Costa Rica Spanish Immersion for High Schoolers
A perfect blend of Spanish Immersion and Adventure
When you participate in this program, you will…
Become more fluent in Spanish
Gain cultural understanding
Explore the natural beauty of Costa Rica
Earn between 15 and 30 hours of service learning credit
Grow in confidence, maturity and independence
Learn outside your comfort zone
This Spanish Immersion Program is more than just educational travel or a summer camp. As Spanish teachers, we intentionally integrate the four components below so students walk away with practical skills for the future and a once- in lifetime experience.
SPANISH
CLASSES
Volunteer
work
Host family
living
Exploring the hot spots
Save your IMMERSION Spot!
This program fills on a first come, first served basis. Reserve a spot on the trip – no obligation – no credit card, just 30 days to help you coordinate your schedule!
COSTA RICA IMMERSION Program Details
2 Week Program
Highlights
- 1 wk. host family stay – live like a local in a typical small town
- 15 hrs. of small & personalized Spanish classes
- 12 hrs. of community service projects at local schools
- 3 day beach excursion to Manuel Antonio National Park
- 3 days of adventure in La Fortuna – Arenal Volcano
- Hot springs, zip-line, hanging bridges, waterfall hike & swim
- Dancing & cooking classes
Location
Manuel Antonio, Santo Domingo, La Fortuna
2024 Dates
2 weeks Sessions-Choose your dates!
– June 27 – July 11, 2024
– July 18- Aug. 1st, 2024
24/7 Support
24/7 leadership, coordination & support by engaging program leaders
Possible to combine with Ecuador programs
3 Week Program
Highlights
- 2 wk. host family stay – live like a local in a typical small town
- 30 hrs. of small & personalized Spanish classes.
- 20 hrs. of community service projects at local schools
- 3 day beach excursion to Manuel Antonio National Park
- 3 day adventure to Arenal Volcano
- Hot springs, zip-line, hanging bridges, waterfall hike & swim
- Dancing & cooking classes
- Isla Tortuga Day trip
- Toucan Rescue Ranch
Location
Manuel Antonio, Santo Domingo, La Fortuna
2024 Dates
June 27- July 18, 2024
24/7 Support
24/7 leadership, coordination & support by engaging program leaders
Possible to combine with Ecuador programs
4 Week Program
Highlights
- 3 wk. host family stay – live like a local in a typical small town
- 36 hrs. of small & personalized Spanish classes
- 20 hours of community service projects at local schools
- “Bean-to-bar” organic chocolate farm experience: live, work & learn about sustainable technologies on rural chocolate farm
- 3 day beach excursion to Manuel Antonio National Park
- 3 day adventure to Arenal Volcano
- Hot springs, zip-line, hanging bridges, waterfall hike & swim
- Dancing & cooking classes
- Isla Tortuga Day trip
- Toucan Rescue Ranch
Location
Manuel Antonio, Santo Domingo, La Fortuna & Chocolate Farm
2024 Dates
June 27 – July 24, 2024
24/7 Support
24/7 leadership, coordination & support by engaging program leaders
Price
Possible to combine with Ecuador programs
Testimonials
My son did the 3 week Spanish Immersion trip. There are no words to describe the amazing experience. Leslie and her team are super professional. Every detail and activities are very well planned! They kept us updated with daily pictures and summaries of their activities. The host family was out of this world. His Spanish improved significantly. We highly recommend this immersion program!!
– Nhora Mosquera
The funnest 2 weeks of my life, where I learned so much and grew more wholesome as a person. Don’t be afraid of failure and live in the moment because you’re going to miss every second of the trip and want to do it again.
– Liam Peeples
Two of my kids (9th and 12th grade) attended the two week Costa Rica Immersion trip this summer. They both ended up having the time of their lives. They met friends from all over the country, traveled to some pretty amazing places and became much more proficient in their conversational Spanish! A big highlight was their host mom. Neither of them were ready to leave after two weeks! I can’t imagine there is a better Spanish immersion option out there!
– Natasha Cloutier
Earn College Credit while you travel!
Get up to 5 university Spanish credits for all of the fun and challenging immersion work you’ll do abroad. Just think, you could start college with university level Spanish credit!
Our trips are accredited for 200-level (2nd year) college credits as follows:
- 3 College Spanish credits for 2-week programs
- 4 College Spanish credits for 3-week programs
- 5 College Spanish credits for 4 week programs
Additional fees apply. Email Leslie for more information
Testimonials
“Don’t be so focused on the little things. I get a sense of how difficult it would be for an immigrant to navigate culture and language in the USA. Living here makes you reflect on how lucky we are in America. I have a better sense of how to help and encourage others who are learning a language.”
– Various High School Students
“I realized at the end that I was having a lot more conversations with my host family in a more defined and detailed way. Before this trip I thought my Spanish was alright, but the first day I couldn’t understand anything but towards the end I could understand a lot more. At first my host mom had to speak to me at like 1 word per minute, but by the end we were having normal conversations. I can speak a lot faster now.”
– Various High School Students
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrival day
Travel to Costa Rica. Meet the group & orientation
*Chaperoned group flight available
Days 2-4
Pacific Beach &
National Park Excursion
– Guided National Park / Wildlife Hike: learn about the rainforest flora & fauna with local guide in Spanish
– Surf lessons / volleyball, beach time
– Team Building Activities en español: Get to know other students and set program & individual goals
Days 5-11
Spanish & Cultural Immersion week: Spanish classes, volunteer work & host family living.
Typical day during this portion is:
- 8am – 11:30am Volunteer work 3 mornings a week Cultural activity 1 morning a week Friday morning guided reflection, debrief and goal status
- 12:00 -1pm Group lunch
- 1:00 – 4:00 pm Spanish classes
- 4:00 – 5:00 pm Cultural class (Salsa & Merengue, cooking class, soccer game)
- Dinner and evening with Host family
Days 12-14
Volcano Adventure Excursion
Hanging bridges tour, ziplining guided, wildlife hike, waterfall visit and swim in pools. Volcanic hot springs and night time volcano viewing.
2 week students depart Costa Rica
Day 15
3 & 4 week students return to Immersion homebase & host families
Days 16-21
Spanish & Cultural Immersion Week
Spanish classes, volunteer work & host family living
Cultural classes
Local activities: mercado central, Toucan Rescue Ranch, Coffee tour
3 week students depart Costa Rica
Day 22
4 week students optional day excursion OR Host family day
Days 23-27
Bean to Bar | Rural Chocolate Farm Experience
– Live and work on a 4th generation organic chocolate farm
– Learn the art of processing chocolate in SPANISH; bean-to-bar
– Make chocolate bars, cocoa butter products and more!
– Learn about the sustainable technoliges the farm implements
– Hike to local waterfall and swim
– Take a basket weaving class from local indigenous leader
Day 28
4 week students depart Costa Rica
Next steps
All of our programs include basic travel medical insurance with trip interruption, delays, lost bags, etc. Here is the standard description of coverage for your included travel insurance plan.
If you have any uncertainties about your upcoming adventure, it might be a good idea to consider a Cancel for Any Reason insurance policy. We suggest you shop for it here:
High School Spanish Immersion Student Travel Program FAQs:
We have a maximum number of around 24 students at any one time on the summer immersion program with us. However, most programs average about 15 – 18 students.
Common Ground has 2-3 staff members who chaperone the high school groups at all times, and they are awesome! However, if our group size nears 20+ students, then we typically add a teacher from a school that has students traveling with us to help with the larger numbers. Usually there are more female than male chaperones.
Absolutely. We can discuss the details about the chaperoned flights and whether or not your miles will put your student on that flight.
Yes and no. Most High Schools are not offering actual high school credit for the time you spend in Costa Rica. However, some schools will allow you to take an exam after you return and potentially test out of a year’s worth of Spanish classes. This is particularly an option for those students on the 4-week summer immersion program. Additionally, you can apply the amount of time you spend in community service projects to your school and club requirements. Usually students earn between 20 and 60 community service hours for the 2 and 4-week programs respectively. Additionally, if you are an IB student, you may be able to earn up to 75 CAS hours toward your graduation requirements.
Regarding college credit, our trips are accredited for 200-level (2nd year) college credits as follows:
3 College Spanish credits for 2-week programs
4 College Spanish credits for 3-week programs
5 College Spanish credits for 4 week programs
Of course your length of stay can be adjusted. However, we would be happy to work out a custom itinerary with you for those additional weeks. So just give us a call! (888) 879-2575.
Not a problem at all. Usually it’s a good idea to plan a family vacation directly after your student finishes their immersion program so that they’re able to show you around a little. However, we prefer to know your plans as you’re submitting your student’s application, and we’ll make sure that appropriate arrangements are made. Additionally, we’re happy to help you with travel suggestions as well if you’d like some ideas about nice places to spend some time with you family in Costa Rica.
Of course! If you would like to look into scheduling a virtual classroom presentation at your school, just put us in contact with your Spanish teacher or your Foreign/World Languages department head in order to see if we can get something on the schedule. Contact us here.
We’ll have you complete a lengthy Spanish Immersion placement test that will give us a good idea of what class you should be in and who your classmates should be.
Classes average 4-6 people. They could be as large as 8 and as small as 1:1, but the average is in the 4-6 range.
Immersion is always the best way to learn Spanish in the shortest period of time regardless of your starting level. That said, the more you know before you travel, the faster you learn while you’re there. So, the short answer is that we will work with you at any level of Spanish. We also encourage you to do whatever you can to work on your Spanish before you travel and we know that you’ll be glad you did 🙂
Yes absolutely! Each program has the option of choosing a “Combo” trip. See the details on each immersion trip.
We’re more than happy to transfer 100% of your program registration to another trip if you can’t travel for any reason. Refunds are harder. In fact, all of your payments are non-refundable. If you feel you may need a refund, we recommend a cancel for any reason travel insurance policy.
The default is group format, usually with small groups. There’s also an option for you to have individual lessons for an extra charge.
If you have a US passport you don’t need a visa for either Costa Rica or Ecuador. If you have a passport issued by a different country you’ll need to check it directly.
Covid vaccinations are no longer required to enter Ecuador nor Costa Rica.
Costa Rica – highly recommends all regular vaccines to be up to date. If you do the combo program (Ecuador and then Costa Rica) you also need to have the yellow fever vaccination.
Ecuador – you don’t need the yellow fever to enter.
Both are known to be good places to learn the language, they have a very clear pronunciation.
Main difference is that in Costa Rica they use the “usted” form instead of the “tú” form exclusively.
Yes, you just have to let us know beforehand you want to be paired up.
Ecuador – yes, they actually use the US dollar as their currency.
Costa Rica – yes, they use Colones but there are several ATMs in town.
Yes, along with a pre-departure course.
Yes, we send the information about a week before your arrival.
Cuenca, Ecuador – CUE is the airport code, you may need to book to Quito – UIO and then book a separate domestic flight.
San Jose, Costa Rica – SJO is the airport code.