1-2 Weeks High School Language Immersion Programs in Costa Rica

The GLA Costa Rica program was an incredible experience for my teenager. In his words, "it was one of the best experiences of my life". He got to meet people from all over the world. Through the program’s well-trained staff and thoughtful team challenges, leadership workshops, and late-night conversations, he was able to bond with other students on the trip. The activities pushed him in the best way, whether it was leading a group project, presenting ideas, or tackling global issues. The mentors, staff counselors, and directors were amazing, giving real advice and guidance that the students could relate to. Our teen left the program with new friendships, a stronger sense of who he is as a leader, and the confidence to make a difference. The camp struck a great balance between fun activities, skill-building workshops, and meaningful discussions about real-world challenges. It was a safe, well-organized, and truly inspiring experience. It far exceeded any expectations we had, and I highly recommend it to any family looking to give their teen a life-changing leadership opportunity.

My son recently returned from the Surf and Sustainability trip to Costa Rica, and it was truly a fantastic experience. The program blended adventure, learning, and fun in a way that kept him engaged from start to finish. He gained confidence in the water through excellent surf instruction, while also discovering Costa Rica’s unique ecosystems and conservation practices. The hands-on sustainability projects made a big impression on him, giving real meaning to what he was learning and connecting him to the local community in thoughtful ways. What stood out most to me as a parent was how supported, inspired, and energized he felt throughout the trip. He came home not only with new skills and great stories, but also with a deeper sense of independence, lasting friendships, and a greater awareness of the impact he can make in the world. This program is a rare combination of adventure, education, and purpose, and I couldn’t recommend it more.

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!

I got to work with kids every day, and I got to practice my Spanish skills. It was really fun. I got to immerse myself in the culture of Costa Rica. This experience made me a more well rounded person.

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.

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.

I met the coolest people I’ve ever met that I’ll forever look up to and have changed my perspective on so many things. I’ve learned to work amazingly as a team and how important it is to take care of our environment, which I already knew but this made it so much more real and in perspective. The mentors were so sweet too, and I felt taken care of.

My name is Shamus Davenport and I am a senior in high school currently. Every single high school summer I have participated in a GLA program. During the Summer of 2023 I chose to go on GLA’s Costa Rica: Sea Turtle Initiative program from July 7th through the 16th. One thing I want to highlight about this program and GLA as a whole is that there are ways to make it cheaper! If you put in some time and effort, there are available scholarships which I have done on all three of my programs! Focusing on the actual trip, this was life changing. I can talk endlessly about the people this organization attracts. Locals, counselors, and fellow campers alike every trip I’ve been on leads to lifelong friendships and connections. Fun fact, I have flown across the country to see friends from every single program I have been on! This time specifically I made close friends that I am still close with and go on more adventures with. Then, our home base manager, raft guide, local tour guide, and many more locals all showed such passion for their jobs, sharing the environment, culture, and traditions with everybody. Something I have learned through this program and really took to heart during this one was, there are endless opportunities to grow, learn, and broaden your perspective, whether you do this 10 day program or another one of GLA’s various programs. The main thing you need to know is to engage in every possible opportunity and to stay present! It will change your experience in the program and maybe, like it did for me, your life. This was a huge theme throughout this one specifically. Every GLA program restricts phone use to different extents, but with this one, being the most remote program even during times where we had our phones there was not a lot of service so we were, in a way, forced to engage more. I have always disliked phones, I feel like they take away from actually living life, but this trip really strengthened that value for me. I feel like since then I have applied that concept and seized moments more so than before which brings a lot more value to every experience. I am a very outdoorsy person which checks out seeing as I love these trips and there were so many fun adventures from rafting to checking out the small village close by. It’s so hard to pick a favorite one. I loved playing soccer with the local kids, but I think rafting was my favorite. Nothing could compare to the beauty we saw along the volcanic river. There were cool buildings and areas for people to stop at and explore and the nature was unreal, not to mention the rapids were large and very fun. Speaking of rapids, I can speak a lot for the wonderful balance between safety and fun this program provides. GLA always does a good job setting reasonable rules depending on where we are while also creating an environment that nurtures the spirit of adventure. While most programs have pretty strenuous service work, a really nice thing about this one is that it is just another adventure. The main chunk of service consists of doing turtle walks from 8-12 at night. Even though we were attentive and watching for turtles the entire time, something about walking on the beach at night with the moon and stars shining overhead just makes the work so much fun and leads to great conversations. Not to mention we saw over ten turtles consisting of different species. I would never do a GLA program twice because they offer so many more around the world, but if I did, it would definitely be this one.

When I first got there I had no doubt that I was going to have an amazing time. All the staff made it so fun and a safe environment. I had a good session with everyone there. The volunteering was incredibly rewarding and amazing because the got to see the smiles on peoples’ faces. The adventure days were so fun and exhilarating. Overall my trip through GLA was life changing and amazing I had a great time in Costa Rica and can’t wait for my next trip

I felt it gave me alot of confidence and I’m much more secure with who I am as a person. I learned how to connect with culture and local strangers more. I learned how to respect higher ups while maintaining a good relationship that I enjoy

I got to travel internationally without my parents and do something all on my own!! My favorite parts of the Costa Rica program were surfing in the rain and the sunset at the catamaran. Best memories :)

Amazing staff throughout each extremely supportive and great people! I grew to be more social and to understand what it meant to be a leader to peers. My favorite was the plastics documentary as it taught me about how recycling actually relates to real life and how disorganized anti plastic companies really are. The resume workshop felt brief and we were not able to make a resume, but still good info to get.

Chloe absolutely LOVED this experience in Costa Rica w/ Rustic Pathways. Even with her anxiety, the PL's created a nice balance of service, fun and grounded her well. We can't wait to hear about next years programs.

I had a good time on this trip. Coming from someone who was extremely nervous, not once here did I really get nervous, and I had been distracted the entire time with different service options and also fun activities.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewAugust 17, 2024

Hi Chloe! Thank you so much for joining us in Costa Rica! Traveling alone can be nerve-wracking, but we're so happy to hear you had a great time and weren't nervous. We hope you join us next summer too!

I think that GLA would be an amazing experience for people that are willing to open up and achieve leadership goals. My favorite part of my stay was enjoying pool time with everyone and full group mentor groups.