Desert Museum Travel: Costa Rica

Join the Desert Museum and its Costa Rican partner, the Monteverde Institute, for an unforgettable exploration of extraordinary landscapes, biodiversity, and conservation. Tiny Costa Rica holds an astonishing 5% of the world’s species and protects a quarter of its land area in parks and preserves. This journey takes us through some of its most diverse ecosystems, from coast to cloud forest, while using nature journaling as a tool for observation and discovery. Along the way, Desert Museum naturalists reveal surprising connections between Costa Rica's tropical environments and the Sonoran Desert, offering a perspective few travelers experience. We visit key birthplaces of the country’s conservation ethos and explore their legacies of habitat protection and restoration. Through guided field excursions, we encounter remarkable plants and animals such as bromeliads, blue-crowned motmots, and white-faced monkeys. Most importantly, we meet local biologists, farmers, and community members dedicated to celebrating and safeguarding biodiversity to create sustainable livelihoods for people and the natural world upon which we all depend.

Trip Leaders:
- Robin Kropp is the School and Youth Programs Coordinator at the Desert Museum where she has shared her love of the Sonoran Desert with audiences since 1998. Prior to her role here, she lived and worked in Monteverde, Costa Rica for four and a half years where she was an environmental educator and led trips focused on tropical ecology and sustainability issues. Her passion is to deepen our connection with biodiversity and explore relationships between landscapes and people.
- Marie McGhee is the Director of the Art Institute at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. She is committed to providing high-quality, accessible visual arts experiences that inspire the community to deepen its understanding of conservation and recognize the vital role art can play in protecting the natural world. With more than two decades of experience leading lifelong learning programs, Marie previously oversaw public educational initiatives for the University of New Mexico's Division of Continuing Education, including educational travel programs, trips, and tours. Born in Costa Rica, Marie developed a lifelong passion for hiking, birding, and photography—interests that continue to shape her appreciation for the natural world and inform her commitment to conservation through the arts.
What to Expect:
Amazing biodiversity, friendly people, simple but scrumptious food, and inspiration! Mid-December through April is the dry season, but it may be misty in the mountains. Lowland elevations will be hot and sunny, with temperatures ranging from the nighttime lows in the mid-70’s to daytime highs in the mid-90’s. Monteverde, by contrast, lies at close to 5,000 feet and has a temperate climate (from the mid-60’s to low 80’s,) making it a pleasant location from which to anchor our explorations. Many of our days will feature natural history walks. We will provide walks for a variety of physical abilities, but it is recommended that you prepare yourself prior to the trip to be able to comfortably walk a mile or more on uneven terrain. Should you have concerns about this, you may contact Robin Kropp at [email protected]. If you would like to have a better idea of the art aspects of this tour you may contact Marie McGhee at [email protected].
Note: You will need a valid passport book to take this trip. Your passport book must be valid for at least 6 months after our travel dates.
Register by clicking the "Find Tickets" button on the right side of this page, then scroll down to this trip.
Contact E-mail: [email protected]