Tropical Field Trip

students walking through a jungle in Costa Rica

Tropical Field Trip

Our residential field courses allow students to directly engage with environments studied by our world-leading researchers. The Tropical Field Trip is open to all third-year undergraduate students and currently goes to Costa Rica.

When in Costa Rica...

Every year, third year BSc Ecology and Conservation students venture to the forests and beaches of Costa Rica.

This module is designed to teach survey skills used in tropical environments, give first-hand experience of tropical forest ecology, as well as active efforts to protect endangered marine turtles. 

The 10-day trip allows our students to explore Costa Rica's renowned rainforests, turtle nesting beaches, and diverse wildlife, while engaging in academic activities focused on land-use change, ecosystem functioning and conservation issues. Students also have the chance to interact with local communities and learn about conservation efforts, contributing to a greater understanding of the challenges and successes in protecting the natural world.

Other aspects of the course involve working on efforts to conserve marine turtles at one of the more important Green Turtle nesting sites in the world. Additionally, the trip provides an opportunity to explore local protected areas, see volcanoes, or even snorkel above the coral reefs of the Caribbean sea.

Overall, our trip to Costa Rica provides an enriching educational experience that combines adventure with meaningful learning, creating lasting memories.

From the blog

Hear from our students

Our students have so many stories to share. Click the video to watch a short video documentary about the trip or read blog posts from trip participants below.
a waterfall