Intensive Spanish Immersion Program in Heredia, Costa Rica

Intensive Spanish Immersion Program in Heredia, Costa Rica

Location
  • Costa Rica
    • Heredia
Length
1 to 24 weeks
Language
Spanish
Payment plans

Program Details

Language Level
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Immersion Level
Intensive Standard
Class Size
Private Lessons Small Class (1-7)
Weekly Classroom Hours
20
Housing
Host Family Hostel Hotel
Age Min.
18

Pricing

$390
Price Details
The starting price of $390 USD covers one week of the Intensive Spanish Immersion Program and includes 20 hours of small group Spanish classes.

Included in every program:
• Written and oral placement exam
• Airport pickup from SJO
• Guided orientation and walking tour of Heredia
• All class materials
• Unlimited coffee, tea, and high speed WiFi at the school
• 24/7 local support in Heredia
• Free weekly cultural activities such as dance or yoga
• Language exchanges with local Costa Ricans
• Official certificate of course completion

Homestay accommodations, private lessons, and weekend tours can be added to customize your experience.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Classes Some Meals Wifi
What's Included (Extra)

Written and oral Spanish exam
Airport pickup from SJO Airport
Orientation tour with map of Heredia
All necessary class materials
Free internet access at school and in homestays
Fresh coffee and tea each morning
Conversational classes with locals
Official certificate of course completion

What's Not Included
Airfare Domestic Airfare Some Meals SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa
Jan 12, 2026
Mar 30, 2026
103 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Tico Lingo’s Intensive Spanish Immersion Program offers a deep, authentic way to learn Spanish in Costa Rica. Located in the traditional, non touristy city of Heredia, the program combines small group Spanish classes with a maximum of six students, immersive homestay options, and cultural activities designed to build real world fluency.

With a strong focus on oral communication, students practice Spanish daily both inside and outside the classroom while engaging with locals, visiting markets, and navigating everyday life in Heredia. Classes are taught by experienced, native speaking teachers who tailor lessons to each student’s level and goals. The school atmosphere is relaxed, social, and welcoming, with free local coffee, optional weekend excursions, and a strong sense of community.

Whether you are a beginner or an advanced learner, Tico Lingo offers a personalized path to Spanish fluency through cultural connection, academic structure, and pura vida hospitality.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

Students praise the program’s personalized, immersive Spanish classes and supportive, welcoming host families that boost confidence and fluency.

Program Highlights

  • Start any Monday and choose your program length from 1 to 24 weeks
  • All levels welcome, from complete beginners to advanced speakers
  • Small group classes with a maximum of six students
  • Free cultural activities including dance classes, yoga, pilates, and guided city tours
  • Optional weekend trips to volcanoes, beaches, and wildlife rescue centers

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

4.98 Rating
based on 126 reviews
  • 5 rating 99.21%
  • 4 rating 0%
  • 3 rating 0.79%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Instruction 4.95
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.85
  • Housing 4.9
  • Value 4.95
Showing 89 - 96 of 126 reviews
Vanessa
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Experience!

A once (or twice or thrice...) in a lifetime opportunity to study with amazing teachers, be surrounded by compassionate people and experience cultural immersion. What I loved was the personalized attention and the support of the staff. This suits my learning compared to a larger institution. The level of instruction was fast paced but allowed adequate time and practice for learning. Love, love the people here.

The community surrounding the school is safe; the people are warm and kind. The central mercado has wonderful food and there's a huge farmers market every Friday.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Sign up for the program. You won't regret it!

There are opportunities also to organize Tours, Yoga, Cooking and dance classes
158 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Helen
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Spanish School in Costa Rica!

My 8-weeks at Tico Lingo flew by! I loved the people, the classes, the learning environment, and my homestay. I really recommend it to anyone who would like to learn Spanish quickly and organically. Classes are very well balanced between speaking, writing, reading and grammar. My weakest area was speaking so I was very pleased to have the confidence to speak the language by the end of my programme.

I instantly felt part of the family at my homestay. I received a delicious breakfast and dinner everyday and got to practice my Spanish with the family at mealtimes. I hope to keep in touch with them back home in the UK!

I loved getting involved in the activities and tours they had on offer at the school. I signed up for dance and cooking classes with my classmates and had so much fun.

During my time here I fell in love with Costa Rica and I really didn't want to leave - I felt like I made some long-lasting friends at Tico Lingo too! Pura vida chicos muchas gracias por todo!!

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
During my time at the school, there was an opportunity to take a cooking class. We made empanadas, which I had seen before but have never tried! They were delicious and I can't wait to make them again for my friends back home.
149 people found this review helpful.
Response from Tico Lingo

Thank you for the beautiful words Helen! We saw you're Spanish speaking skills grow immensily over the 2-months you were here. Super impressive!

¡Esperamos que esté bien y que todavía esté hablando español todos los días! ¡Pura vida!

Phillip
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A life-changing experience

For me, my time with the Tico Lingo school felt like a life-changing experience. How you might ask? First, my ability to speak Spanish has seen a quantum improvement. When I arrived in Costa Rica, I basically didn’t speak any Spanish. I knew a few words but no way could I hold down a conversation with anyone. By the time I left the school, with a willing partner I was able to small talk talk with them for over an hour entirely in Spanish. I’m not fluent by any means I am still learning, but in such a short amount of time gaining the ability to make a connection with another person that I would not have previously been able to communicate with, to me that is priceless. The other real strength of the school is the community around it. The staff at the school is amazing. I can say with complete sincerity that I think they did everything in their power to make sure that the students had a positive experience at both the school and in Costa Rica in general. I had the opportunity to room and board with a family associated with the school. I highly recommend this for anyone attending the school. Being a guest in home where the people were all native to Costa Rica and they were actively encouraging you and guiding you through the language and the country was an invaluable experience. By the time I left, my Tico family felt like REAL family. The connections with the other students is powerful as well. Being in class together and going out exploring a new country together makes for fast friends. Since I have been back, rarely does a day go by where I don’t text with someone that I met through Tico Lingo. Also, the school is in the perfect location. The people of Costa Rica speak Spanish a lot more clearly and slowly than in other countries. In general, most of the people that I talked to there were really supportive and patient when you were making the effort to try and talk to them in their native language. Costa Rica is beautiful and very safe for tourists. On the weekends when you are not in class you can go out on adventures. I went somewhere different every weekend and there were no bad choices. Everywhere we went was amazing! My time at Tico Lingo was magical and I am shouting from the rooftops that if you are reading this you should give it a try. You won’t regret it.

148 people found this review helpful.
Charles
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Four Weeks In Paradise

I had been backpacking for months when I arrived in Heredia. It's a great little nice safe town up in the mountains with perfect weather: hot during the day and cold at night for sleeping. I wanted to settle down, unpack my bags, and learn Spanish for a month. This program cost about the same if not less than I would've spent just hanging around Costa Rica so it was an absolute no brainer deal for me. I moved in with a wonderful Ticamama named Mercedes who took such amazing care of me; my clothes were always washed, dried, and folded, plus every meal was basically all you can eat (I never finished). She also provided Spanish movies and games to play. My class had a group of outspoken American guys who had coincidentally lived in Okinawa, Japan around the same time. The classroom was really alive with positive energy and plenty to talk and laugh about, but I also became close friends with students in the other classes as well. On the weekends we would do trips to the volcanoes, beaches, lakes, or just go out clubbing till the sun rose. I went from a beginner to an intermediate and am seriously considering doing this program again next winter to take my Spanish to the next advanced level. I highly recommend the four week program at Tico Lingo!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
You may want to consider some private lessons if you feel you're falling behind in the group class or if you want to advance to the next level (that's what I did).
148 people found this review helpful.
Vernon
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Muy Excelente!

My Grandson and I spent a week at Tico Lingo in November, and we had a fabulous experience. The staff, Karen and Chris, were amazing, and made the entire process very easy. Our teachers, Ana and Freddie, were excellent. My grandson gained so much confidence that he could - and did - carry out hour conversations in Spanish. The entire week, from the school to the housing and host family, and the fabulous Thanksgiving feast, complete with a live Jazz band (!) were the best we could have ever hoped for. I give the highest recommendation to this school! In addition, Heredia is a very nice city - it is close to the airport in San Jose (~ 1/2 hour) and I. The middle of the country- close to both oceans and to the mountains. The people in Costa Rica are very friendly- you can’t go wrong with this school!

142 people found this review helpful.
Micha
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Spanish & Yoga Experience

As I live in Costa Rica and only had a very limited time, I sent a special request to Tico Lingo for a Tailor-made program for 10 days. My request was answered by Chris very personal and we quickly found a special program which was exactly what I wanted and fitted my time frame. Due to the short time I had, I went for private classes three hours a day and added an hour of yoga each day. The class was completely adjusted to my requests and the daily yoga practice with Karen, was the highlight of my day.
I believe that for most people the classes in small groups and the stay with a local family is a great choice. For me, the private classes, combined with staying in a hotel nearby was perfect and gave me the enough time to pursue my online work, while getting the most out of the classes.
I can highly recommend Tico Lingo and hope to come back, soon!

159 people found this review helpful.
Claire
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Full Immersion in an Amazing Country

Tico Lingo offers beyond what any study abroad experience could offer. During my time there, I felt completely immersed and welcomed in Costa Rican culture. I learned so much as I met the locals in Heredia, whether this was cooking the traditional dishes, meditating in yoga, or even dancing bachata after classes. Each person I met there taught me something new all while learning Spanish. This is not to mention the amazing professors who are willing to go the extra mile to help you with any and all questions. I left Costa Rica speaking Spanish a whole lot better and with a heart a whole lot fuller.

150 people found this review helpful.
Jacob
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Awesome experience

I had a wonderful time with Tico Lingo. I spent three weeks studying with the school while living in Heredia with a host family they organized for me. The instruction was perfect for me and I spent most of the time learning at a pre-intermediate and intermediate level, although they were able to introduce me to several more advanced topics toward the end. The people running the school, including my instructor, were also a lot of fun and very helpful. I’m mainly satisfied because I learned a ton of Spanish very quickly with them, but it was also a genuinely enjoyable school environment and such a cool place/country. I really think I had a near perfect experience.

What would you improve about this program?
This isn’t much of a critique, as the school is young, but I think they will benefit from eventually adding instructors to better accommodate students who are learning at different paces. Nonetheless, the private classes still gave me time to learn and practice more during my three weeks while I continued to study with other students in group class.
150 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

Great question! Once you send a message or press Apply Now, the provider of this program will receive your message or application, and guide you to the next step. All you have to do is fill out a few details! The entire process should only take a few days and every message will appear in your personal inbox.

You will know within the next few days.

Wait for the provider of this program to accept you! You will receive an email to your personal inbox as well as your Inbox here on Go Overseas within 48 hours.