Costa Rica Spanish Immersion Program Overview
This summer immersion program is a dynamic combination of interactive Spanish lessons and practicing your language skills while performing valuable service work and helping out the community! In the shorter version of our 21-Day Program, you will take lessons in gorgeous open-air classrooms surrounded by nature in both the mountainous jungle town of Turrialba and the beachside community of Puerto Viejo. By keeping the lessons fun and interactive you will have the opportunity to enhance your speaking skills and better understand Spanish. You will take lessons every morning with local teachers while incorporating fun activities like playing games, singing songs, learning traditional dances, or taking cooking lessons.
The service component of this program involves working with the local communities, so not only are you giving back, but you’ll be putting your Spanish skills to use in real-world situations as well! In Turrialba, our community service will consist of working with a local community association. We will do all kinds of projects like painting walls, fixing the playground, and doing neighborhood beautification. In Puerto Viejo, we will work with an animal rescue center at the Cahuita National Park to keep the park and beaches beautiful.
Of course, with all of our hard work learning Spanish and performing community service, we will need some time to relax and experience the best that Costa Rica has to offer! We will snorkel in crystal clear waters, zipline over the jungle canopy, go whitewater rafting, ride horses, spot monkeys, sloths, and tropical birds in protected rainforests, and much more! So what are you waiting for? Discover the real meaning of Pura Vida with us this summer!
During this program, you will…
- Improve your Spanish with up to 18 hours of fun interactive classes, some of which are incorporated into cooking and dance lessons!
- Perform up to 12 hours of meaningful community service in local communities
- Snorkel in azure Caribbean waters and spot exotic marine life
- Relax on the beach and soak up the sun
- Take a fun surfing lesson (for all skill levels)
- Ride horses through the lush Costa Rican countryside with views of a majestic volcano (no experience necessary!)
- Go whitewater rafting through the jungle on a world famous rafting river
- Zipline over the jungle for a bird’s eye view of the canopy
- Hike to and swim in a stunning waterfall deep in the middle of the jungle
- Experience authentic Costa Rican cuisine as you indulge in fresh delicious meals
- Take nature walks and spot monkeys, sloths, tropical birds, and other incredible wildlife
Don’t want the fun to stop? Most travelers choose to extend their journey on the 22-Day version of this popular program!
Trip Itinerary
DAY 1: DEPART FROM MIAMI (MIA)
DAYS 1-6: TURRIALBA
We start our 11-day journey with a private coach ride to Turrialba, a beautiful little town located in the center of Costa Rica and our home base for the next six days. Here, we’ll have our Spanish lessons and work on various service projects, including working closely with the community to clean up the area. Spending quality time with the locals and speaking to them in Spanish is always a highlight of the trip! When we’re not volunteering or learning Spanish, we’ll do adventure activities like canyoning, a zipline canopy tour in the jungle, hiking to a stunning waterfall, and taking in amazing views of the nearby volcano on a horseback ride through the countryside.
DAYS 6-10: WHITE WATER RAFTING > PUERTO VIEJO
En route to our next stop in Puerto Viejo, we’ll stop for an incredible whitewater rafting adventure through the jungle. You’ll never forget the adrenaline-pounding experience of whitewater rafting with our professional guides! We arrive in Puerto Viejo, one of the premier destinations on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. Here, we will continue our Spanish lessons with style! Our classes will incorporate both a cooking lesson and a dance lesson. In addition to spicing up our language classes, we will delve into a new service project while helping out at an animal rescue center.
During our time in Puerto Viejo, we will have plenty of beachside fun! We will perfect our surfing techniques in the Caribbean water (for all skill levels), go snorkeling to see colorful marine life, and relax and enjoy the sun and sand.
DAY 10: SAN JOSÉ
A delicious final dinner in San José caps off our amazing journey before flying home the following morning. ¡Pura Vida!
DAY 11: RETURN FLIGHT TO THE USA
Check out other Travel For Teens programs similar to this one!
Authenticity is engrained in everything we do. Eat, stay, and travel like a local.
Check out what past travelers have to say about Travel For Teens and discover why we are consistently awarded “Top Youth Travel Organization” year after year.
Travel with us and discover why we are consistently winning awards for Top Youth Travel Organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is unique about the Costa Rica: Spanish Language Immersion & Service (11 Days) trip?
One of the most unique aspects of this program is our approach to language lessons. Costa Rica: Spanish Language Immersion & Service (11 Days) provides participants the opportunity to learn the language through fun activities and are encouraged to incorporate the language throughout their daily activities.
Combining the language lessons with a service project is also a great way to enhance the lessons and get the students interacting with locals throughout the entire trip!
One of the most unique aspects of this program is our approach to language lessons. Costa Rica: Spanish Language Immersion & Service (11 Days) provides participants the opportunity to learn the language through fun activities and are encouraged to incorporate the language throughout their daily activities.
Combining the language lessons with a service project is also a great way to enhance the lessons and get the students interacting with locals throughout the entire trip!
Where do we stay?
Students stay in centrally located, safe, and well-supervised accommodations in each city.
They are well suited to facilitating group supervision and usually within walking distance of the main attractions. We do not use large, impersonal chain hotels on the outskirts of cities; we prefer to select smaller, family-run hotels where we establish personal relationships with the owners.
In Turrialba, we stay in a beautiful family-run hotel from which you can see the amazing Turrialba volcano. In Puerto Viejo, we stay at a nice hotel close to the beach and town. In San José, we stay in a great centrally located hotel. At all of our accommodations in Costa Rica, you can expect to see monkeys and other wildlife hanging out!
For safety reasons, we do not publish the names of the accommodations we use. We do not feel it is safe to publish the name of a hotel where a group of teenagers is staying abroad. After registering, participants and parents are given access to our secure parent website where you will be able to see the names of all of the accommodations for a program.
Students stay in centrally located, safe, and well-supervised accommodations in each city.
They are well suited to facilitating group supervision and usually within walking distance of the main attractions. We do not use large, impersonal chain hotels on the outskirts of cities; we prefer to select smaller, family-run hotels where we establish personal relationships with the owners.
In Turrialba, we stay in a beautiful family-run hotel from which you can see the amazing Turrialba volcano. In Puerto Viejo, we stay at a nice hotel close to the beach and town. In San José, we stay in a great centrally located hotel. At all of our accommodations in Costa Rica, you can expect to see monkeys and other wildlife hanging out!
For safety reasons, we do not publish the names of the accommodations we use. We do not feel it is safe to publish the name of a hotel where a group of teenagers is staying abroad. After registering, participants and parents are given access to our secure parent website where you will be able to see the names of all of the accommodations for a program.
What is included on the Costa Rica: Spanish Language Immersion & Service (11 Days) trip?
Tuition cost includes: ground transportation; accommodation; chaperones and guides; program-related activities and admissions; taxes and tips; all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
Not included in cost (this is not intended to be an exhaustive list): airfare; visas and visa application fees; personal and medical expenses; activities and admissions that are not program-related or referenced in the itinerary; beverages other than filtered water at meals; participant expenses that are outside of the program description, such as excess baggage fees and damage to hotels; expenses related to unforeseen circumstances, such as transportation strikes and natural disasters.
Tuition cost includes: ground transportation; accommodation; chaperones and guides; program-related activities and admissions; taxes and tips; all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
Not included in cost (this is not intended to be an exhaustive list): airfare; visas and visa application fees; personal and medical expenses; activities and admissions that are not program-related or referenced in the itinerary; beverages other than filtered water at meals; participant expenses that are outside of the program description, such as excess baggage fees and damage to hotels; expenses related to unforeseen circumstances, such as transportation strikes and natural disasters.
What is the food like on this program?
The food on this program is authentic, delicious, and a central part of the cultural travel experience.
We prioritize eating at local, authentic establishments rather than Americanized chains, encouraging students to sample the local specialties wherever we go. We fully accommodate all dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten allergies, and other restrictions.
The food in Costa Rica is delicious! Expect to eat seasoned rice, beans, chicken, steak, tropical fruit and veggies, plantains, and many other foods flavored with unique Caribbean spices! Vegetarians will have no issues eating well on the trip. Also, unlike in Europe where a light breakfast of coffee and toast is the norm, ticos (Costa Ricans) eat big, savory breakfasts—and so will we!
The food on this program is authentic, delicious, and a central part of the cultural travel experience.
We prioritize eating at local, authentic establishments rather than Americanized chains, encouraging students to sample the local specialties wherever we go. We fully accommodate all dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten allergies, and other restrictions.
The food in Costa Rica is delicious! Expect to eat seasoned rice, beans, chicken, steak, tropical fruit and veggies, plantains, and many other foods flavored with unique Caribbean spices! Vegetarians will have no issues eating well on the trip. Also, unlike in Europe where a light breakfast of coffee and toast is the norm, ticos (Costa Ricans) eat big, savory breakfasts—and so will we!