Teen Spanish Summer Camp in Costa Rica

Teen Spanish Summer Camp in Costa Rica

Location
  • Costa Rica
    • Heredia
Length
1 - 2 weeks
Payment plans

Program Details

Program Type
Direct Enrollment
Timeframe
Summer
Housing
Host Family
Language
Spanish
Age Min.
13
Age Max
17

Pricing

Price Details
From arrival to departure, meals, lodging, transportation, classes, activities, tours, and supervision are fully covered.

What is included
• 40 hours of small group Spanish classes
• 10 hours of guided community service
• Homestay accommodation with two daily meals, laundry, and WiFi
• Daily cultural activities like cooking, dance, art, and soccer
• Daily lunch with Costa Rican and international cuisine
• Adventure tours including rafting and zip lining
• Airport pickup and drop off from SJO
• 24/7 supervision with a 7 to 1 ratio
• Daily photo updates and parent communication
• Graduation ceremony and certificate of program completion
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals SIM cards Transportation Wifi
What's Included (Extra)

This 15-Day program includes a lot.
All meals, classes, tours, transportation, class materials, and activities are included in the camp. We provide 24/7 communication with parents and upload photos of the camp daily to parent Whatsapp group chats.

What's Not Included
Airfare Domestic Airfare Travel Insurance Visa
What's Not Included (Extra)

Not Included in the Camp:
— Airfare & Travel Insurance
—Spending money for umbrellas, snacks, ice-cream, souvenirs, etc. (we recommend $50/week)

Jan 12, 2026
Aug 20, 2025
29 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Our Teen Spanish Summer Camp in Costa Rica is a fun, immersive experience that combines Spanish language learning, cultural immersion, adventure travel, and community service. Teens build real world Spanish skills through small group classes and daily interaction while living with a welcoming Costa Rican host family in Heredia. Each afternoon brings hands on cultural activities like cooking, dance, art, and sports that make learning Spanish feel natural and exciting. Students also complete 10 hours of local community service, giving them the chance to connect with the community while using Spanish in meaningful ways. On weekends, the group explores Costa Rica’s rainforests, waterfalls, beaches, and national parks. With 24/7 supervision and a supportive international environment, students head home with stronger Spanish, new friendships, and unforgettable memories!

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

This program offers immersive Spanish classes with supportive teachers and welcoming host families in a safe, friendly community.

Program Highlights

  • Live with a Costa Rican host family and practice Spanish every day in a real life setting
  • Learn Spanish in small groups with experienced instructors and other teens from around the world
  • Give back through 10 hours of hands on community service with local organizations
  • Tap into your adventurous side with white water rafting, zip lining, and hikes through the rainforest
  • Enjoy daily activities like cooking and dance class, pick-up soccer games, and visits to museums, animal rescue centers, and coffee farms

Teen Spanish Camp Update | Camp #2 and #3 | Still Open!

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

Tico Lingo is a diverse and welcoming space committed to creating respectful and inclusive environments where BIPOC students feel seen, safe, and supported. We encourage open dialogue around cultural identity and social equity, and we work with local partners who share our values of diversity and inclusion. Our community includes students from all over the world, representing a wide range of races, religions, and economic backgrounds, and our team is always available to listen, support, and empower every learner.
Tico Lingo is proud to be an inclusive and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ students. We work with homestay families and staff who value respect, safety, and open-mindedness, and we are happy to accommodate housing and classroom preferences whenever possible. Our team is here to support each student’s identity and ensure a comfortable, affirming immersion experience in Costa Rica.
Tico Lingo is committed to supporting neurodivergent students by fostering a flexible, patient, and understanding learning environment. Our small class sizes, personalized instruction, and calm school atmosphere allow us to adapt to a variety of learning styles and sensory needs. We encourage open communication before and during the program so we can work together to create a positive and supportive experience for every student.
Tico Lingo welcomes students of all abilities and is happy to accommodate participants with physical disabilities or chronic conditions whenever possible. While our historic building in Heredia has some physical limitations, we work closely with students in advance to assess individual needs and make personalized arrangements for housing, transportation, and classroom access. Our team is committed to creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for every learner.

Impact 🌎

At Tico Lingo, we strive to minimize our environmental footprint while maximizing our positive contribution to Costa Rica’s ecosystems. We’ve eliminated single-use plastics across all programs, provide students with reusable drinkware and eatware, and promote low-impact travel throughout Heredia and beyond. In partnership with local animal rescue centers like Rescate and Toucan Rescue Ranch, we support wildlife conservation through financial donations, student engagement, and education.
Tico Lingo builds its programs around fairness, respect, and responsible community engagement. We work exclusively with local Costa Rican families, tours guides, and activity instructors, and Spanish teachers to ensure ethical pay and direct economic benefit to our local community. Students are encouraged to engage with Costa Rican cultural traditions thoughtfully and respectfully, using their Spanish to connect with the local community with openness and curiosity. The goal is to foster meaningful, positive experiences for both the student and the people of Heredia.

Program Reviews

4.97 Rating
based on 91 reviews
  • 5 rating 96.7%
  • 4 rating 3.3%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 4.95
  • Support 5
  • Fun 4.95
  • Housing 4.95
  • Safety 4.95
Showing 25 - 32 of 91 reviews
Zoe
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Lifelong Friends and Fun Experiences

Coming to this camp/school I was really nervous traveling to a new country alone, not knowing anything about the people or the program. I became less nervous as soon as I got to my homestay and met the parents I’d be staying with, and both of my roomates. Although I was scared to talk to people I’d never met before, and would be staying with for the next 2 weeks, we got along really well as soon as we started talking, and that has lasted for the entire 2 weeks. We arrived at school together everyday and took classes with really fun teachers who didn’t make us do boring work to learn Spanish. The counselors were super chill (Clay and Morgan) and the bus rides were always so much fun and every activity was interesting. I’m so glad I did this program. I’ve improved my Spanish and made lifelong friends.

Pros
  • The counselors were super chill!
  • My homestay roommates became my best friends
129 people found this review helpful.
Milo
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Three thumbs up emojis “at Tico Lingo!” 👍👍👍

I’ve had overall a great time here at Tico Lingo Spanish Camp! There were moments of course…..but what trip doesn’t.

My homestay was excellent. I had Damaris and Carlos, who own an adorable poodle and a hilarious parrot. Their food was routinely delicious. While it was a bit difficult to survive living with three teenage boys who are all younger than me, their roomy living quarters gave me enough space to distance myself from them.

The classes were really helpful! I’d like to think I learned a lot of practical Spanish (todavia, entonces, el futuro) and a lot of non-practical but fun Spanish (saltamontes, vampiras, pijamada). We played lots of interesting and entertaining games.

The activities were great! The scavenger hunt was a brutal three hours in the heat and the zipline course was pretty short, but everything else was perfect! My favorite part was the Oxigeno Mall and its rooftop garden.

Come here if you want a language-learning experience you’ll never forget!

Pros
  • My homestay was excellent! The food 👌
  • The classes were really helpful!
  • Basically all the activity were great
Cons
  • Lots of sun, but that's normal in Costa Rica
  • My homestay buddies were hard to get along with some days
130 people found this review helpful.
Riley
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Tico Lingo was an amazing experience.

Tico Lingo was an amazing experience. I made some new friends that I will forever be thankful for. This program has introduced me to so many things I never thought I would do, like white water rafting, which was so much more fun than I thought. We experienced so many places and things here in Costa Rica that we all enjoyed. We went to an animal sanctuary, roller skating, La Fortuna volcano and much more. I also really appreciate my teacher, Profesora Marlin, and my homestay mom, Rita, for the most amazing two weeks. This experience was amazing, but tiring, and I will miss it so much!

Pros
  • We experience so so much!
  • My teacher was great, and very patient
  • Homestay experience was so cool
Cons
  • Was a bit tiring
116 people found this review helpful.
Milan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great camp! Helped me improve my Spanish while having fun! 😄

I had a great time! My homestay mom was so sweet and kind. During the entire two weeks I have never felt un-welcomed by her. Also, my teacher was the best! She always helped me when I didn’t know how to conjugate a word correctly or when I didn’t know how to say a word in Spanish. She always made learning Spanish fun, which encouraged me to keep practicing, speaking and writing. I really enjoyed the activities we did after school. My favorite was ziplining and the ropes course. But I loved how this program allows us to learn and practice our Spanish while also exploring Costa Rica. I have made many friends during this program that I can’t wait to see again in the future! Clay, Morgan and Mary really made this experience very special!!

Pros
  • The activities were great!
  • The teacher made Spanish learning fun
  • The chaperones were awesome
137 people found this review helpful.
Dominic
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Very Fun Learning Vacation! Learned a lot of Spanish!

During my time at Tico Lingo's Spanish Camp, I met a lot very nice people and consider many of them my friends now. The homestay experience was amazing including the food and my homestay family. In these two weeks I really feel more confident speaking Spanish thanks to the amazing professors and counselors that run the program. Tico Lingo's Camp is not only a learning program but a vacation experience with many different activities after school is done for the day. I really recommend it to people who want to boost their confidence speaking Spanish and see a lot of Costa Rica over 15 days.

Pros
  • So easy to make friends
  • My homestay was amazing
Cons
  • Some really early mornings
73 people found this review helpful.
Lucy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Freeing, amazing experience.

On the plane from Newark International Airport to San Jose I was having scary thoughts. Two weeks in a foreign country with campers and strangers and school in the summer? Why on earth had I agreed to this in the first place? I knew I made the right decision on the first night. I sat and talked with two new friends as we bonded over our fear of what was to come the next morning and the abundance of meals containing rice and beans. For someone with a whole lot of fears and doubts, I felt completely at home in this strange new house. The next week flew by, filled to the brim with laughter and learning. In class there was never a dull moment, and I always stepped out feeling mostly more comfortable with my language skills. The weekend trip proved to be just as fun as we rode the bus and took in every sight we visited with wide eyes and newly opened minds. The moment I stepped into Tico Lingo on the first day my fears dissolved. This has been my favorite travel experience. I’ve made lifelong friends and created enough memories to last a lifetime. Tico Lingo brought new meaning to travel and immersion. It is something I will always remember with a smile.

Pros
  • Felt right at home, safe, and looked after
  • Made lifelong friends
  • Spanish class was fun and engaging
77 people found this review helpful.
Jackie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

BEST CAMP EVER! 🔥

I legitimately loved this camp. It was sooooo fun. I will do this again next year. The ziplining was my favorite part and being at the hotel by the volcano. I'm just 13 years old, and I am so happy my parents let me come. I think 100% you should too if you like learning Spanish and seeing a different part of the world. Costa Rica is so different, but there are so many pretty things to see and do. And this camp let us do them! Lots of rain sometimes, but it made it even more fun sometimes. I hope to be back and see everyone again

Pros
  • I had sooo much fun
  • Felt safe walking to class
68 people found this review helpful.
Josias
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My super fun (and sunburned) experience in Costa Rica

When I first arrived in Costa Rica, in my homestay family, they were talking really quickly and all I said was “Si, Gracias”. Now, at the end of camp, when I get home I understand them and I can actually reply! The people I met on the camp are really nice and funny. When I got to school the first day I noticed that everything was nice and relaxed and not as strict as in school back home. We had 4 hours of Spanish every day and then visited places in the afternoon. On the first day we visited the city of Heredia where we were located, and played soccer at a park. We also did fun things like going to a mall, ziplining, ropes courses, going to coffee farms and other things. I learned about a lot of new things and definitely improved my Spanish. The worst thing I experienced was me getting a very bad sunburn on an excursion to a volcano where we stayed overnight. I forgot to put on sunscreen that day and we got a very bad sunburn while we were kayaking. The second day we went white water river rafting and I had a lot of enriching experiences which helped me expand my picture of Central America. Two weeks without parents, that thought scared me, but in the end I think it helped me grow mentally. The staff was very nice and chill and I would recommend this camp to everybody.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Bring sunscreen, and be ready to have lots of conversations with your homestay family in Spanish, they speak zero English!
Pros
  • Great food at homestay
  • Lots of activities and fun staff
  • Learned about a lot of new things and definitely improved my Spanish.
76 people found this review helpful.

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