Eco-Quest Costa Rica + ILSI

Spend three weeks learning and exploring in the Land of Milk & Honey on ILSI and then continue on to discover the natural beauty of Costa Rica on Eco-Quest. Spend a full five weeks of summer travel with BBYO Passport.

PART 1 / The International Leadership Seminar in Israel (ILSI)

Based on an academic campus outside of Tel Aviv, the ILSI experience challenges participants with the big questions. What is the contemporary meaning of Jewish tradition? How is the Zionist movement relevant in the 21st century? What is the future of the Jewish State, and how can we play a part in shaping it?

Unlike traditional Israel tours, ILSI is about connecting to Israel on a deeper level. Participants interact with a variety of different speakers, artists, religious figures, and people who have shaped – and continue to shape – Israel’s future. Along the way, we build on the curriculum through a series of day trips, long weekend excursions, and the everyday experiences of living in Israel.

Building Cross-Cultural Bridges

One of the most special aspects of the ILSI experience, and an element that makes it a perfect match with Ambassador to Bulgaria, is that teens from North America on ILSI are paired up with Jewish teens from Bulgaria as well as from Israel. All together we form a single community, learning, traveling, and bonding together in Israel. Each teen brings their own perspective, their own unique background, and their own way of relating to Israel. Together this diversity contributes to a truly enriching dynamic and an opportunity to live the Jewish value that we are all responsible for one another.

Is ILSI Right For Me?

ILSI was designed with BBYO members in mind as a unique enrichment, touring, and leadership experience. Although most ILSI participants are BBYO members, ILSI is open to non-members who are seeking this type of experience. ILSI is appropriate for teens who have never been to Israel as well as for those who are returning for a different perspective.

PART 2 / Eco-Quest Costa Rica

After your return to the US, join teens from around the world and head for the cloud forests of Costa Rica to explore a country rich in bio-diversity, culture and plenty of adventure.

Eco-Quest Costa Rica is a two-week teen travel experience that combines outdoor touring, a Costa Rican approach to sustainable living, and opportunities for peer-to-peer connections with local teens.

• Looking for adventure? Hike on an active volcano, zip-line over a rainforest, snorkel on a tropical beach, raft down a raging river, swim under a waterfall, relax in thermal hotsprings, and go on a night safari. Costa Rica is a stunningly beautiful country that is lush with colorful plants, rare animals, and endless opportunities for outdoors exploration.
  
  
• Living in harmony with nature. Although Costa Rica is a very small country, it contains more biodiversity than America or Europe! On Eco-Quest, we will learn about Costa Rica's unique approach to sustainable living. Spend the weekend on a "Costa Rican-style kibbutz", explore an organic coffee plantation, and eat deliciously fresh food at every stop along the way.
  
  
• Building cross-cultural connections. Costa Rica is a very friendly country. So friendly, it is one of the only countries in the world with no army at all. Spend an afternoon getting to know fellow teens from a local high school, celebrate Shabbat with the Jewish community of San Jose, and leave your mark through a series of service projects.
  
  

As a BBYO Passport experience, Eco-Quest is also an opportunity to explore your Jewish identity through the lens of life in Costa Rica. Delve into the meaning of being "eco-kosher", fulfill the Jewish value of Tikun Olam (fixing the planet), and celebrate two very memorable Shabbats.

• Enrich your mind on topics ranging from Jewish philosophy to contemporary Zionist thought to geo-political strategy
• Put all your BBYO leadership skills to use in the land of Israel
• Spend a spiritually meaningful Shabbat in mystical Tsfat and another in Jerusalem
• Meet with a variety of dynamic speakers, artists, and religious figures
• Walk in the footsteps of 3000 years of Jewish history
• Experience the beauty and power of the Kotel and Jerusalem’s Old City
• Float in the Dead Sea & climb Masada's snake path
• Experience the culture of ultra-cool Tel Aviv
• Participate in meaningful community service projects such as harvesting fruit for the hungry and meeting immigrants from Ethiopia
• Explore Monteverde's cloud forests & swim under waterfalls
• Hike to an active volcano & take a dip in a thermal pool
• Search for jungle wildlife on a night time safari
• Learn salsa dancing & experience local Costa Rican culture
• Learn how to surf in the Pacific ocean & relax on the beach
• Stay at an ecologically sustainable farm
• Celebrate Shabbat together with San Jose's Jewish community
• Raft down the Pacuare River

WEEK #1 / Ancient Beginnings & Founding Jerusalem
Land at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel and step back in time to the world of Abraham as we retrace Jewish history in the Land of Israel through to the founding of Jerusalem by King David 3000 years ago and the building of the First and Second Temples in the Old City.

WEEK #2 / The Exile and the Talmudic Era
Follow the course of the Roman Exile and the subsequent development of Jewish thought in the Galilee as the Jewish People charted a new identity without a sovereign homeland. Our second week on ILSI concluding with a unique Shabbat in the mystical city of Safed (Tsfat).

WEEK #3 / The Zionist Idea and Contemporary Israel
Explore the foundations of Zionist thought and the emergence of a Jewish nationalist movement culminating with the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. The program concludes by returning to where we started in Jerusalem with a moving Shabbat experience at the Western Wall.

WEEK #4 / Cloud Forests & Volcanoes!
Land in San Jose and get acclimated to Costa Rican society by visiting with a local high school. We then head up to the highlands of the Monteverde cloud forests where we will search for exotic animals and fly high above the canopy forests on a world-renowned zip-line course. From Monteverde we set off for Arenal, a volcano so active that bright red flowing lave is visible most nights. This region of Costa Rica is especially beautiful, and we will explore it on horseback, on foot, and in the water. Our first week caps off with a visit to Ranch Margot, a small Costa Rican agricultural community that can best be described as a "Costa Rican kibbutz". Here we will celebrate a unique Shabbat with yoga, community-building, and well deserved relaxation time.

WEEK #5 / Pacific Coast, River Rafting & San Jose
Our second week in Costa Rica begins descending from the mountains and heading to the Pacific coast where we snorkel, ocean kayak, and enjoy a beautiful sunset over the open ocean. From the Pacific we head back up into the highlands for a white-water rafting adventure on the raging Pacuare River and a tour of a local organic coffee plantation. The Eco-Quest experience wraps up where it started in San Jose, Costa Rica's capital. Here we will take part in a service project and spend Shabbat with the local Jewish community and learn about their history and special place in Costa Rican society.

Program Package

• Airport pick-up & drop-off in San Jose, Costa Rica. Participants are responsible for arranging own transportation to/from Costa Rica. An optional chaperoned group flight from New York or Miami is available.
• Round-trip flights to Israel from NYC, with an overnight stay in NYC between programs
• Accommodations (hotels, kibbutz lodging, campus dormitory country lodging and Bedouin tent!)
• All meals (kosher or vegetarian/allowance)
• Activities & entrance fees
• Deluxe motorcoach
• Dynamic staff team
• Security escort & monitoring (Israel)
• Medical insurance (excludes pre-existing conditions)

Trip Links

• ILSI Program Itinerary
• Costa Rica Program Itinerary
• Pre-Trip Prep Costa Rica 2011
• Pre-Trip Prep ILSI 2011
• Why Israel, Why Now?
• Safety & Security
• Register Now for Eco-Quest Costa Rica + ILSI

As a connected experience, this program combines the following two travel experiences:<br />
ILSI + Eco-Quest Costa Rica #3.

The program tuition for Eco-Quest Costa Rica + ILSI does not include flights to Costa Rica. For travel to Costa Rica, participants can choose to either book a ticket on a staff supervised flight or make their own arrangements on the airline of their choice:

OPTION #1 / Purchase Your Own Ticket on a Supervised Flight
An optional supervised flight is available from New York and Miami. Participants are responsible for booking seats on the supervised flights on their own from their home city 

OPTION #2 / Meet in Costa Rica
Alternatively, for those participants who wish to make their own flight arrangements to San Jose, Costa Rica on a separate airline, they will be met personally upon arrival and escorted back to the airport for their return flight at no additional cost.

For more details, please review the 2012 Pre-Trip Flight Info:
Eco-Quest Costa Rica 3

As a connected experience, participating in this program actually means combining two separate experiences. Participants opting for the connected experience should book their own ticket to Costa Rica (a supervised option is available). Upon return to NYC after Israel Journey Plus, there will be a staff supervised overnight in NY. They will then return to the airport the next day to catch flights to Costa Rica. The overnight in NYC gives teens a break between travel experiences.