SPANISH LANGUAGE IMMERSION - High School Summer Programs (800) 321-4353

The healthy balance of formal daily Spanish lessons, real life
conversational experiences, and cross cultural adventures

creates the perfect combination for adventure and learning. The Spanish Immersion program accommodates students at every level, from those who have never studied the language to those who have finished four years of high school Spanish. Offered in two, four, and six week segments, this program is an excellent way to boost Spanish proficiency in a short period of time.

Your Homestay Away from Home
The school is set on a panoramic hillside in Turrialba, where the bucolic environment and beautiful vista provide the perfect setting for integration into traditional Tico culture and lifestyle. Every student lives with a warm, friendly, handpicked family from Turrialba. This carefully organized and supervised arrangement gives Rustic Pathways students a very personal and welcoming perspective on Costa Rican family life, enhancing both their Spanish skills and the cultural aspects of their trip.

Turrialba is Your Classroom
On their first day students complete an oral and written evaluation for placement into small, personal groups of three to five students per teacher. Classes are held at a highly respected language school, and students are taught by certified Costa Rican teachers specifically trained to teach Spanish to foreign visitors. The curriculum includes four hours of formal classes each weekday and focuses heavily on Spanish conversational skills. In addition to formal lessons, students also enjoy cooking classes, dancing classes, visits to local fruit and vegetable markets, local interaction, and participate in other unique cultural activities.

Learning Beyond the Classroom
During the first week, students visit the Patio de Aguila organic farm, the Guayabo National Monument, learn about Costa Rican snakes at El Serpentarium, and hike to the Aquiares Waterfall. During the second week of the program, students play with children at a local orphanage, listen to tales of Costa Rica’s past at a home for the elderly, and brush up on grammar while tutoring English to locals. Each activity encourages Rustic Pathways students to practice language skills in a variety of contexts, helping them to develop a broader Spanish vocabulary and a deeper understanding of Costa Rican culture.

The Longer You Stay the More You Learn
(Four and Six-Week Stays are Welcome)
With each passing week in Turrialba, students will find that their Spanish skills and their connection with the community become stronger. Daily excursions around the community turn into visits with friends – what better way to learn a language? And for those staying four or six weeks, language development will continue to improve with an additional opportunity to participate in a local internship.

The Results are the Reward
The best way to learn any language is to be immersed in a foreign environment. The Spanish Language Immersion program introduces students to new friends, new family, and a new culture, creating a venue to learn, enjoy, comprehend, and speak Spanish.

DAY 1 (TUESDAY)
Depart the United States for San Jose, Costa Rica. All scheduled flights from Newark and Houston to Costa Rica are non-stop and escorted by a Rustic Pathways Flight Leader. Upon arrival at the San Jose airport you will be greeted by your Rustic Pathways Staff. From here you will head over to the hostel rented out by Rustic Pathways where you will spend the first night meeting new friends from your program. Good luck and enjoy your stay in beautiful Costa Rica!

DAY 2 (WEDNESDAY)
Wake up early for a simple breakfast before heading to Turrialba, a peaceful mountain town with all the quaintness of home yet all the flair of true Costa Rican culture. Upon arriving in Turri (as it is called by the locals) you will meet the director of the Spanish school and complete placement tests to determine your level of Spanish. Afterwards, have lunch and take a walking tour around Turrialba before meeting your new host family. The evening will be spent getting to know your family and practicing conversational Spanish skills.

DAYS 03- 04 (THURSDAY, FRIDAY)
Students will begin the regular morning schedule of breakfast with their families followed by Spanish school from 8:00am - 12:30 pm. The group will reunite for lunch at a local restaurant before setting off for an afternoon activity which will be selected by the Rustic Pathways guides with the weather and group interests in mind. Activities will be chosen from the list below. Over the course of the 2 week Language Immersion program, students are likely to do most of these activities. Around 6:00 PM, head home for dinner and quality time with your host family.

DAY 05 (SATURDAY)
Students will continue with the regular morning schedule of breakfast with their families followed by four hours of classroom instruction. After lunch at a local restaurant, students will visit the local market and stroll through downtown to get more acquainted with local places and culture. Later in the evening, you will get your first dose of Latin dance moves with a local dance teacher. Afterwards, return home to show your new dance moves to your host family.

DAY 06-07 (SUNDAY-MONDAY)
After breakfast and classroom activities, set off for day trip to get to know the surrounding area. You might visit the beautiful crater of Irazu volcano or take an educational tour of the museums and beautiful cathedrals in the historic centers of Costa Rica or you may spend the day with your family. In the evening, enjoy dinner and a relaxing evening with your host family.

DAY 08 (TUESDAY)
After lunch, students participating in the one-week program will say goodbye to family and friends and head back to the Rustic base in San Jose. Students on the two-week programs will spend the day on an exciting whitewater rafting trip on the world famous Pacuare river before returning to their host families for the night.

DAY 09 (WEDNESDAY)
Students will depart for the USA or continue to another Rustic program. Students on the two-week Spanish Immersion or Intensive programs will continue with classes, afternoon activities and the overall schedule outlined above for another week which will allow them to further integrate into Costa Rican culture and improve their Spanish language skills.

*** SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING GROUP SIZE: Our maximum capacity for this program is 30 students (this number includes Immersion, Ramp, and Intensive students). During the peak summer weeks, we will divide the group in two, and have half of the students do morning classes and afternoon activities, while the other half will do morning activities and afternoon classes. Dividing the group in no way takes away from the students’ experience, it enables us to give students more individual attention in smaller groups.***

*** SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES: This is a sample itinerary and is not set in stone. Not all weeks of this program are exactly the same and we allow our guides to use their discretion when choosing activities for each group. Some factors our guides use when choosing afternoon and all-day long activities for the group are weather, particular group interests, local special events, holidays, and more. Students spending the full two weeks on the Immersion or Intensive programs will have the opportunity to participate in most, but not all, of the activities offered.***

Shorter/Afternoon Activities

1) EXPLORE CATIE – Visit the beautiful Botanical Gardens of CATIE, the largest seed bank in the world and an important tropical agricultural research center which contains in its gardens an example of each of the world’s existing tropical plant species. Throughout this tour students will be able to see, smell, touch, and even taste examples of tropical fruits, plants with medicinal uses, oil-producing plants, ornamental plants, and roots, tubers, and timber trees from the tropical regions of the planet.

2) CLIMB VOLCÁN TURRIALBA – Put on your hiking boots ‘cause we are heading to the summit of Volcán Turrialba! This is an amazing and challenging hike through magnificent rainforest where you will learn about the local flora and fauna. Enjoy incredible vistas upon summiting along with active fumaroles spurting steam from the summit’s three craters.

3) AQUIARES WATERFALL – Bring your swimsuit because there is a great swimming hole at the base of this beautiful waterfall. You should also bring some comfortable shoes because you will be hiking through picturesque coffee plantations en route to the waterfall.

4) GUAYABO NATIONAL MONUMENT – Grab your camera before you head out to visit the largest and most valuable archeological site in Costa Rica - the Guayabo National Monument. See the stone structures, petroglyphs, functioning aqueducts, and excavated tombs of the inhabitants of more than 3000 years ago!

5) COOKING LESSONS – Throw on your apron at the language school and enjoy some cooking lessons from local cooking experts. All of the students will have an opportunity to try their hand at making some local cuisine and receive lessons in Spanish from our cooking instructor. Today’s dinner will be the product of your labor. ¡Buen Provecho!

6) DANCE LESSONS – Local instructors will spend a few hours teaching you how to shake your hips to popular Latin music – the dances you might learn include merengue, salsa, cha-cha-cha and more!

7) TICO HIGH SCHOOL – Visit one of the local high schools where students of various ages go to learn English on the weekend. Students will be guests in these classes and will have a chance to interact and even teach the locals some English!

8) VISIT A “LECHERIA” – Visit a family run milk and cheese farm. Learn traditional Tico methods for making these staples, try your hand at making some cheese or milking a cow, and then sample the product from the farm itself.

9) “EL SERPENTARIO” – Check out the el Serpentario, the local snake farm and research center. Here we will learn about the Costa Rica’s reptile populations through Minor, a renowned researcher of venomous snakes. Learn about and see first hand the Bushmaster, Fe-De-Lance, Eyelash Viper, and many more of the world’s poisonous snakes. Don’t forget to take a moment to say hello to Minor’s tree frog pets, he’ll even let you hold them!

Longer/All Day Activities

10) FAMILY DAY – Spend an entire day with your Costa Rican homestay family. See what their life is like from morning until evening – cook meals together, listen to latin radio, walk in the park, visit relatives, go to church, and do whatever else your family is doing this day. A great insight into Costa Rican culture and a great time to practice your Spanish!

11) CARTAGO PROVINCE – Travel to Cartago, the ancient capital of Costa Rica. Visit church ruins, the Basilica - shrine of the Virgin of the Angeles, patron saint of Costa Rica and learn about the history of the city. You can also check out the Orosi Valley known for its beautiful coffee farms, hot springs, museums, and colonial churches that have survived countless earthquakes. Enjoy a fresh lunch at a valley restaurant and later visit a private finca where you will enjoy some snacks, do some hiking, or just relax and soak up the stunning scenery. If time and weather permit, you might also be able to hike up the Irazú Volcano – a fun hike with a spectacular view at the summit! Everyone will spend the evening with their families.

Optional Activities (additional cost of $30 - $50)

14) HORSEBACK RIDING - Grab your riding gear and head out to a local finca for a horseback riding tour through fields of coffee and sugar cane, along with great views of the valley below.

15) CANYONING - Those seeking an awesome adventure for a couple of hours will head out to enjoy zip-lining through a rainforest canopy and rappelling down waterfalls in a beautiful canyon near the language school.

Special Activities for Students Staying 3-4 weeks

16) INTERNSHIP – Become an intern at a local store, restaurant, marketplace, or other location. Use this opportunity to strengthen your understanding of the local culture and economy while building your vocabulary and making new friends.

17) ORPHANAGE – Spend some time volunteering at a local orphanage, tutoring English and playing with the kids.

18) ELDER HOME – Volunteer to spend some time with some of the elder members of the Turrialba Community. This is a great way to practice your Spanish while hearing stories of Costa Rica’s history.

1 - How long is the flight to this country?
1A – Direct flight from Newark to San Jose takes approximately 5.5 hours.
Direct flight from Houston to San Jose takes approximately 3.5 to 4 hours.

2 - Will there be a flight leader to this country?
2A – Yes. All flights between Costa Rica and the USA will have a flight leader starting in both Newark and Houston. Return flights to the USA will also have a flight leader as far as Newark and Houston. Flights between Costa Rica and Peru will not be escorted.

3 - Do we need to get visas for this program?
3A – Students from the United States and Canada will be issued a 90 day tourist visa on entry into Costa Rica. Students from other countries should check with their consulate.

4 - What immunizations do we need to get for this trip?
4A – See CDC or WHO websites.

5 – What Costa Rican province(s) does this program pass through?
This program is based in the province of Cartago.

6 - How does this program connect to other programs?
6A – On Tuesday afternoon students will depart from Turrialba for San Jose. They will have a final dinner en route then sleep in a hostel rented out for Rustic Pathways students in San Jose. Wednesday morning students will take off with their new group for their new program.

7 – How long is the drive from San Jose to this program?
They will drive for an hour and a half before arriving in Turrialba.

8 - Is this a good program for students interested in practicing their Spanish?
This is the perfect program to improve Spanish skills.

9 - What costs are not included on this trip?
Canyoning – an activity which includes rappelling, ziplining, and swinging down a canyon ($50), snacks.

10 - What kind of food will we be eating? Where?
The kids in this program will eat the typical Costa Rican food, because they will be staying with Costa Rican families - Rice, beans, salads, meat, eggs, cheese and lots of different fruit drinks.

11 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water?
They don’t have to, but if they want they can buy water bottles.

12 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like?
12A – Students will be staying with host families in typical Costa Rican homes. Two or more students of the same gender will stay with each family. From years of experience these home stay families have long been a favorite of our students.

13 - How many girls and boys are usually on this trip?
13A – There are typically more girls than boys however the exact numbers vary from week to week.

14 - How often (if at all) will students be able to do laundry on this program and what will it cost?
The students in these program will not have problem with this because their host family will do it if they come for more the one week, if they are connecting to another program after only a week they will have the chance to do laundry in San Jose. Estimated cost is around $ 5/ $10.