"IA Summer" - Learn Spanish through Cultural Immersion in Mexico

I absolutely loved the Iguana Abroad course. I made some lifelong friends that I will know forever, and improved my Spanish a long way beyond what I was expecting to in just a month long course. I read some of the other reviews and it looks like a few others are thinking it also, I’d love to come back for another course with Iguana Abroad - or maybe to move to Mexico for around 6 months or longer sometime in the next year or two. This was also my first travel abroad, and now I want to do it over and over and over!

Iguana Abroad is like no other language course out there, and I have been to four others and spent a long time online looking at pretty much all the options (I’m a bit of an overseas language course connoisseur/addict). A good way to describe Iguana Abroad, and when my friends/parents asked, Iguana Abroad is what I called the “whole package” sort of deal. To explain, most other courses out there (for any language) only give you events, or the classes, if you’re lucky then both, but not the travel or exploring part - or maybe the other way round, as in with some travelling/events, but no language classes - but basically always one or the other. After coming to this course and some others in the past as well, in my opinion Iguana Abroad is really leading the way in the language immersion scene in basically any country - and definitely for Spanish. If you want everything – events, classes, travel, exploring, friends, memories, culture and genuine experiences – this is the course for you.

I can’t recommend Iguana Abroad enough for anyone who is interested in learning real Spanish and experiencing “la vida mexicana”! The best trip I’ve ever done abroad period, and by far the most Spanish I’ve ever learnt in 4 weeks. The classes were exceptional and all the trips around Mexico were incredible. Hard to choose a highlight but I think the best moment for me (among many) was the Mexican cookery class in the first week when we learned to cook authentic “mole” sauce with Fernanda and Nohemí – delicioso! Gracias Iguana Abroad for the experience of a lifetime… I promise I will be back!

I arrived on Iguana Abroad with a basic level of Spanish after doing a language program in Chile last year. Even though I spent a month on my previous immersion program I never felt very confident speaking to native speakers when I was there, especially because the accent in Chile is quite hard and people tend to speak quite quickly. When I was looking for programs in Latin America this was really my main aim - to start speaking confidently with native speakers and feel comfortable speaking the language in different situations. For this reason I am so glad I chose Iguana Abroad! The Iguana Abroad program really helps you improve your Spanish quickly and feel comfortable speaking the language because you are speaking it every day with different people and once you arrive you really start to feel immersed in Mexican life. The lessons were all with native speakers and there were also a lot of immersion activities and weekend trips which made the program really varied and interesting. I found the weekend trips to be particularly useful because as well as being sociable they were also a great way to meet new people from around Mexico which helps you get used to understanding different Spanish accents. Overall a perfect program and a great experience!

A well-organized and interesting program. The Spanish teaching was really good and there were a lot of opportunities for Spanish immersion over the course of the trip. After the Spanish classes there were often cultural events organized which I found really helped solidify the Spanish that you learn during the day, as well as helping you to feel a part of the local community and make friends with Mexicans (which really helps with your Spanish progress). The weekend trips were also really interesting - I especially liked the trips to Tepoztlán and Xochimilco. For me the whole experience of being in Mexico was so stimulating and vibrant, I really didn't want to leave at the end of the program. If you come from a cold part of the US like I do the Mexican sunshine is also a plus!

I don’t know where to start.. Do I start with the wonderful sense of community on the trip? Or maybe the Spanish lessons (our awesome teacher Cesar!), the weekend trips, the pre-arrival care to make sure we were ready to fly to Mexico and begin our immersion experience? Or maybe the small details – the Mexican hospitality, the IA team making sure we felt happy comfortable and safe at all times … Or the food (no description of this trip could be complete without the delicious Mexican food!).. All I can say is that I had the time of my life… Thank you Harry, Harry and Priscila for making the trip so special… I really hope I can come be back one day and do it all over again... ¡Gracias!

I went into this experience not knowing what to expect but in the end I had the best summer of my life. We went to Aztec ruins, this incredible natural park in the jungle and even visited the third highest natural monolith in the world! During the week (Monday to Friday) you will be doing Spanish classes which are really helpful, and on the weekends you travel as a group to beautiful and interesting places around Mexico. They also organize a Mexican cookery class which was one of the highlights of the trip for me personally as Mexican food is such a huge part of the culture, and there are various other "immersion events" as well. The trip was really well organized and it really pushes you to advance your Spanish and gain the confidence to speak naturally to native Spanish speakers. 10/10 experience.

Iguana Abroad was an all-round amazing experience. I arrived with a group of strangers and left with a group of friends! The program is a great mix of Spanish lessons and exploring Mexico (on the program I did we went to Las Estacas, Teotihuacán and Peña de Bernal but there are other locations too)- There are so many interesting events and weekend trips, you really feel your Spanish getting better quickly as there is always opportunity to practice and speak to new people. My Spanish improved so much while on the trip. The organizers do a great job of introducing you to new Mexican friends during the program and the focus is really on 24/7 language immersion so there is so much opportunity to integrate yourself into the culture and feel like a local in the country. If you want an authentic experience in Mexico, to boost your Spanish level quickly while having a great vacation, this trip is definitely for you.