And the answer you've all been waiting for...

Friday morning brought the big moment when everyone discovered which project they would be working on for the next three weeks. And at 4.30am on Saturday everyone was up and setting off for their respective project sites to get down to the work which everyone has been looking forward to for so long. Here's the rundown on who's gone where:

Alpha 1 - Nancite



Simon, Chris, Dyala, Tim, Robert B, Kyle, Elizabeth, Kirsty, Harriet, Victoria W-S, Elise and Steven are off to Nancite. Emma S and Ian are the project managers. Set on a stunning beach in the Northwest of Costa Rica in the Guanacaste Province this group will develop the trails and access to a small ranger station used as a base for the monitoring of turtles that nest here. Playa Nancite is famous for the massive arrivals of Olive Ridley turtles that can nest in their thousands from July to December. During dark nights, particularly in the months of September and October, it is possible to see up to 8000 of these magnificent creatures in one night. Working in partnership with national park authorities this project will allow the park rangers and scientists to better protect these remarkable species. The group will be living in a camp behind the beach and have the opportunity to learn about conservation in this beautiful national park.

Alpha 2 - Volcan Tenorio



Will P, Victoria D, Rob Y, Anna, Henry, Charlie W, Jenny B , Charlie S, Claire, Marisol, Rebecca and Nick W have headed off to the second environmental project. Piers and Elsa are the project managers. In this remarkable rainforest environment in the shadow of Tenorio Volcano this group will be building trails up to the hot springs high up into the jungle. Volcan Tenorio National Park is in the northwestern part of Costa Rica and includes a huge variety of species in this tropical forest habitat. El Pilon is the headquarters of the park on the northern slope which is famous for the turquoise river – Rio Celeste – which cascades down a magnificent waterfall a short walk from the ranger station. The trail up to visit the hot springs is currently in a poor state of disrepair and needs a thorough overhaul – an important priority for the national park authorities. The group will live in La Paz, in a community centre, and will get to share in the day to day life of this rural community, at the foot of the sleeping volcano.

Alpha 3 - Salitre



Ruth, Kirsten, Philippa, Ameet, Daniel, William, Roberto, Jenny, Tom Colville, Sally and Nicola have gone to Quetzal. Kiren and Ellie are the project managers. They will be in the South of Costa Rica, building a ‘comedor’ or eating area for a primary school in the community of La Rosa. The eating area is important as it encourages the parents to send their children to school knowing that they will get a meal. This remote community is part of the Salitre Indigenous reserve where Bri Bri people maintain their cultural heritage and mostly live through subsistence farming. The indigenous reserve has been largely forgotten by the local authorities and the community has no electricity, running water or sanitary facilities. During this project we will be working in partnership with a local village association who have applied to Raleigh International for support.

Alpha 4 - Quetzal



Nick, Rachel, Isabel, Tom Coyte, Sarah, Kate, Charlie P, Jonnie, Ian, Jen H, Cameron, Adeline and Ben have gone to Quetzal. Emma P and Nimrat will be joined at different stages by Helen and Euan as the project manager team on this one. They will work in the Chirripo Indigenous Reserve to build a secondary school. This remote community in the foothills of the Caribbean slope of Central Costa Rica is inhabited by the Cabecar indigenous people who maintain their own language and culture. Currently the secondary school is falling down and in a state of poor repair – when it rains the children get wet and the classes are cancelled – so the new facilities planned will be a great improvement allowing the children to receive a higher quality education which in turn is crucial for the development of the indigenous reserve. This group will also have a unique experience where they can learn about the lives of the Cabecar people and understand the challenges that face this indigenous community at the beginning of the 21st century.

All the groups have radioed in to say they have arrived and set up camp successfully. Over the next few days the Field Base team will be off to visit, and will bring back updates for this blog next weekend.