Program Reviews

This trip was amazing! My host family was welcoming and my teacher was so helpful! I only was able to go for the three week teen program but I totally wish I could have gone for longer. The weekend trips were so much fun and I definitely was able to improve my Spanish! I was able to go to Manuel Antonio which was an amazing national park and I was able to see monkeys, sloths, and iguanas. That was super cool. I would highly recommend purchasing a waterproof pouch before you go. These are definatly memories that I will take with me for the rest of my life. In my host house there were two other girls and just down the street there were two other kids in the program. My street had so many little kids and I had an amazing time getting to know them and help them with their English homework.

Originally I just needed to get away from life. The day to day grind needed a break. I researched several volunteering options around central America and found myself being drawn to this one. I had not set out with intentions on learning Spanish. But after looking closley at the project it was clear to me that this was exactly what I needed to do. Do good for the earth, do good for me. I was nervous at first, but quickly all my anxieties diminished. The Spanish immersion I felt was the most effective way to teach me a new language. Jump right in with both feet! My home stay was such a wonderful experience. My host family showed endless patience and a grand since of humor! My time with them will be cherished a lifetime. But that was only half of my amazing adventure! Pairing the home stay with Tortuga Feliz turtle conservation is a brilliant combo! My time at the project was filled lots of laughs, hard work, baby turtles, and plenty of sunshine! I was so impressed with how organized and well ran the project was. I was hands on and very involved with the conservation efforts going on at the location. The satisfaction of witnessing almost instant results from our efforts is a feeling I still hold today. Not effort good things can be said about my entire experience. I'll be back, and I most definitely recommend this program to anyone needing a little self challenge/love. Do it for the turtles. Do it for the community. Do it for You! Thank you to all the working hands behind the scene and on the ground that make this opportunity possible.

My time in Costa Rica changed my life and it can yours if you want it to.

I was nervous about absolutely everything before booking this program but can honestly say it was the best experience of my life to date.

I loved that everything was so organised which allowed me to just get on and save turtles and learn Spanish. It helped me so much being met at the airport as it was my first ever long haul trip.

Highlights were getting back to basics on a tropical Caribbean beach surrounded by baby turtles. Learning to speak Spanish in an outstandingly friendly atmosphere and being in such an awesome country..
Lowlights were saying goodbye to all the amazing people at the school , down at the beach and especially my homestay family.

Gracias amigos!

100% recommended

My main goals when travelling in Costa Rica were to be able to volunteer with wildlife in a program that genuinely made a difference and to be able to learn Spanish while doing so. The Turtle Rescue and Spanish immersion program could not have been more suited to me! Not only did I get to fulfill a dream to really make a difference and help both the turtles and give back to the local community but I also learnt a lot of Spanish, so much more than I expected to in the month that I was there and made friends for life with both my fellow volunteers and my lovely tico family during my home stay, a home away from home. As a huge nature and animal lover, the highlight for me was observing and assisting in the nesting and protection of beautiful turtles and releasing their hatchlings (leatherbacks, greens and hawksbills) in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

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.

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.

My 18-year-old daughter and I attended TL for one week in April 2017 (all the time we had for Spring break). This place is not only for the young but also for the young at heart (I'm 50 years old). I researched MANY Spanish immersion schools in Guatemala and Costa Rica (Heredia & Liberia). I'm very happy I chose TL. From the beginning, Chris, the director, was timely with correspondence and was very helpful. Everything from start to finish was EASY. About a week before arriving, Karen, the student coordinator, gave me an interview via Skype to see how much Spanish I knew in order to put together a custom curriculum (why waste precious time on things we already know?). Chris and a TL student met us at the airport & drove us to our homestay. We were warmly greeted by our Tico mom and her 2 young children (her husband was part of the Holy Week procession). We were given keys to our room and the house and were told that this was our house. During the week she cooked OH-SO-DELICIOUS breakfasts (she makes the best gallo pinto!) and dinners for us and some days a filling snack after school (school was 8a-12p) if we didn't eat elsewhere. After class we'd normally walk to the central market and have lunch in one of the cafes (they call them sodas). I'd pick up some ripe mangos, the BEST MANGOS I'VE HAD IN MY LIFE!! They were so sweet!! In the short time we were there, we went to San Jose twice by bus & train, zip lining (they call it canopy tours), white water river rafting, to Manuel Antonio National Park (where there is also a beautiful beach!) and a local futbol (soccer) game. Chris arranges everything for the tours---taking care of the driver, lunch, and entrance fee. The people in CR are very patient, helpful, and friendly. Our teacher, Freddy, is THE BEST!! He made 4 hours (with a 15min break) go by so quickly!! He makes sure you understand the lesson and is very patient. We never wanted class to end. Freddy has a FANTASTIC personality!! The school is located in a a safe neighborhood 10min walking distance from our homestay. The school is very comfortable with a small kitchen to make a snack during break, outdoor patios, and a seating living-room-type area with water & coffee. TL is an AWESOME Spanish immersion school; I HIGHLY recommend it and will gladly answer any questions you may have about our memorable experience (JCrewesgal@yahoo.com). I will definitely return but for 3wks this time. PURA VIDA!!!

P.S. The only cons were the humidity and our homestay bedroom (entire house, actually) not having air conditioning, and the fan in our room was very loud. I would still return in a heartbeat!!

I am a 56 year old guy from Texas who has been taking Spanish lessons off and on for over 20 years. Wanting to become more comfortable with Spanish via a full-immersion program, I searched Google and found Tico Lingo. After spending a month in Costa Rica, my Spanish skills improved significantly.
The program is organized well from start to finish. A person picked me up at the airport, drove me to the house where I would be living and introduced me to my Tico family. The family was welcoming, the room was comfortable, free WIFI was available, the meals were good and the atmosphere felt safe. I opted for one-on-one lessons at Tico Lingo which is a converted house in the suburb of Heredia. Most of the other students were in their 20s, but the program seems to work for all ages.
There is lots of free time outside of studying for whatever a student wishes to do. Rather than join others on organized weekend tours, I explored San Jose and the suburbs. Very little English is spoken outside of San Jose - which is good. It rained every single day, so having an umbrella was a necessity. There are good restaurants, excellent coffee places, local gyms, etc. The people in Heredia are generally nice and helpful for travelers. My main method of getting around was walking, but Uber also worked great.

My time at Tico Lingo was absolutely amazing. As a sixteen-year-old high school student, this was my first experience with any sort of study-abroad program (and my first time traveling anywhere on my own), and it did not disappoint! From the moment I arrived to the moment I left, I could not have been happier or more satisfied with this program. Despite having taken Spanish classes in the US for three years, I did not feel at all confident speaking the language-- on the first day, I could barely communicate, let alone understand what my homestay family was saying! However, by the end of the program, my speaking abilities had vastly improved and I could both speak and understand with relative ease.
I arrived in Heredia thinking I would only be there for two weeks. However, by the third day, I’d fallen in love with my homestay family, my newfound friends, and the city itself. A few phone calls later, I had arranged to stay for a month. I found that Heredia was the perfect setting to practice Spanish-- the locals were extremely patient and friendly, and were always willing to strike up a conversation. More importantly, however, my homestay family was incredible. The entire family's amazingly welcoming demeanor made me feel like I was a family member right from the start. Chris and Karen were also wonderful, and were always there to help the students with anything we needed.
The teachers were fantastic. Each had their own style and manner of teaching, and all three were incredibly helpful and friendly. Ana Lorena's kind, patient, and encouraging demeanor was perfect, especially for the first few days, when I felt overwhelmed by my lack of understanding. After I felt comfortable with the material she was covering, I was able to move into Lucia's class, which was filled with discussion, question-and-answer activities, and constant conversation. Lucia's teaching style was a perfect blend of grammar and real-world applications, and she did an amazing job of giving context to her lessons, making them memorable and easily understandable. During my last week at Tico Lingo, I moved into Freddy's class. Freddy was very patient and professional, with a great sense of humor, and his class was far more grammar-intensive than the former two. I learned an incredible amount in just a few days with him, which was perfectly paced after the three weeks spent building a strong foundation for my Spanish. After a month of classes, I found that my Spanish abilities skyrocketed; whereas before I struggled to articulate my thoughts, speaking now came naturally.
This program was a wonderful learning experience. Thank you so much to Chris, Karen, my teachers, and my homestay family! I hope to come back next year! ¡Pura vida!

If you want a low-key, relaxed but thorough Spanish immersion experience this is for you. The best thing I can say about Tico Lingo is that the school is run in such a chill way that you don't ever feel like a tourist. At the same time the teachers are high-quality and you will learn fast. I recommend staying with a family, who cooked me two delicious meals a day and were great company. The staff of this school are real, down to earth, and completely attentive to making sure you have a good time. If you are looking to make friends and have a good time while learning or brushing up on your Spanish this is the perfect place. Def hit up the exotic beaches on the weekend.