Puerto Rico's most fantastic sites, including  its bioluminescent waters, intricate underground caves, cool cloud forests  and  warm waters alive with diverse fish and coral. Discover the culture and history of the island while spending time with local youth and elders, activists and scientists. Participate in ecological conservation, building refurbishment and sustainable agriculture projects.  This program provides an introduction to Spanish for students who have some familiarity with the language. Expect to push yourself to expand your vocabulary, simple conversation skills and confidence using the Spanish language.

Swim and sea kayak under the stars on bioluminescent waters. 

Improve your Spanish language skills through time spent with Puerto Rican peers. 

Walk the cobbled streets of Old San Juan and climb the waterfalls of El Yunque rainforest.  

Live with a Puerto Rican family and feel the rhythm of daily island life. 

Program Details:

Dates: 7/1-7/26
Tuition: $4495
Group Size: approximately 16 students and 3 professional leaders
Student Grade Level: Finishing Grades 8-10
Starting/Ending Point: San Juan (optional group flight out of JFK)
Accommodations: Homestays and Tent Camping
Major Equipment Needs: Sleeping bag and pad, day pack and sturdy walking shoes.

Tuition for this program is due in full by April 1, 2009. Travel expenses to and from the starting and ending points are the responsibility of the participant and are not included in the tuition. Windsor Mountain's travel consultant can help you in securing the most reasonable plan for coordinating your travel itinerary.

Orientation: Meet your group at the airport in San Juan and get to know your group while you begin to explore the rhythm and atmosphere of the island.

Visit Vieques: The island of Vieques is part of the Puerto Rican territory, but has a distinct history and personality. Vieques was embroiled in a battle with the U.S. government- a fight over a significant portion of the island that, beginning in 1947, was used as a US Navy training site. The base at the western end of the island (home to wild horses and a deserted beach) was returned to the Puerto Rican government in 2001. The Navy has pledged to return Camp Garcia, the largest base, which covers about half of the island, to Puerto Rico. It is supposed to remain undeveloped, as a nature preserve. There are endless possibilities of interesting and invested people to speak with about this subject; opinions vary widely. Your findings on this topic will be something that you might even want to write an article about for your local newspaper when you get home. There is natural beauty, mystery and intrigue on the same island! During the day you can snorkel over lively reefs and at night you'll swim and kayak on the bioluminescent bay that is home to a concentrated population of a microorganism that glows in the dark when disturbed; every dip of your paddle illuminates neon trails.

El Yunque Rainforest: The landscape of El Yunque offers wonderful hikes, the chance to swim in gorgeous waterfalls and space to see a variety of tropical wildlife not seen in the US mainland.

Caving in Camuy: The northeast of Puerto Rico is littered with sinkholes and surreal limestone formations that provide prime spelunking territory. Over 200 caves have been discovered in the region, some capable of swallowing skyscrapers, and the Camuy River is one of the largest subterranean rivers in the world. You will get delightfully muddy as you climb, scramble, and swim through the underground river system. Join experienced spelunking guides for an adventure to remember for a lifetime.

Sea Kayak on a Bioluminescent Bay: At night you kayak and swim on the bioluminescent bay that is home to a concentrated population of a microorganism that glows in the dark when the water is agitated; every dip of your paddle illuminates neon trails.

Surfing Lessons: During a two-day training from local instructors, learn to ride the waves of Puerto Rico's west coast. Maybe you are a beginner, maybe you are experienced; our instructors make sure you have a fulfilling experience on waves that are gentle yet challenging and fun!

Sea Kayak on a Bioluminescent Bay: At night you kayak and swim on the bioluminescent bay that is home to a concentrated population of a microorganism that glows in the dark when the water is agitated; every dip of your paddle illuminates neon trails.

Stay with Puerto Rican Families: Homestays with families are the greatest way to truly immerse yourself in a foreign culture. In the coastal town of Boqueron, on the southwestern corner of the island, where the beaches are famed to be the most delightful Puerto Rico, spend a week living with host families, practicing Spanish, learning to cook traditional food, learning to dance Salsa and Merengue, and enjoying the flow of small town life. Spend some days with your host family, and other days with the other Windsor Mountain students and their host siblings to participate in field trips. You may go to a local beach for a picnic, travel inland to visit a mountain village, or do some work with your host siblings, helping the community to clean up the beaches. Have fun meeting the family members of your fellow Windsor Mountain travelers. The culminating event of your time with the families is a community picnic where each student and their family will bring a sample of their home cooking to share!