Why Study Spanish in Costa Rica?

• Democracy
• Egalitarian values
• No army
• Nature conservation.

Costa Rica had its first democratic election in 1899 and although it wasn’t until 1949 that also women and blacks were allowed to vote, we may say that Costa Rica has a better political reputation than the other Central America countries with less stable political climates and more dictators, military coups and internal strife listed in the history books making it one of the safest countries in Central America to study Spanish in.

When the Spanish colonizers tried to dominate the Indigenous people while spreading war and disease, the surviving natives moved away to the mountain ranges, where they still live today. This way, the colonial families didn’t have a work force to exploit and had to take care of themselves. Class divisions that exist to this day in other Latin American countries did not develop to the same degree in Costa Rica, resulting in the establishment of more egalitarian values than in other Latin American countries.

The Costa Ricans by nature seek to avoid conflicts and we may well say that the abolition of the army in 1948 fits in perfectly with the national character. More national resources could be channeled into health and education. Unfortunately Costa Rica, even without an army is fighting an uphill battle against her tremendous deficit. Costa Rica is a small country, but has a large variety of tropical habitants like, tropical rainforest, active volcanoes, jungles, beaches, hot springs, coral reefs and hidden caves and is protected by the best-developed conservation program in Latin America so there’s plenty to do and see whilst studying Spanish in Costa Rica. 28% of Costa Rica’s territory is legally set aside for wildlife and Indigenous life conservation.

We have many adventure options for you to enjoy whilst you study Spanish in Costa Rica.

Study Spanish and Horse Riding

Includes two horseback riding trips: One introduction trip where you will see typical Costa Rican rural scenery and a second trip going through coffee fields to a waterfall where you will be able to swim and refresh before getting back on the horse. No experience at all is needed, but if you do have experience we will adapt the excursion to your wishes!

Study Spanish and Rafting

Includes one trip to the world famous Pacuare River (class III-IV) in a raft with max 7 persons and another trip on the Pejivalle River (class I-II) in a raft with max 2 persons so you will be more in charge of the maneuvering! People from all over the world come to Turrialba to go rafting, and it is an essential experience that the you should not miss!

Study Spanish and Kayaking

Includes two sessions of kayak instruction on the Pejivalle River (class I –II). You will be introduced to and practice “reading the water”, the “eskimo-roll” and also crossing the river by making “ferries”.

Study Spanish and Bird Watching

The first excursion, in CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), will provide opportunities to spot lots of bird species including water birds like herons, egrets and sun bitterns and will finish in the library with some literature consultation. The second excursion, to the Biological Reserve “Espino Blanco” located at an elevation of 1100 meters above sea level, will surprise you with the variety of hummingbirds, toucans, motmots and with some luck, trogons!

Paradise Garden

Paradise Garden

Study Spanish and Mountain Biking

One excursion will take the students through the typical Costa Rican rural scenery and they can choose either to finish at a waterfall, CATIE or the swimming pool in Turrialba. The second excursion is a down-hill ride on the slopes of the Turrialba Volcano and ends in Turrialba town.

Other adventure and educational activities organized by our Spanish School in Costa Rica are the canyoning/canopy tour, visiting the butterfly garden or snake farm, or the Guayabo Archeological Monument. Also hiking, swimming and relaxing under an impressive waterfall are great options! Turrialba town has a few very nice and clean swimming pools with great facilities and are great places to read and study Spanish.

Study Spanish and Volunteer in Costa Rica

Because we value the environment and the local community, we provide you with the opportunity to volunteer abroad for free whilst you study Spanish with us in Costa Rica. There are eleven volunteer positions different organizations to choose from within the teaching, social, agricultural, educational and recreational fields of work. The goal is to have an interesting place for you to practice Spanish and at the same time help these organizations with (foreign) knowledge and/or extra hands to help alleviate the workload.

Volunteer placements are available in two public primary schools and one private primary school. Work ranges from teaching English to playing games or helping with homework.

Social volunteer opportunities are available in a kindergarten, an orphanage or at a retirement home. Work here consists of reading or playing games. At the retirement home, volunteers can also help out with serving dinner or improving the facilities of the institution by working in the garden, repainting walls or cleaning.

We also arrange volunteer opportunities for people who want to help others with a disability or a handicap. The requirements for these volunteer positions are usually more demanding. Volunteer work in this field can be done at Álvaro Rojas Quires and CAIPAD.

For students looking for agricultural or educational volunteer opportunities in Costa Rica, we can arrange positions at C.A.T.I.E. – one of the world’s leading tropical agricultural research stations – in the museum and the library. These volunteer opportunities are more focused on maintenance and are therefore suitable for students with very basic Spanish skills who want to work in a Spanish-speaking environment.

Make new friends and have fun whilst studying Spanish

At night, students can cook local food, go salsa dancing or enjoy the weekly “Latin movie night”. On Friday nights a barbecue is organized which includes some free drinks offered by the school during Happy Hour so that students can socialise and relax after a week of studying Spanish.

“After all, you learn better when at times you can relax your mind as well”.