Pacific Surf Camp & Cultural Exploration in Oaxaca, Mexico

Rise to the challenge of getting used to a new culture and a different way of life. Make sure to do every activity with full enthusiasm! I'm grateful because I got more comfortable with the Spanish language and I got to meet amazing people. I definitely encourage future students to apply!

I enjoyed the hell out of the rest of the trip! Our Arcos director was great and always answered every question of ours. Really, the best part was just being in Mexico and speaking Spanish. I genuinely suggest considering this program - it has a lot to offer.

I would absolutely recommend this program to future students - it's worth it!! I really appreciated learning about different cultures and trying new foods. I also had a lot of fun practicing Spanish. Soak up every moment because it goes by sooo fast. Do everything you can!

I enjoyed gaining exposure to a new culture and meeting new friends! Our Arcos director was efficient, supportive, fun, relatable, and a problem solver. I would 100% recommend the Hike and Surf program to high school students. My advice is to just have fun!

My advice is to make lots of friends and try to speak Spanish as much as you can. The greatest benefits of this program were having fun with new friends, learning about Mexico and seeing how people live. I would recommend this program to future students.

The biggest benefits were getting out of his comfort zone, being away in a foreign country and experiencing unique activities. This is a program for kids that are okay being our of their comfort zone. Overall super great and well-organized program. Noah really enjoyed the activities planned and it also helped that he got along with all the other boys (which makes a huge difference).

Many benefits; exposure to culture, social confidence, much greater interest in Spanish language and Mexican culture. Can't wait to go back! Some places your child will go there will not be any people who speak English. Basic Spanish skills will lead to a better experience, especially if they want to move about independently.. Pamela, the program director, was amazing, Dylan can't stop talking about how great she was and how her connections are what made the trip so incredible for him.

I had an amazing time on the surf and hike trip- the other boys were cool, our program director Pam was great, and the surfing was fantastic. The worst part was getting montezuma revenge - no bueno. Favorite parts were Chacahua, surfing, deep sea fishing and the bioluminescent trip. Hiking portion was alright but could have skipped it - the food at the place where we stayed was probably better suited for vegans. Wish there was AC especially in Puerto Escondido where it was heck of hot. Overall it was a sick trip.

Seriously the best trip I've ever done, from exploring the old city, to hiking the mountains to surfing the beaches, everything was wicked fun and wildly amazing. even better i had 3 guys to enjoy my time with. i love having that super small group bc it allows everyone to bond so much closer. the housing sitch was great, beside having no AC the places were serene and beautiful, the activities were so much fun, and if it seem too much for you we didn't do things every day, some days me and my bro just played in bed watching movies while looking over the beach. other days we chilled on the beach and tuned out some reggae. overall this rlly was a dope trip and i so highly recommend it.

My son had a great experience in Mexico, socially and culturally. He learned a lot and came home excited to do more traveling and more surfing. He also came back passionate about becoming fluent in Spanish and has started studying on his own! This was his first experience with a trip like this (travel without family) and it was a huge success, big thank you to Pamela and the entire Arcos team.

This was a really great experience for me and I learned a lot about Mexico. I went to shops, markets, went around Oaxaca, and tried tons of new foods. I felt very inmersed in the culture. I also discivered a lot of Oaxaca city and its history. I learned a lot about mural work, and the colonial color palletes. As someone who lives in New York City, it was really great to compare and contrast the two cities.

Arthur had a terrific time on his trip! He really enjoyed immersing himself into the culture, and improved on his Spanish. Arthur came away more confident in many ways, and still talks with great enthusiasm about his time in Mexico.

I went on this trip the summer of 2021 with two of my friends and it was some of the most fun I had I had so many new experiences in such a small time and I will remember it for the rest of my life. We got to get to cities and wilderness learn about other cultures and do new thing in every activity packed day we also were given independence to explore and learn with the other kids and we were not babied.