As a parent, I was a little nervous about sending my daughter to a sleep-away camp, especially in another country, but I didn't need to worry. From the beginning, the Intercultura team was warm, organized, and clearly invested in making sure the students felt safe, included, and supported.

When my daughter came home, she couldn't stop talking about her experience. She made close friends, gained confidence speaking Spanish, and had so many stories about the activities, excursions, and life at camp. What stood out to me was how much she grew in just a few weeks, not only linguistically, but personally (independence).

I loved that the program balanced learning with fun. The students were immersed in Spanish and Costa Rican culture, but it never felt like school. They were busy exploring, connecting with others, and building independence in a supportive environment.

The friendships she made were probably her favorite part. Months later, she's still in touch with friends she met at camp, and she's already asking if she can go back.

If you're considering Intercultura for your teenager, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It was one of those experiences that will stay with my daughter for a long time, and I'm so grateful she had the opportunity to be part of it.

I'm not going to lie, I was nervous about sending my 15 year old daughter on her own to Costa Rica, but I'm so glad I took the risk. Intercultura takes incredibly good care of the students right from day 1. Holli and Amy are the two dedicated coordinators for the program, and they met with you online before departure, and answered every one of my many many email without ever getting annoyed with me! The Camp itself also has two 24/7 chaperones, Yessenia and Lia, and they are with teens all the time, and they are great, just really good people and fun, and Yessenia has years of experience, she's the head chaperone and you can tell she knows how to handle teens and create an experience where they have fun but stay safe.

The host family in the city campus is amazing, my daughter Ella felt like she was part of the family immediately, and she loved the food - rice and beans is the national dish, they call it gallo pinto! It was a family made up of the mother, her daughter and the grandmother, which I liked because that felt really safe to me, and it was.

The city school itself looks beautiful from the pictures, they these tropical gardens inside the school, so teens could hang out there with their friends in any free time they had, and had Intercultura staff right there to help with anything they needed. Ditto for the beach school, except even more beautiful because it is literally RIGHT ON THE BEACH. It was like a 5-star hotel except a fraction of the price.
Ella even enjoyed the classes, which I had my doubts about, but the teachers are trained to teach teens, the classes are specially designed for them, and she said they were actually fun, if you can believe it. 4 hours of class, but fun?! Anyway, her Spanish teacher said she made amazing progress, so I'm really happy, and I know that emotionally it was a real growing experience for her, and she loves the friends she made there last year and still keeps in touch. She asked if she could go again this year, and we're trying to make it happen... we'll see!

My wife and I are huge fans of the Intercultura program. One or both of our daughters have gone for the last 3 years. Our second started at 13 years old. (They are now in 10th and 12th grades).

Both girls loved the program. They made a lot of friends, participated in lots of fun activities, and learned a huge amount of Spanish. Each daughter has been taking honors or AP spanish in school since and has done exceedingly well -- which I attribute in no small part to their Intercultura experiences.

I have not been to the Heredia campus, but am very familiar with the Samara campus. My wife and I own a condo in a nearby town, and I have gone to the Intercultura program myself in a midlife quest to learn espanol. The Samara school is literally right on the beach, and the people who run it are wonderful with the teens -- caring and watchful without being overbearing. While our girls are at the Intercultura and we are back home in Atlanta, my wife and I are very comfortable with them being at the school and walking around the town of Samara. There is easy internet and phone access, so they can reach us anytime.

As an aside, several children of friends, as well as one adult friend, have gone to the Intercultura on our recommendation. To the person, each has been very pleased.

As for suggestions, I would consider sending your daughter for more than two weeks, if feasible and if she wants to go. Due to other summer commitments, ours girls have only done the two-week stints supplemented by third weeks of family vacations in Costa Rica. Kids who stay at the program longer seem to learn that much more espanol while continuing to have a good time. (Actually, come to think of it, our older daughter may have done 3 weeks two summers ago.)