Costa Rica Spanish Intensive photos
An awesome tropical summer of Spanish classes, culture, adventure travel and language immersion in Costa Rica’s mountains, beaches, and cities.
$4,888.00
One CPR and First Aid certified AAVE leader, one local Costa Rican guide and one local Costa Rican driver; all ground costs, all ground transportation including airport pickup and drop-off; all camping and camping gear (except sleeping bags, sleep mats and mess kits); all activities and gear listed in the above itinerary; all meals; local gratuities to wait-staff and all hotels or hostels.
Flights to/from San Jose, Costa Rica; optional gratuities, extra snacks and souvenirs.
We waste no time immersing ourselves in authentic Costa Rican life as we meet our first host family and start Spanish classes in Heredia, a lovely suburb of Costa Rica’s capital.Daily adventure escapes such as whitewater rafting on the Reventezon River and floating the Sarapiqui River happen daily. Forget your typical Spanish class, daily conversation is enhanced with culture, cooking, dancing and games.
Next we head to the magical Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve for more classes, adventures and a new host family! The remote town of Santa Elena is perched high in the clouds amongst one of the most amazing wildlife sanctuaries in the world. Keep your eyes open for hummingbirds, toucans, sloths and monkeys. We enjoy an opportunity to give back with community service.
We wrap up our amazing journey on the pristine beaches of Flamingo with our final week of spanish classes. There is time to relax on secluded beaches, snorkel clear waters and surf the waves at Tamarindo. We complete our trip with more adventure: mountain biking, visiting an active volcano, mud spas, and sailing. “Pura Vida!”
You will be met upon arrival at the San Jose airport by your experienced AAVE expedition leaders. After a complete gear check to assure that you are prepared for the diverse regions we explore, we load up our custom vehicles and head off to our bed & breakfast near Heredia. During orientation we get to know each other and learn what to expect in the days ahead. Our daily routine, jobs and safety rules are explained, and the process of growing together as a group begins.
We will spend a week with a host family while studying in Heredia, a week with another host family while studying in Monteverde, and a week with a final host family while studying in Flamingo. Costa Ricans are very warm and friendly. The families have been hand-picked based on their accommodations, including indoor plumbing and a private room for each student, as well as a history of gracious, successful hosting. Hosting students is a main source of income for many Costa Rican families. Most students bring a few pictures from home and a small gift from their hometown for their host family. For six days we share breakfast and dinner with our “tico” families, making the most of this opportunity to immerse ourselves in true Costa Rican culture.
At our language school, Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI), each class has a maximum of five students and includes verbal and written assignments. Each student is given a Spanish test to determine their placement level. There are homework assignments and participation in all classes is mandatory. Teachers are native speakers, professional, fun, and open to teaching based on the strengths and interests of the students. Learning the language is done through games, cooking, and dance. Making a firm commitment to speaking the Spanish language ensures a true, cultural experience of a lifetime.
Before class each day our group participates in local adventures, including a Sky Trek Canopy Tour, hiking in the Santa Elena Reserve, assisting with tree planting and more! After class, we meet as a group before going home to our host families. Various evenings each week we will do an activity as a group. Independent evening outings are not allowed unless with adult members of host families.
We live and study Spanish in San Joaquin de Flores, a suburb of Heredia. This is in the central valley of Costa Rica near the capital city of San Jose. San Joaquin gives you a view into typical tico lifestyle. You see what it is like to live in the more urban, but less touristy part of Costa Rica. For morning excursions, we check out the market and central plaza of Heredia, and we take a boat tour of the Sarapiqui River to watch for jungle wildlife. We volunteer with the Humanitarian Foundation to assist low income families and hike to the crater of the Poas Volcano. We finish this week with whitewater rafting on the Reventezon River in Braulio Carrillo National Park.
We take a break from language classes and host families over the weekend for a trip to the Arenal Volcano. This active volcano is famous for its nearby hot springs. We’ll swim in the hot springs, witness the glowing orange lava, hike to a waterfall and have dinner out on the town.
From Arenal, we travel to Monteverde, a small town located in the mountains and famous for its Cloud Forest Reserve. Our “tico” families here have a much different lifestyle than the families in San Joaquin de Flores. Monteverde is a popular tourist destination. For morning activities we hike in the Santa Elena reserve, ride zip-lines through the jungle canopy, visit a local farm, assist with a volunteer project, take Latin cooking classes and play Costa Rica’s favorite sport, soccer.
There is no better way to spend a weekend than exploring the incredibly diverse ecosystems of this beautiful country. We hike in Rincon de la Vieja National Park against the backdrop of a tropical paradise while conquering the heat and encountering a tree filled with howler monkeys! We also visit a natural mud bath/spa in the middle of the jungle.
Vamos a la playa! Lets go to the beach and catch some waves! Guanacaste is home to the most pristine beaches in Costa Rica. Our school is right on the coast, and you get plenty of beach time while living with your final host family. Morning activities include surf lessons, riding in outrigger boats, visiting an indigenous artisan town, mountain biking, Latin dance classes, sailing and snorkeling.
All good things must come to an end. We travel to the airport in the morning to say our goodbyes after a summer of incredible Costa Rican adventure, challenges, new friends and great fun!
This itinerary is a sample outline of the program highlights. It is not a precise description. Changes made before or during the trip will only be made in the interest of safety or a more successful trip. This diverse itinerary is our framework for a summer of exhilaration and adventure. Get your mind and body set. Activities are planned using years of experience with your highest expectations in mind.
CSI is a physically, mentally and culturally adventurous trip. You stay in simple homes with families, local hostels and native hotels; there is no camping or backpacking.
Many families ask about AAVE’s Costa Rica homestay. It is common to be nervous and we understand; however, most campers find their homestay to be a highlight of their AAVE summer. Costa Rica is our most popular destination, we have run trips there for 16 years. The best way to reassure you, is for you to speak directly with AAVE Costa Rica Alumni. E-mail our office to immediately receive references. Each of your three host families is carefully screened and paid to host AAVE students. They are selected, supervised and employed by the Costa Rican school we work with. We place one student with each host family to maximize Spanish speaking opportunities and to experience a more authentic visit. AAVE students spend a moderate amount of time with their host families. Most of the time you are with your group. On a typical day you stay overnight with your host family, wake up in the morning and join your group for the entire day. At dinner time students will eat authentic food with their family and sometimes, after dinner, join the group for an activity or get together with other AAVE students. Every host family is visited by a trip leader during your stay. Campers usually love their host families and frequently stay in touch afterwards. All students have their own room to sleep in and access to a regular bathroom. All families have telephones and our leaders carry cell phones. If there is ever a problem we immediately switch host families. Costa Rica Spanish Intensive includes fifteen nights of homestays out of twenty-one.
AAVE LANGUAGE ADVENTURE FORMULA:
1. Minimum of two year Spanish study required.
2. We create the optimal situation to jump from learning to using!
3. 15 days of formal classroom language instruction (3-4 hours a day).
4. Language tasks are planned for each day: games, cooking, speaking with locals, etc.
5. Language writing in your trip journal every day.
6. All local outfitters speak Spanish exclusively.
7. The home stay is designed for language immersion and fun.
8. Trip Leaders encourage students to speak Spanish as much as possible.
9. Trip Leaders are fluent in Spanish.
10. Every meal, activity and conversation involves Español!