Biomedical Sciences Study Abroad Programs in Peru

Administration and staff were excellent. Without their united team effort the our program would probably would not have happen. As the actual program, excellent visits, although unfortunately visits to the University of Costa Rica Department of political science and law school didn't occur given the problems of getting further off the ground no one's really to blame

While at my time with Maximo, I had a lot going on back at home. Ultimately, I felt that being here in Costa Rica has allowed me to learn so much about myself as well as my fears. In which Michael and Gabby contributed to. The immense support received not just by Maximo but specifically by Michael has been the most significant to me. There is nothing I could say to express what it is that I feel within. I have never met anyone like Michael, I say that from the bottom of my heart. I have never been someone who cared about losing friendships, yet I feel that I’ve established such an amazing friendship with Michael that it brings sadness to my heart knowing that it may be a while until we meet again. You are blessed to have such amazing staff. As someone observant, I watched as Michael took on each and every responsibility. I could feel how he felt, and witnessing first hand how he quickly responded to each scenario was honestly impressive. I’ve never met someone as loving, and soft. With a light that brings joy to others. I feel extremely blessed to have met them.

The political, cultural and environmental activities organized by Maximo were wonderful. Our guide for our two weeks was Michael and he is the best guide ever. He took care of us, changed plans on a dime if needed and was a lot of fun. Based on this experience I would recommend Maximo’s study abroad programs in Costa Rica.

This program was so incredible! It really opened my eyes to new experiences, new people, and new perspectives! The entire staff was so helpful and engaging!!! I am extremely thankful for this program and the opportunities and people it brought me!

Had so much fun this week studying in costa rica and being around all the wildlife! I really enjoyed the balance between studying and cultural immersion and I can’t wait to come back to costa rica and do it again!

Maximo Nivel made my study abroad experience fun, exciting, and easy. They were so welcoming with open arms and smiles. This was my first time traveling another alone and abroad, and I was nervous. But Maximo made sure I felt comfortable and safe in a new place, offering great support. They were great!

We had a fantastic time and learned so much. The teaching and service were excellent. We are coming back again. We had a life changing experience! During this trip we me so many wonderful people. The city is lovely and the country is full of wonderful animals and natural vistas. Doug and Di

I have never been to South America before but knew I wanted to stay for a solid period of time to understand the culture. I am a doctoral student wanting to augment my learning with experiences from other cultures regarding holistic health and indigenous medicine. This program provided me with all I was hoping: a well put together program that consisted of day long learning sessions for the first two weeks, then immersion into an internship tailored to me. Accommodations were amazing, I always felt safe and I was able to plan trips through the program director on the weekends. This program is well worth doing!

Linguistic Horizons responded to this reviewDecember 20, 2024

Thank you for the review, Tia! It was such a pleasure having you with us in Peru! :)

Upon my arrival to Peru to study nutrition & natural medicine in a summer abroad program, I was already expecting a life changing experience. From Cusco, to Macchu picchu, to urubamba; the largest town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Aside from the beautiful mountainous scenery, ancient history, teachers, guides, and the amazing women I get to participate in this program with, I was deeply touched by the hard working people, innocent children, and abundant packs of stray animals that reside in this village. The simplicity they live by is truly remarkable and serves as a reminder to appreciate even the littlest things we have that make our lives so much more convenient. Although they lack most of the things we couldn’t go a day without, they are so rich in their culture and tradition, and community. Being able to learn the history, and share their culture has been such a priceless experience. I would do this program again and again. The teachers, hosts, guides, and classes were all amazing. I’ve learned to make so many healthy things and eat for health. I’ve learned so many natural remedies, and have continued my holistic journey outside of this experience in my everyday life in the US. Thank you linguistic horizons I hope I have the opportunity to save up and experience another trip of a lifetime like this one was to me!! I am truly blessed and spiritually fulfilled. I left a piece of me in Peru and brought a better, new improved, open minded version of myself back home.

Linguistic Horizons responded to this reviewDecember 20, 2024

Thank you for your review, Michaella! <3

Not only did my Spanish fluency improve but I got to meet some amazing people and make life long memories. The teachers and staff were super helpful and welcoming. They showed a lot of interest in their students

This program has benefitted my outlook on medicine, nutrition, travel, and my environment in too many ways to count. I came to Peru with little knowledge of nutrition and herbalism, and absolutely no ability to speak Spanish. However, I was immediately welcomed and given the resources to take Spanish classes. I felt encouraged to fully immerse myself in the experience, and through many workshops by people who worked with many types of indigenous medicine, herbalism, and nutrition every day, I learned so much about myself, the earth, and a more wholesome and caring culture in addition to the subjects the workshops were officially about. I learned a great deal of Spanish in a short amount of time, leaving with a determination to continue studying the language, apply what I had learned, and live in a more wholesome and open way connected to my surroundings and community. I cannot thank Nichole enough for the careful planning and love that she clearly put into the program and for the warm and open way she welcomed me and the rest of the members of the program. I made connections that truly changed me and met people I will never forget. This is a beautiful, immersive way to learn and to experience Peru, and I would recommend the program to anyone with even the slightest interest in Peru, nutrition, alternative medicines, or the environment.

I was looking for a program that focused on herbalism and a natural, holistic look at life and medicine. I was also hoping to find something that would get me back into a spanish speaking country to practice my fading language skills and support my love of cultural exploration. Nicole's program (and it really is her grown-up brain child) did this for me and provided so much more than I had ever hoped. Nicole is an amazing person and has connected herself to an incredibly welcoming and insightful community. The cost of the program covers delicious cuisine for most of your meals, multiple excursions to incredible sights often featured in National Geographic, and an introduction and entrance into the culture on so many levels. You meet local artist communities, have contact with shamans who live several days worth of hiking up in the mountains, meet Max--our fabulous local tour guide and source of endless stories accessible to people of all spanish speaking levels--explore phenomenal nature and learn the secret local knowledge of how to barter at the markets and who sells the best fruit. Oh my Goodness the fruit. It's worth it if all you do is eat the fruit, but you do so much more as well. We hiked the mountains that create a backdrop to Urubamba and collected native medicinal plants for a local healer. We gave ceremonial thanks to Pacha Mama in return for letting us collect what we needed from her mountain and used what we gathered to heal people. I summated Machu Pichu and Huayna Pichu in the glorious jungle rain and sat in meditation in the temple of the moon half way down the back side of the mountain. We went to the Salt flats at Maras and spent days just sitting around loving life. We met with Vedic healers who taught us nutritional information and made the best snacks. Make the decision to go on the trip for yourself, because you will grow so much and learn about yourself and the world in ways you are not expecting.

I had fun meeting new people and learning Spanish! My teacher Tatiana was fun and very informative. She made learning Spanish easy. She is a great teacher, very encouraging. Also, getting the chance to eat Costa Rican food was an experience. I enjoyed the night life and embracing the culture here. I have befriended a local here, he took me and my friend to downtown and we saw the museums and gave us history lessons. Despite the rain, I really liked walking around and looking at the architecture. The Dinner Dance was an experience. The view was gorgeous. I would love to come back!

The Nutrition and Natural Medicine in Peru is an experience of a lifetime!!! The journey throughout Cuzco, Valle Sagrado, Urubamba, Pisa and many other small towns were full of culture, history, excellent food, comfort, safety and camaraderie. I was blessed to be part of a jovial and wonderful group of students from all around the globe. They were all amazing students. Nicole did a superb job selecting all the lectures, cooking classes, herbals harvesting, Indigenous traditional ceremonies, all wonderfully organized. I absolutely loved my adventure with Nicole, her team and other participants in the Peru Program. Linguistic Horizons’ Program in Peru and its founder Nicole Berry was everything and more than I expected, and I’ll always be grateful for all the beautiful memories we shared together. Gisela Urieta

I attended a small-group class in Spanish as a beginner with basic-level in order to communicate while travelling in South America. Therefore I joined Maximo Nivel I San Jose for 3 weeks. At the weekends I explored Costa Rica with its beautiful beaches, volcanos and the huge bio diversity of its national parks. I learned quickly the most important expressions and questions in Spanish but also had a lot of fun at class with my classmates and the teachers which teached us Spanish also by using games and connecting the classes with our own experiences we made in Costa Rica. I can definitely recommend Maximo Nivel and also its location in San Jose as it is centrally located, which makes it the perfect location for exploring whole Costa Rica.

I spent the last 2 weeks studying Medical Spanish in Costa Rica at Maximo Nivel. The staff here has been super supportive from start to finish. They are able to turn and anxiety provoking process into a smooth experience. I was picked up from the airport on the day of arrival and taken to Maximo nivel. We had an orientation which was super helpful and then taken to our host family. The host family accommodations were fantastic. Great food and coffee. The host family was super inviting. It was clean. The other students were super friendly. Spanish classes were fantastic as well. I do think that these classes will help me treat spanish speaking patients in the future.

I went to San Jose, Costa Rica, for 4 weeks to improve my Spanish language skills. The school facilitated my stay at a very nice host family. I got to meet a lot of international students and locals at this school. Furthermore, the travel agency located within the school helped me in my plans to explore Costa Rica during the weekend. It has been an AMAZING experience and I would recommend it to everyone!

This study abroad program was a life changing experience! It was very safe, the people involved were very friendly, and the region was extraordinary! My only complaint is I felt like the natural medicine portion was very vague. I don't think I learned much about medicine while there, to tell the truth. I did however glean much on the way of life,the culture, the people, and their approaches to health. All in all it was extraordinary and I'd highly recommend!

I have spent 7 weeks at Maximo Nivel and I have had an amazing time! I spoke no spanish when i got here and i have noticed such a huge improvement from my classes and my immersion. I was at the San Jose campus, as well as the Quepos campus. San Jose is a great city with a lot to do! The classes themselves, are truly wonderful with very talented teachers. I did not do too many cultural activities while at the San Jose campus and you might need to request more information from the front desk . Overall, a great way to learn spanish!

The Scared Valley itself is beautiful!!! Living remotely in Urubamba helped adjust the body with the altitude sickness and at night it was great to just disconnect from the day's pre-arranged activities to stargaze. Tania, our hostess, runs a very modern casita in the provincia. I've personally visited and stayed in other Peruvian provincias (i.e. Tarma) and her place is a game changer especially the healthy meals and HOT water. However, due to COVID the program had a lot of modifications and speaking Spanish was imperative to keep up. Unfortunately our guide was sick and we did not have a backup. I strongly recommend that the program have a backup local/translator in case of these situations. The Director was able to log on remotely to help translate the Andean medicine workshop and provide supplemental online resources to reinforce what we learned. Overall, it is a good program for cultural immersion to Andean medicine and nutrition. I learned unconventional holistic and spiritual practices. Personally, I would have preferred all the workshops be in person, but I understand that COVID was a factor. I also enjoyed all the sightseeing, hiking and shopping in the markets.

Linguistic Horizons responded to this reviewSeptember 11, 2022

Hi Jessica! Thank you for sharing your experience. I agree that staying in the valley is a great way to help the body adjust to the high altitude. It's definitely easier to adjust to the altitude in the sacred valley as opposed to the city of Cusco for example. I'm glad you were happy with the accommodation, meals, Tania, the cultural immersion, and the program excursions in general. Like you said, we were lucky to have some of the modern comforts at the accommodation that we are so used to having in the US, and often take for granted...things as simple as hot running water! The calm and rural ambiance also really helps with relaxation :) As far as the workshops being held online, the only one that is held online is the Aromatherapy & Introduction to Essential Oils workshop. We hold that one online because the people who run it moved from Peru to Colombia after COVID. However, the information they share is valuable and well put together so we still include it as an online PowerPoint presentation by video call rather than just removing it from the program. All the other experiences are in person and I agree that it's very important to hold them in person rather than online. We are not into going digital as we fully believe in true immersion and giving students an in person experience. As far as the local coordinator (also our interpreter) getting sick, yes that was unexpected and did result in her being unavailable a couple of times and therefore unable to translate 100% as planned. We were lucky to have some students, like you, in the group to help with translations when she was ill. I did join to translate remotely which was the best solutions we could offer. Unfortunately, it's not easy to find last minute people in rural Peru who both available and capable of offering live interpretations for multiple hours. so we did have a few times when material that normally would be 100% interpreted (Spanish to English) was not. We apologize for that. Normally, we have students with and without Spanish skills who are able to follow the material fully. Of course having Spanish is very helpful when going abroad to a Spanish speaking country; but, it's not a requirement for our program. A lot of the learning is also done through hands on and experiential learning. I'm glad your Spanish skills were there to help you follow everything when our local coordinator couldn't be there and we thank you for assisting with interpretations for the others in the group. The online materials are meant to help supplement the program and offer reading materials to review when you're back home. We will work on having reinforcements for interpretations for the next Nutrition and Natural Medicine programs so that we don't have the same problem in the future. Thank you for your feedback. We always strive to improve and your input has been very helpful for that!