Spanish Language Immersion

San Jose Hotel
Students stay in a hotel with shared rooms. Private bathrooms with hot water and Western-style toilets.

Homestay
Students will be staying with host families in typical Costa Rican homes. They will have access to electricity, their own bedroom, hot showers, and flush toilets. Two or more students of the same gender will stay with each family. From years of experience, these homestay families have long been a favorite of our students.

Very little physicality required–mostly traveling or learning.

Each location has its own resident chef and team of cooking staff. Participants will eat a combination of local Costa Rican dishes and western-style dishes. Breakfasts typically include cereal, bread, eggs, crackers, rice and beans, and fruit. Lunches and dinners range from traditional Costa Rican casado (rice, beans, vegetables, green salad and different types of meat) to pasta and stir-fries.

Dietary Requirements/Food Allergies – We can easily accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other common dietary requirements on this program. Please make sure to include this in your medical form so that our staff can prepare and we recommend bringing along some of your own favorite snacks!

Water from the tap is safe to drink. Don’t forget to bring along your own reusable water bottle, so we can minimize our plastic usage.

Students should be prepared for hot, humid weather in the 80s and 90s (Fahrenheit) during the day with occasional rain showers. Since Turrialba is located in the mountains, the temperature will go down into the 60s in the evenings. The weather does not vary much between June and August. Synthetic fiber clothing is recommended, because it dries quickly.

Flights – This program does not have any internal flights. The advertised dates for this program include travel time from the USA. Students from the USA will depart on a Tuesday afternoon and return on a Wednesday afternoon. The program within Costa Rica runs from Tuesday to Wednesday. Please refer to the itinerary for further details.

Visa –There are no visa requirements in Costa Rica for students traveling on United States passports. Students traveling with Rustic Pathways on passports not issued by the United States are responsible for determining their own visa requirements. Please check with the appropriate consulate or embassy.

Internal Travel – You’ll spend most of your time in one place. Traveling to your destination internally can require several hours on a bus ride with the group.

We want to encourage students to disconnect in order to fully immerse themselves in the experience and get the most out of their program. That being said, students will have access to wifi twice during this itinerary while in the town of Turrialba. Parents will have access to our 24/7 emergency number and will also receive updates from our staff once your student is in country.

All activities in this itinerary are included. Personal gifts, Laundry, phone calls, and snacks are not. Students will have the chance to visit a few markets during this itinerary, in addition to small snack shops and purchasing handicrafts from the local community. We recommend $250 per week to cover souvenirs and incidentals.

Students should pack enough clothes and personal items to last for one week. Host families will do laundry and the cost will go from $3 – $8 depending on the size of the load.

In general, Costa Ricans dress modestly and as polite visitors, we will dress accordingly. While Turrialba town can be a little more relaxed, it is important that we show respect at all times, particularly in the homestay. The requirements are fairly straightforward and the same for both boys and girls:
Shorts: Basketball-style only; no running or soccer-style shorts. Rule of thumb is that the bottom of the shorts should be approaching the kneecap.
Leggings or yoga pants: Only if paired with a long T-shirt.
Loose-fitting pants, capris, and long skirts: Acceptable and preferred
Tops: Shoulders must be covered – No tank tops or spaghetti straps.
If you arrive and your clothing is deemed unacceptable by your program leaders, you’ll have to purchase appropriate clothing before service work begins in the village.

Please know that your service contribution is an essential part of achieving the development goals we have established in collaboration with our partners and no donations are required.

If you do wish to bring donations, we are collecting donations of basic school supplies that will be distributed through a local organization to Costa Rican students with limited resources. In order to ensure what is brought is most useful and easily able to be distributed, we ask that you only bring a “school supply pack” as listed below. There are two types of packs needed, please select one and bring all the items on that list bundled together in a simple grocery bag or similar.

Please be aware that we are unable to accept donations sent by mail after your program ends. If you are interested, please bring them along with you on your program (and be mindful of baggage allowances).

Our Costa Rican staff will collect any donations from you on your arrival day. Thank you for your contribution!