The pms go on their planning visits

The vms have been very busy since the last blog, as they were divided into their Alpha groups and sent off around Costa Rica and Nicaragua on their project planning visits. This is thier opportunity to get to know the projects and finalise all of the details before the venturers arrive. So here are the Aplha groups and the projects that they will be doing….

Alpha 1- Dani, Norman and Clint
Maribios Volcanoes Trek

In the far north of Nicaragua, close to the border with Honduras, Alpha 1 will walk along a mountain ridge through the pine forests above Achuapa. From here thay will eventually reach the string of volcanoes called ‘Los Maribios’ which are named after an ancient tribe who lived in the area. They will follow the line of volcanoes up to the Cosiguina Peninsula for one final volcano ascent. Volcano Cosiguina is the site of the largest volcanic eruption in the history of Americas and from the summit the group will get spectacular views across the Gulf of Fonseca to Honduras and El Salvador. The last day will be spent on the beach and swimming in the Pacific ocean.

Crossing the border to Nicaragua

Alpha 1 in the car with their drivers Alex and David

Alpha 2- Alejandra, Rich and Guy
The Macho Bares Trek

This trek will start here at field base and proceed through the Rio Macho Forestry Reserve for the first week passing through Tapanti National Park. After climbing up to nearly 3,000 metres Alpha 2 will then follow the ridges of the Fila de Bustamante towards Cerro Dragon. From here the group will aim for Cerro Turrubares before heading down to the sea at Playa Hermosa where they will spend a couple of relaxing days at this beautiful beach, famous for its nesting turtles.

Rich, Guy and Ale in the jungle

The stunning views along the way

Alpha 3- Becca and Ed
La Cangreja – viewing platform and trail

La Cangreja is Costa Rica’s newest National Park which owes its name to the striking 1,305 metre peak Cerro Cangreja. The park has a mixture of Tropical Humid forest and Pre-Montane forest with a number of species of plant found nowhere else in the world which makes the area important for research purposes and for conservation. The park is also blessed with amazing waterfalls only to be found through exploring the forest. At present the government is developing the facilities in the park and during the expedition Alpha 3 will build a viewing platform near to the main park headquarters that looks over the national park and a trail for local school groups and other visitors.

La Cangreja

Becca and Ed meet the ranger

Alpha 4- Sheila and Michael
Camaronal – Tree planting and turtle conservation

Camaraonl is a stunning protected area famous for its nesting turtles that lay eggs on the beach all through the year. In 2008 they reported over 5,000 turtle nests during the period of June to November on this 3km long beach found in the Nicoya Peninsula. Raleigh has been invited to help with the turtle egg collection and hatchery, construct a trail that runs behind the beach and plant trees to reforest the area behind the beach. Living on this stunning beach and interacting with these stunning creatures will be a once in a lifetime experience.

The rangers station where they will be working

Alpha 4, the dream team

Alpha 5- La Calera, Achapa

Dania, Sarah and Ray Ray

High in the hills above Achuapa, in one of the poorest most remote areas of Nicaragua, Raleigh will be working on a project to bring clean and safe drinking water to 14 families in La Calera. At present the local people get their water from the river which often dries up in summer or comes from polluted water sources.. The group will be working with the local population to dam small streams, build tanks to collect the water from where it can run through pipes to all the local houses. The participants will be living directly with families in the village and will help out with their day to day tasks.

Foreman Jared talks us through the plans

Outside the Co-operative with president Brigido

Alpha 6- Tara, Sandeep and Guy

Miraflor Community centre project, Nicaragua

The Miraflor reserve is 206sqkm of beautiful mountainous terrain with various different ecosystems such as tropical savannah, dry tropical forest and mountain cloud forest. The local people have few resources and lack access to basic services such as health and education. On this project the participants will be building a community centre / preschool in the community of El Zacaton where currently there are no facilities for very young children to learn. The community centre will also act as the hub of the community proving a space for meetings, training sessions and social events.

Tara and Guy posing on a rock

The site of the new community centre