Program Reviews

Tico Lingo was great. The people are so nice and Chris is the nicest and chillest person ever. You study from 8:00-12:00 with breaks. After 12:00 everyone gets lunch (Tico Lingo pays for it) and then you will do the daily activity which are super fun. Chris and Cat are very supportive and fun to hangout with, they do not judge. It was such a good time, I loved meeting all the new people and getting new opportunities to practice spanish! Overall I strongly recommend coming to Tico Lingo if you are under 18 looking to study Spanish.

Wow. That is the only term I can use to describe this camp. I have never experienced anything so well thought out and planned before. Every part of the trip was incredibly fun, entertaining, and well thought out. From the bus rides, to the classroom, and staff, every portion of this camp was perfect. Since Tico Lingo, I have not shut up about my experience, much to the chagrin of my family and friends. My Spanish improved drastically, and I made life long friendships. I have already begun making plans to return next year. 100/10 stars. Couldn’t be happier with my experience!

Tico Lingo was an incredible opportunity to not only explore a country but become immersed in a new language with amazing people. I visited as a high school student who wanted to use the program to help prepare me for an AP Spanish class and also be able to interact with Spanish speakers in my community. Through the program I achieved these goals and also was able to develop my independence and knowledge of one of the most beautiful places in the world. I loved every second of it and I would strongly recommend this program for anyone who wants to improve their Spanish and explore the world!

Tico Lingo has it down pat. Chris and all the other counselors were amazing incredibly supportive and very fun. This is been by far the best camp I have ever been to! The adventures are unforgettable experiences. The teachers and the Spanish immersiveProgram are very nice and supportive. I went from learning no Spanish at all to be able to start conversations and explain things. If you’re a beginner in Spanish this camp is right for you. And if you are a traveling buff and you love new experiences I 100% recommend this camp.

Since I have never been to an immersion camp before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Even months before the camp, I felt a mix of dread and excitement. I was worried that I wouldn’t know enough Spanish, or that the host family would be mean, or that I’d get lost in the town. However, this camp fully exceeded my expectations. No matter your level in Spanish, you are guaranteed to have the time of your life. The school is designed so you learn no matter what, the camp leaders are always fun and supportive, and the host families are always very understanding. And if that wasn’t enough, the afternoon activities make sure every single day is filled to the brim with action that produces stories you can regale your friends with for weeks. Between the touring, kayaking, hiking, and skating, Tico Lingo has possibly created the most exuberating and educational camp of my life.

Oh, and please, for the love of god, do not flush your toilet paper.

Being part of this program was such an amazing experience for me and all the other students in this camp. I made so many memories with so many different people including other students and locals. There were many exciting trips and excursions we went on every day from scavenger hunts around the beautiful city to white water rafting in rapids. There was not one day I was bored at the camp and spent every second I could with all my friends. The camp counselors were also fantastic as they helped us speak to locals and really bonded with all of us well. Not only did I enjoy every moment at Tico Lingo with new friends, but also my host family. They took good care of me while I was there and really made me feel like I was part of their family. Staying with them also helped me learn even more of the language outside of classes. I’ve learned so much in just a short period of time and I wish my time there never had to end. This was an amazing experience I will never forget and I will miss every moment of it.

This is my second time visiting Tico Lingo, and I had an even better time than before! The school has grown leaps and bounds, and I was able to learn and practice my spanish more than I imagined. I highly recommend this school to anyone that wants to learn spanish, meets lots of people, explore a cool city, stay with a great homestay family, and even learn how to cook traditional Costa Rican Foods! I will most certainly go back to visit again, I can't think of any place better to learn Spanish. Overall the school, the program and the whole team at Tico Lingo is A+++

I visited Heredia, Costa Rica for June 2021. We were always out and about, visiting a new place in Costa Rica or exploring Heredia. It is a good program for adventurous travelers who truly want to explore and learn more about a new place. My host family was amazing and so sweet, and they were very helpful with my learning Spanish (especially during nightly dinner that they made for my housemate and I). The community in Heredia is very safe and welcoming. Would definitely recommend to a highschool/ college student wanting to try something new!

This was my second six-week stint as a student at Tico Lingo. My first experience left me longing to return, not just to Costa Rica, but specifically to Tico Lingo School. It took two years, owing to the pandemic, but it was worth the wait.

My second go-round has only strengthened my sense that I not only have a second home here, with established friends and connections, but that I once again have access to the best Spanish teachers I’ve ever met.

Tico Lingo is situated in the lovely, safe and historic town of Heredia which boasts one of the most comfortable climates possible, warm temperate days, cool nights and sunny skies, without the heat or humidity found in most of Central American. And while this was initially a deciding factor in choosing this school in 2020, Tico Lingo itself deserves all the credit for luring me back.

Chris Reidy, the owner and co-founder, has assembled a small team of truly exceptional people, from professor Freddy Fariñas, the head of curriculum (and simply the best Spanish instructor I have ever encountered anywhere, period, in part owing to his advanced degrees in both English and Spanish and in part owing to his passion for sharing the joy he finds in language) to the other excellent “profesors Y profesoras”, to Yenifer, the ever-helpful, tireless administrator, to Yammi, the custodian who keeps the school incredibly neat and clean, 24/7, and of course, Chris himself who deserves huge credit for putting it all together.

My home stay family was beyond welcoming, and provided delicious breakfasts and suppers in a clean, lovely home and a very private study area. And just about everyone else at the school expresses very high satisfaction with their host families as well.

The school’s intake process is easy with great pre-trip communication and almost effortless logistics for getting you to your homestay and to the school.

I would describe the facility as cozy, colorful, welcoming, airy, and over-the-top friendly, with free coffee, tea and snacks always available. It very quickly feels like home and I found myself staying long after classes to study in any one of the many niches available.

On both my visits I have returned having made life-long friends. (Call it a selection bias, but it is simply a fact that if you are a person interested in visiting another country to learn THEIR language, you will meet others with whom you have a lot in common.)

All the fun, daily, extra curricular activities and weekend tours, as well as the options for additional private classes are easily found on the web site. But it’s the intangibles, the specific culture of Tico Lingo that makes it so special.

Oh, and after this second six weeks, as I wistfully headed for home, it took me a minute to realize that the airline staff had actually checked me in entirely in Spanish, and that I had understood everything she told me.

That was a first 👍.

I very much plan to return again.

The program was amazing in my Spanish development and I returned to my school with noticeable improvement. My host family was amazing I appreciate how well I integrated into their family. My teachers were understanding, compassionate and explained grammar an vocab in a way we understood. I felt safe and explored the city like I would anywhere else. I wish I stayed much much longer than three weeks but Tico Lingo was my first experience abroad and it lit a spark to see the rest of the world. It was awesome!