I wholeheartedly recommend Intercultura for both adults and kids.  Three of my kids (ages 12, 9, and 7) enrolled there for 12 weeks last spring and had a fabulous experience.  We were at the Heredia campus for 9 weeks and the Samara campus for 3 weeks.  My kids had very basic Spanish before we went (numbers, colors, shapes, etc.), but zero comprehension or conversation skills.  Upon enrolling in school again here Colorado, my 7th grade son’s middle school evaluated him in Spanish, and his Spanish level is beyond what they offer in the three years of middle school classes.  The teacher placed him at a 2^nd year, 2^nd semester high school level.  And both my 2nd and 4th grade daughters were able to enter into a full-Spanish immersion elementary program here.  My 4th grade daughter’s teachers says that her conversation skills are better than her peers who have been in the program for 3 years.  All that’s to say, I was extremely pleased at the progress that my kids made in 3 months!  We are hoping to return and attend classes at Intercultura on a regular basis.  I attended there for a month when I was in college as well, and it was definitely a turning point for me in my conversation and comprehension skills.

As to the safety of the area, I would feel comfortable sending my own son alone in a couple of years.  I was there alone (my husband had to stay in the U.S. for work) with four kids and never had any problems.  If your son is responsible, he will do great.  I trust the staff to take good care of the teens.  Your son will learn a ton and visit some amazing places.

United States
January – April 2018, 3-month program