} Summer Camp for Teenagers in Costa Rica
Back

Summer Camp in Costa Rica

Expand Your Horizons: Real adventure, real friendships, and real cultural immersion.

At Intercultura Costa Rica’s Teen Spanish Summer Camp, teens don’t just study Spanish — they live it: at the beach and in the city. Through daily Spanish immersion classes, homestays with local Costa Rican families, community engagement, adventure travel, and meaningful intercultural exchange, students gain confidence, independence, and global perspective while having the adventure of a lifetime.

Founded in 1993 by Costa Rican and UK/US directors Adelita Jiménez and Laura Ellington, Intercultura has been running its internationally recognized Teen Spanish Summer Camp since 2003. As an owner-operated language school deeply rooted in Costa Rican culture and community, Intercultura offers a level of care, experience, and personal attention that sets it apart from most standard, commercial programs. With small groups, a 1:6 student-to-chaperone ratio, multilingual support staff, credentialed Spanish professors and experienced trip leaders, teens quickly feel welcomed, supported, and part of the community. Our inclusive international environment helps students to connect across cultures, form lifelong friendships, and discover new ways of seeing the world — and themselves.

From surfing Pacific waves and ziplining through the rainforest to snorkeling in crystal-clear waters, kayaking along the coast, relaxing in volcanic hot springs, and sharing stories around beach bonfires, every day combines adventure, connection, and discovery. And through it all, students practice Spanish naturally in real-world situations and interactive classes that are dynamic, engaging, and genuinely fun.

At Intercultura, we believe immersion experiences have the power to transform lives. Teens are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones, develop intercultural intelligence, explore social responsibility, and build empowered communication skills that will serve them far beyond the classroom. By the end of the program, students leave not only with stronger Spanish skills, but also with greater confidence, independence, cultural awareness, and memories and friendships that last a lifetime.

  • Ages: 13 - 17

    Middle & high school students

  • 14 or 28 days

    2026 Dates:

    • Sunday July 12th – Sunday July 26th
    • Sunday July 26th – Sunday August 9th

  • $3,590 Camp 1 OR 2 (two weeks)
    $6,980 Camps 1 & 2 (four weeks)

(Includes: Spanish immersion classes, 3 dedicated staff members, homestay accommodations, hotel with AC & pool, nutritious meals, exciting excursions and enriching cultural activities.)

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 our 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.

TEEN CAMP PROGRAM DETAILS

What Your Teen Will Experience And How To Get Started

Our camp takes place at both our campuses, Heredia City and Samara Beach, providing teens the chance to experience the varied landscapes of Costa Rican culture in a traditional university city, followed by a week at our beautiful tropical beach school. In addition, they will visit the many different natural landscapes Costa Rica offers, from mountainous rainforest to indigenous communities to lowland jungle. We are first and foremost a school, not a travel agency; as such we keep our program prices accessible, and we offer two need and merit-based partial scholarships for each teen camp.

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE:

We keep parents and teens informed, with a pre-arrival online orientation and a group parent chat before and during the program, as well as daily photo postings during the camp on a private platform.
The maximum number of participants for camp is 24, minimum is 12 (student-staff maximum ratio 8:1)
Spanish classes are held in small groups of maximum 6 students, placed according to age and Spanish ability (average class size is 4).
Intercultura is students´ “home away from home”, and they enjoy hanging out with their new friends at our beautiful campuses, with lots of social area, study rooms, student kitchens and outdoor space with hammocks!

SCHOOL STAFF:

Intercultura was founded in 1993 and has been receiving student groups since 1994. Our experience and recommendations from past participants speak for themselves. See recommendations
In addition to our Teen Program director and homestay coordinator, we have two dedicated, 24/7 bilingual chaperones for the camp.
At both campuses, we have a full staff of multilingual coordinators and experienced, dynamic professors who are specifically trained to give young adult classes by our Academic Directo

ACCOMMODATIONS:

The first week students are in carefully selected homestays at our city campus, a short walk to school. Our full-time homestay coordinator is available at any time for advising or any emergency needs.
The second week students are at a Samara Beach hotel, 4 blocks from school, with AC and pool, in shared, same-gender rooms.

At homestays, all students have their own room, and may request to be the only student at their homestay. Or, they can request a homestay with another same-gender student (separate room), or can request to share a room if travelling with a friend. Homestays are all within a short walk of school (max. 10-15 minute walk)
The school and our homestay families are accustomed to hosting students of all ages, ethnicities, religions, gender-identity and sexual orientation. Campers are encouraged to write to us with any special concerns we should take into account while choosing a homestay family.

Homestays can provide vegetarian food. Vegan supplements are also available upon request.
Campers must have travel insurance, bring a debit card for emergencies, and have cash on hand for extra expenses (repellent, sunscreen, snacks, souvenirs, etc)

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

  • Pre-arrival orientation session and placement exam
  • 4 hours of group Spanish per day
  • 3 nutritious meals per day
  • Daily snacks during activities
  • Homestay accommodation for the week at the city campus
  • Hotel accommodation for the week at the beach campus
  • All tours, activities, transport and lodging for the duration of the program
  • Service learning activities
  • Graduation and course certificate
  • Dedicated platforms for parent-staff communications and postings pre- and during camp

* Airfare, personal/self-care items and spending money are not included (students typically bring between $100-$130 for the 2 weeks.

EXPERIENCE THE UNIQUENESS OF OUR TEEN SPANISH IMMERSION CAMP

A Wrap-Up of 2024

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.

summer camps in costa rica

ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS?

STAY INFORMED

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates on future Spanish immersion opportunities in Costa Rica for high school students.