High School Study Abroad in Arenal, Costa Rica

Arco's pre-program communication was impeccable. There were regular updates at just the right time with plenty of information. I was always informed. Arcos should be a model for every study abroad program. My high schooler's Spanish increased. We appreciated the eye-opening excursions and cultural activities that exposed Aden to Coast Rican life and its people. Definitely a life changing program. Come ready to try delicious food and make new friends.

The greatest benefits of the program were the cultural exchange with Costa Rican people (especially the homestay family, kids at the school and residents of Atenas), sense of independence and confidence, resilience from navigating challenging situations, improved Spanish, exploration of a new place, food, and lots of fun activities.

Arcos provides extensive communication and support with the service details. It was a great experience! My son loved the journey! The program was very accommodating. He enjoyed joining the gym in Atenas and especially loved painting the school and interacting with the students for his community service project.

The communication with Arcos Journeys Abroad was fantastic. My son appreciated the Costa Rican culture and autonomy he was afforded in the small town of Atenas. I encourage you to give your child the experience living with a host family - it’s such an amazing experience.

This Arcos trip was a wonderful experience! Highlights included the intentional free downtime, allowing my daughter to explore a safe, relaxed town and immerse herself in the local culture where English was not prevalent. She loved surfing and her host family was amazing. We would absolutely consider another Arcos journey!

Our 15-year-old daughter had the experience of a lifetime on her trip to Costa Rica with Westcoast Connections. From before we even registered her for this trip until after she got home, we were impressed with the communications and support we received from the Westcoast staff. We felt confident about her safety, health and well-being throughout the trip. The travel, accommodations and activities were all excellent. From a social perspective, she went on this trip without knowing a single other participant and came home with 20+ new, wonderful friends. The staff did a great job making sure the social dynamics of the group were positive and inclusive.

My daughter came home saying it was the best time ever. The people, of course, made it amazing, but the community service work she did really made her realize how others are in need of help and support from outside their community. To have made a positive impact in these communities really meant a lot to her. She also enjoyed the adventure part of the trip! Loved doing new things with new people and made string connections with her group. She has now made some of the what friends she'll have for life. Thank you for an incredible experience!

I seriously had so much fun on this trip and I’ve learned so so much. I think it’s really helped me grow as a person and I’m so thankful. I made some close friends. My favorite activity was working with the kids to paint signs in their community. I was really touched and realized that we really were making an impact.

The Parismina 10 in Costa Rica excursion was so much fun! I had an amazing time meeting new people and learning about sea turtles and their environment! It made me feel so great to learn more about other cultures!

The homestay experience was good overall, though I am a picky eater. Challenges included adjusting to local food and cold showers. However, the program provided new experiences, great friends, and opportunities to see nature. I highly recommend this program to future students.

There was excellent flexibility to those of us with any food allergies or restrictions and they were so helpful to my vegan diet and always made sure i was well fed. Swimming in the ocean was memorable but my favorite activity in the program was the service day with the guanacaste water center when we went to the school garden

I would like to specifically give praise to to the Mentors for providing myself and the rest of my mentor group with a safe sharing space by forming a comfortable environment. We really got to know other students in our group on a level we would not have otherwise. I gained new perspectives that will shape my future decisions and relationships. As for the learning, through the Guanacaste Water Center I have learned the value of every living thing and how everything connects to create a whole. Really eye-opening!

I think I grew by becoming a better leader and taking initiative in group settings. I also think that I learned a lot about friendships and being more outgoing in social settings. We had a talent show at the end that was great, so cool to see everyone's performances and secret talents. I also loved the dance class we did.

The classes focus effectively on conversation, which significantly boosted my Spanish skills in a real-world setting like Costa Rica. My homestay was enjoyable. This is a worthwhile program that offers incredible learning and strong connections. Be open to the environment and activities, and speak Spanish with your host family as much as possible!

The program directors were understanding, welcoming, and shared great cultural insights. My homestay experience was fantastic; the host mom was kind and the food was incredible. The community service was impactful and I enjoyed the cultural activities. I learned so much about Costa Rican culture and practiced my Spanish!

The program activities were fun and I enjoyed the childcare aspect of the community service. The homestay part of the program was excellent. I benefited a lot from practicing Spanish, seeing beautiful places, and meeting new people. A tip is to always be nice to people. I would absolutely recommend this program!

I genuinely suggest doing the Community Service & EcoAdventure program in Costa Rica. I particularly enjoyed the classes and working with the kids at the school, in addition to the cultural activities, tours, beach, homestay with my Costa Rican family and great directors.

I had the wonderful opportunity of traveling to Costa Rica with my best friend for the sea turtle initiative! During the trip I met some of the sweetest people which lead to long lasting friendships from all over the world! I saw so much wildlife and beautiful nature that I don't get to experience on a daily basis while living in the desert. Most importantly I was a a part of finding and acting to resolve a local issue, poaching of sea turtles and their eggs. We spent hours walking on the beaches at night making sure there were no poachers, to see if we could find tracks or spot a sea turtle laying eggs. We didn't see much for a few a days until the second to last night we saw a sea turtle laying her eggs right in front of the house we were staying at! we let her lay her eggs and one of the local guides put a tracker on the mom, we counter eggs and took them to a hatchery, where they were placed in an incubator overnight and buried into a fenced area where they can continue their hatching process safely without the worry of poachers. I would definitely go to Costa Rica again and will be going on other GLA trips!

I feel like I grew as a leader in taking action and working with my peers. I also feel as thought I grew in my passions to pursue a career in the medical field. I also feel I grew by stepping out of my comfort zone in a new place and learned a lot about culture, my values, and medicine while making lifelong friends. My favorite leadership activity was working with vida for the vaccines and surgeries and home visits. I felt really connected to the community there and like what we did made a difference.

Best trip of my life, so much thanks to everyone for EVERYTHING! Learned how to teamwork effectively and have fun with people I wouldn’t normally talk to, keep working when things seem pointless, work hard play hard :) Loved the talent show, and the catamaran activity.