Wilderness Adventure Programs for Youth- South America, Caribbean, Central America

Academic Treks, the academic and service adventure division of Broadreach, offers summer programs for teenagers that blend hands-on learning, community service, adventure, cultural immersion and international travel. The 20-30 day summer trips focus on marine science, language immersion or cultural studies and qualify for college credit as well as up to 55 hours of community service credit. Imagine studying dolphins with researchers in Belize, learning Spanish while you trek through the spectacular Andes or working on sustainable agriculture projects in the heart of the Amazon. This is just a taste of the adventure!

In addition to hands-on research and studies, Academic Treks program activities can include SCUBA diving, sailing, rainforest treks, hiking, zip-lining, whitewater rafting, sea kayaking, surfing, horseback trips, spelunking, home-stays and 10-55 hours of community service.

A coed residential program for teens aged 14-18, blending ambitious construction-based and other community service work, cross-cultural immersion and adventurous exploration. Groups of up to 25 students and 6 staff live in the heart of host communities. Service work comprises roughly 60% of the program time; at most sites we work alongside local carpenters and masons. Intercultural activities and recreation are planned into program days. Adventure and exploration opportunities vary depending on the program site, but may include scuba diving, backpacking, rock climbing, kayaking, sailing, etc.

Each VISIONS program has a central construction project as well as other service opportunities such as work with young children, environmental or agricultural projects, renovation of homes and buildings, mural design and painting, internships with artisans, farmers, fishermen, micro-businesses, grassroots social development organizations. VISIONS offers programs in Alaska and Montana native villages, coastal Mississippi, Costa Rica, Peru, Nicaragua, Ecudador/Galapagos Islands, and the Caribbean islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic, the British Virgin Islands, and Vietnam. Some sites are Spanish or French language immersion.

The worldwide leader in adventure travel for 32 years! If you are interested in fun, community service, cultural and language immersion, adventure and travel then this is the camp for you. Zip-line through towering jungle trees, raft world class rivers, climb peaks, dive the Great Barrier Reef, hike the great wall of China, visit Machu Picchu or surf the warm blue waters of Hawaii!

AAVE has something for everyone, from beginner to expert! Our leaders are the best in the industry with over 80+ hours of backcountry first aid and extensive experience working with students. Their first priority is safety and the second is FUN! The goal of AAVE is to teach skills which will lead to a lifetime of exploration, friendship and enjoyment.

ISLS, the Institute for Spanish Language Studies, is a world leader in Youth Spanish Immersion Programs with over 15 years in business. Our Teen Spanish & Surf Camp is offered in Playa Dominical, Costa Rica and in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Our Teen Spanish Immersion & Volunteer Program is located in Turrialba, Costa Rica and for our younger students the Children's Spanish, Art & Sports Camp also in Playa Tamarindo.

Outward Bound Wilderness, a national nonprofit organization, offers over 500 adventure-based wilderness courses - year round - serving adults, teens and youth (ages 12+).

Course activities include rock climbing, sea kayaking, backpacking, mountaineering, sailing, dogsledding, canoeing and rafting in some of the most untouched wilderness areas across the nation. No matter the activity, courses focus on learning through experience, compassion, leadership and responsibility to both team and the environment. Courses range in length from 4 days to three months in length. Scholarships are available.

Since 1962, over 500,000 students have returned from an Outward Bound experience with a deeper knowledge of themselves and the world in which we live.

Adventures Cross-Country (ARCC) offers adventure programs for teenagers (ages 13 to 18) throughout the world. Students travel to the world's most spectacular locations and participate in activities such as sailing, SCUBA diving, backpacking, surfing, rafting, sea kayaking, rock climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking, cross-cultural exchange, and community service.

Trips range from 15 to 40 days. Trip destinations include the Western U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, British Columbia, Costa Rica, Australia, Fiji, Thailand, Peru, Ecuador, the Galapagos, Belize, Tahiti, New Zealand, the Caribbean, and Europe. No experience other than enthusiastic participation required.

Travel for Teens is founded on the belief that summers are meant to be fun, and that the best learning comes from experience. Endowed with an insider's knowledge of every location we visit, we offer trips all over the globe for kids to live, absorb, and remember - with access unavailable to the public and unobtainable as a tourist. Locations include: France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Ireland, England, Scotland, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.

Cooking, surfing, language classes. Learn to live like a local! Sessions: 13 days to 7 weeks. Ages 13 to 18.

Adventures Under the Sun provides adventure programs in a variety of the biodiverse settings of the Costa Rican wilderness. Our participants (ages 12-18) include Costa Ricans as well as individuals from a world wide variety of backgrounds who are all interested in globalizing their minds. On an AUSUN program, participants will learn so much about themselves, and the world beyond their borders as they make many new friends!

Year round adventures in various settings of the Costa Rican wilderness with multicultural teenagers. Activities include: surfing, sea kayaking, rafting, outrigger canoeing, backpacking, horseback riding and more. Sessions: 15-18 days. Ages: 12-18.

Summer educational adventure program in the British Virgin Islands aboard 45 foot sailing catamaran. Learn PADI scuba diving, sailing, and marine science while diving and exploring the fantastic British Virgin Islands above and below the water!

PADI SCUBA certifications. Sailing instruction. Tons of diving. Sail, live, and dive aboard 45 foot sailing catamaran in British Virgin Islands. Marine science education opportunities.

Since 1973, Wilderness Ventures has been conducting exciting expeditions for young adults in the Western United States and several international countries. Trip destinations include the Rockies, Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, Central America, South America and Europe. Trips range from 16-42 days.

Activities include backpacking, whitewater rafting & kayaking, mountaineering, biking, sailing, SCUBA, canoeing, sea kayaking, and community service.

Unique combination of wilderness adventure and community service in SW USA and Costa Rica. Since 1984, Deer Hill's purpose has been to enhance an individual's appreciation of the natural world, teach the skills of living in the wilderness with minimum impact, promote stewardship of our Earth, and foster a tradition of service to our native lands and peoples.

Activities include rafting, canoeing, inflatable kayaking, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, leadership development, Spanish language immersion. Community service with Native Americans and Costa Rican villagers; conservation service with US Forest Service.

Taking The Road Less Traveled is the adrenaline rush you get from running a class III rapid in a canyon so deep you can't see the tops of the rock walls; the rainbow scintillating through the spray of a waterfall we just happened to stumble upon; the shadow a mountain casts on the world below at sunrise... It is shouting out your order for a kilo of tomatoes in a noisy street market in Sevilla or being invited into a monk's quarters for tea in a small Northern Indian monastery. It's paddling a boat filled with sand and small rocks to make cement on a remote beach in the San Blas Islands... The Road Less Traveled is removing ourselves from the familiar spaces we know too well, and venturing into places that inspire us not only to explore our surroundings, but also ourselves.

Service Learning Programs offer 72-80 hours of service work, language immersiona and adventure activities. Adventure Expeditions offer rock-climbing, backpacking, ice and snow mountaineering, whitewater rafting, kayaking, desert hiking and trekking. Global Perspectives programs offer 36-75 hours of formal language instruction, language immersion, adventure and cultural activities. Program length varies from 2-6 weeks.