EcoTourism Home > Eco Tours > Costa rica > Monteverde-conservation-league
EcoTour Traveller Rating:
Click here to read reviews
Submit a rating & review
Website:
www.mclus.org
Contact email:
info@mclus.org
Print page
In 2002, the non-profit Monteverde Conservation League U.S., Inc. (MCLUS) was formed to “support, protect and expand the Children’s Eternal Rainforest”.
MCLUS leads tours to select locations in Central America. Our main focus, the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, is a pristine 54,000 acre preserve high in the Tilaran Mountains of Costa Rica. Our eco-tours include access to our biological field stations in this rainforest as well as activities in other rainforest ecosystems.
* Children’s Eternal Rainforest
* San Gerardo Field Station and
* Monteverde
Price: $1,850 (not including airfare) – Early Bird Discount of $100 if yousign up by December 1st
Announcing a special edition itinerary designed to fit into one week of your precious vacation time and scheduled for spring break instead of summer! Nine days jam-packed with rainforest hikes, waterfalls, mist-netting for bats and birds.
Experience wildlife encounters, from hummingbirds and butterflies to hundreds of species of tropical flowers and birds, frogs, and monkeys, all in the misty cloudforest and montane rainforest of the Tilaran mountains around the Costa Rican continental divide. See why this 55,000 acre reserve, the largest private reserve in Central America, hosts unimaginably high biodiversity and is so important to onservation.
Do your part by participating in a few hours of service, which might be tree-planting or trail maintenance, whatever is needed whenwe are there. Visit a women’s craft cooperative for unique souvenir shopping. Savor the flavor (guanabana, mora, or other tropical fruits, or just the most heavenly vanilla on earth) at the Cheese Factory, where they make the best ice cream in the world!
For those who are fortunate enough to be able to stay longer, we can arrange an extension to suit your preference.
* Children’s Eternal Rainforest
* Pocosol Field Station and
* Sarapiqui River
Price: $2,095 (not including airfare) – Early bird discount of $100 if yousign up by February 1st.
Our recently inaugurated itinerary to the brand new field station at Pocosol was a tremendous success and will be repeated for those who missed out the first time!
Hike the fascinating trails at Pocosol, to the waterfall or the bubbling mudpots, mistnet for birds and bats, birdwatch from a hammock on the deck. Climb the base of Arenal Volcano to the lava fields, float down the Sarapiqui River with its terrific views of wildlife – howler monkeys, iguanas and basilisks, herons and kingfishers, sloths and more, view the forest canopy from an aerial tram, see how chocolate is made at Tirimbina, visit an archaeological site.
Be amazed at how much the Caribbean slope of the forest differs from the Pacific side, one of the many reasons for the exceedingly high biodiversity of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. For those who are fortunate enough to be able to stay longer, we can arrange an extension to suit your preference.
Your school or family can enjoy a fully customized eco-tour around your special interests. Come to Costa Rica to visit the Children’s Eternal Rainforest – a 54,000 acre preserve in the mountains. We have had groups from ages 8 - 85 delight in their shared experiences. For more information contact our office at 314-941-1257 or send us an email at: info@mclus.org. We would be happy to assist you in planning a unique, educational, inspiring trip to the rainforest!
All trips include a $200 tax deductible gift to the Monteverde Conservation League U.S., Inc. to support the Children’s Eternal Rainforest in Costa Rica.
The Monteverde Conservation League U.S.’ eco-tours have embodied principles of eco-tourism since 2002. Our trips to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest (CER) in Costa Rica, and other Central American locations, are designed to teach travelers about tropical ecology and to build cultural awareness and respect. MCLUS travelers regularly share that our trips have given them a new view of their role in preserving our planet. We include community and service activities so that travelers get acquainted with social issues facing local citizens. For example, our trips include visits to women’s co-ops, coffee co-ops and organic farms to learn about social issues and sustainable versus unsustainable agricultural practices. Travelers join in activities which foster discussion on land use ethics. Because of MCL’s preservation of this pristine rainforest which provides protection of a critical watershed for downstream communities, there is increased understanding of water issues. A highlight of each of our trips is an opportunity to participate in service projects that support the rainforest or community.
Our goal is to keep the money at the local, community level for Costa Ricans. We also choose local service providers for lodging, food, transportation and all other activities. Our local guides teach travelers that they are guests in the forest. Hiking is restricted to trails. There are opportunities for photography, but no collecting is allowed. Our sister organization, the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL), which administers the CER, is known for exceeding local labor standards for fair treatment of its employees. In Monteverde, MCL has a reputation for being a fair and desirable employer and its long term employee relations testify to this.
As a non-profit, MCLUS asks for a $200 donation from every traveler which goes directly to the CER and also give all of our trip profits to the CER. In additional MCLUS’ activities in the St. Louis, Missouri area educate about rainforest conservation. We collaborate with the Missouri Botanical Garden in providing rainforest teaching kits for area teachers.
National Geographic recently selected MCL as one out of 100 non-profit organizations world-wide to launch its new website "Action Atlas" this fall. It was selected based on its solid 25 years of conservation work in Costa Rica.
“My trip to Costa Rica was an experience of a lifetime, and I don’t say this lightly, having lived in Venezuela and Uruguay and traveled extensively around the world. Sponsored by the Monteverde Conservation League U.S., Inc and led by Maggie Eisenberger, I knew I would be getting a quality experience, not just a tourist visit. It was filled with many hikes led by expert local naturalists into the depths of the forest in the Monteverde Region and the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. We were able to observe the amazing and unique plants and animals of the forest as well as interesting facts about the animals. I wanted to choose a highlight, but as each day ended I remember thinking, “This was the best day ever!” How could I decide on a highlight when I’d have to choose among experiencing the peacefulness and power of a waterfall pool, the brilliant iridescence of the morpho butterfly’s wings, the frisson of delight at catching sight of an agouti or coati at the station, the primal wonder at playful monkeys in the branches overhead, the silent grace of a swallowtail kite soaring in the sky, the exquisite delicacy of the tiniest orchids and hummingbirds, the spiritual connection I felt during my solo time on the trail – I think you get my drift! The rainforests of Monteverde are like no where else on earth!”