Teen Spanish & Adventure Summer Camp
Summer Camp in Costa Rica
Expand your Horizons through Language, Culture, and Adventure
Through Intercultura Costa Rica’s Teen Spanish Summer Camp, teens experience true cultural immersion through daily Spanish classes while living with a local Costa Rican family, participating in daily activities and service-learning and adventure tours around the country. An owner-run language school founded in 1993 by our Costa Rican and European/US directors, Adelita Jiménez and Laura Ellington, Intercultura has offered the Teen Spanish Summer Camp since 2003. Our internationally recognized programs are fully insured, provide a 1:8 student-chaperone ratio, offer multilingual support staff and credentialled professors and trip leaders.
We believe that immersion experiences truly change a person, offering new perspectives and mind-opening opportunities to understand what it means to communicate in and be part of a global community.
Teens learn cross-cultural, empowered communication skills through classroom learning and hands-on experience interacting with Costa Ricans from all walks of life. Throughout the camp, teens are pushed to step out of their comfort zone, explore the concepts of social responsibility, intercultural intelligence and learn how to use today’s technological tools as an agent for positive change. At the end of the two-week camp they will not only have moved closer to their goal of Spanish fluency, but also increased their intercultural intelligence AND their confidence to navigate the quickly changing culture of our world.
Ages: 13 - 17
Middle & high school students
14 days
2027 Dates:
Sunday, July 11th – Sunday, July 25th
Includes: Spanish immersion classes, 3 dedicated staff members, homestay accommodations, hotel with AC & pool, nutritious meals, exciting excursions and enriching cultural activities.
$3,650*
for 2-week session
$630/week
optional Teen Spanish Immersion Program Add-On
*$200 Early Bird Discount with deposit made before April 1st
SIGN UP FOR TEEN SUMMER CAMP
TEEN CAMP PROGRAM DETAILS
What Your Teen Will Experience And How To Get Started
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS & GENERAL INFO
The camp combines a first week in Heredia, a university city, with a second week at the Samara Beach school. Excursions introduce teens to Costa Rica’s rainforests, indigenous communities and lowland jungle. Intercultura is a school, so the program keeps prices accessible and offers two partial scholarships based on financial need and merit.
THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Parents and teens receive a pre-arrival orientation, a group chat before and during camp, and daily photos on a private platform.
Each session hosts 12–24 teens, with no more than eight students per staff member.
Spanish classes are grouped by age and language level, capped at six students (four on average).
Campus social spaces, study rooms, student kitchens and outdoor hammocks give campers room to relax together.
SCHOOL STAFF
Founded in 1993, Intercultura has welcomed student groups since 1994, backed by extensive experience and participant recommendations.
A Teen Program director and homestay coordinator work alongside two bilingual chaperones available around the clock.
Both campuses have multilingual coordinators and experienced professors trained to teach young adults.
HEREDIA · WEEK 1
Students stay with selected local families a short walk from school. A full-time coordinator is available for support and emergencies.
Each teen has a private room. Families can also arrange separate rooms for same-gender students or a shared room for friends; homes are about 10–15 minutes from school at most.
SÁMARA · WEEK 2
The beach week is based at a hotel four blocks from school, with air conditioning and a pool. Students share rooms with campers of the same gender.
INCLUSION & PRACTICAL INFO
Staff and host families welcome teens of all ages, ethnicities, religions, gender identities and sexual orientations. Vegetarian meals are available and vegan supplements can be requested.
Students should bring travel insurance, a debit card for emergencies and cash for personal extras such as sunscreen, repellent, snacks and souvenirs.
- Pre-arrival orientation and Spanish placement exam
- Four hours of group Spanish classes each day
- Three meals daily, plus activity snacks
- Heredia homestay and Samara hotel accommodations
- Tours, activities, transport and lodging throughout camp
- Service-learning activities
- Graduation and course certificate
- Parent–staff communication and private camp updates before and during the program
Airfare, personal-care items and spending money are not covered. Most students bring about $100–$130 for the two weeks.
CAMP ITINERARY
This is a guide to a typical session. Weather and other conditions may change activities or timing.
About a month before arrival, parents and teens join an online welcome to ask questions and review the schedule, what to expect and what to pack.
Arrive at San José Airport during the day, ideally before 5:30 p.m. A host family collects each student and helps them settle in, connect to Wi-Fi and have a snack. From 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., families walk campers to school to meet bilingual chaperones and the group for icebreakers, pizza and local ice cream; chaperones then take students back to their homestay.
The week begins with school and culture orientation, then a Heredia tour of the market, central plaza, colonial architecture and Olympic pool, followed by a Latin cooking class for lunch. Spanish lessons are in the afternoon; mornings are kept open for tours. Students return to their host family for dinner and join an evening group activity. Other days feature an indigenous community, waterfalls, an animal rescue center, skating, volunteering and time with local students.
The group visits a live volcano, ziplines through cloud forest, enjoys waterslides and hot springs, and takes a boat across a lake before reaching Sámara. After hotel check-in, students can relax by the pool, dine locally and explore town.
The first day mixes surfing, Latin dance and beach time with afternoon Spanish, a local dinner and a beach bonfire with s’mores when weather allows. For the rest of the week, classes rotate between mornings and afternoons, with options such as Zumba, indoor soccer with locals, dolphin watching, snorkeling and beach volleyball. The week closes with a school graduation celebration.
After Thursday’s class, the group heads to a national park for a riverside rappel, natural hot springs, river tubing, horseback riding and a swim at a clear waterfall. On Saturday evening, they return to a hotel near the airport for a farewell dinner and final pool time.
Bilingual chaperones accompany students to the airport in groups matched to their flight times. ¡Buen viaje y pura vida!
REGISTRATION PROCESS
To reserve a place, complete the online registration form for the Teen Spanish Summer Camp.
ONLINE REGISTRATION
Use the Teen Spanish Summer Camp registration form to submit your application.
QUESTIONS? CONTACT THE TEAM
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +506 8330-3555
Ask the teen advisor, Torri, or one of the directors for help.
SPECIAL OFFERS
10% FAMILY DISCOUNT
Available when three or more family members travel together.
$200 EARLY-BIRD SAVING
Apply when the deposit arrives before April 1.
NEED- & MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS
Two partial scholarships are offered per teen camp. Applications require financial documents and teacher recommendations; contact the team to apply.
5 REASONS TO CHOOSE OUR CAMP
GAIN GLOBAL COMPETENCIES
Build a wider view of the world and practice thoughtful communication across cultures.
LANGUAGE LEARNING BENEFITS
Young learners absorb language quickly; immersion turns Spanish practice into useful, real-life connections.
NEW CULTURES & PEOPLE
Meet people with different perspectives, question assumptions and see how cultures can learn from one another.
SAFE & SUSTAINABLE ADVENTURE
Experienced chaperones and teachers lead the activities while helping teens grow in confidence and responsible independence.
INVEST IN THE FUTURE
Spanish and multilingual skills can strengthen future opportunities in college, internships and first jobs.
Previous Teen Programs
Reviews
EXPERIENCE THE UNIQUENESS OF OUR TEEN SPANISH IMMERSION CAMP
SIGN UP NOW FOR TEEN CAMP
INTERCULTURA COSTA RICA HAS 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE HOSTING TEEN GROUPS
We know how to offer an experience of a lifetime! Read our featured article in the Costa Rican Times.