TRAVELLING SPANISH CLASSROOM | PANAMA & COSTA RICA

28 days

Included

  • Pick.up in Tocumen – Panama City airport & transfer to Hostel
  • Three weeks and and 3 days of Spanish lessons
  • The company of an instructor
  • Transportation between locations
  • Daily breakfast
  • Weekly introduction to the new location
  • 4 Latin dance class (Panama City, Boquete, Bocas, Turrialba)
  • 3 local food cooking class (Boquete, Bocas, Turrialba)
  • 3 Friday’s Happy Hour (Boquete, Bocas, Turrialba)
  • Panama City Adventures: Walking tour Casco Viejo + Panama Canal Tour
  • Panama City Adventure: San Blas Islands two nights stay
  • Boquete Adventure: Canopy Tour (zip lining in the treetops)
  • Bocas Adventure: Catamaran Sailing
  • Turrialba Adventure: Rafting on the Pacuare River & overnight stay at River Camp

 

Not included

 

  • Flight ticket
  • Insurance
  • Lunch and dinner (lunches and dinners San Blas at River camp are included)
  • Snacks and drinks on outings
  • Additional activities & excursions
  • Souvenirs
  • Additional (bus or flight) tickets  or into Costa Rica as a prerequisite to enter
  • Taxes at borders (if any)
  • Upgrades on rooms (from shared to private)
  • Upgrades on classes (private instead of group classes or extra private classes besides the
  • included group classes)
  • Extra nights before or after the Travelling Classroom that starts on Sunday 5 pm and finishes on Sunday around 3 pm in Siquirre

 

Full description

PANAMA CITY – SAN BLAS ISLANDS
This educational adventure trip starts in Panama City where all participants will be received at the
airport and taken to the hostel. This can be on Sunday or day(s) before. On Sunday 5 pm we do
intake evaluation in order to place you all in the correct level or teach you individually if
there are no others with the same level. At 6 pm there is an introduction talk with some drinks
and snacks in which you will get to know each other and receive a detailed itinerary. This is
also the moment to address all questions. Monday, the first four hours of Spanish classes will get
you speaking your first Spanish words or, if you are already an advanced student,  “back on track”.
Monday afternoon, after a break for shopping and/or having lunch, we walk to Casco Viejo where
we provide a tour with a teacher that talks about the most important history marks of Panama and
points out some interesting places. Most of the time this evening ends with a drink on one of the
rooftop bars in town and a dinner in one of the local restaurants. Tuesday we visit Miraflores
Visitor center to learn about the famous Panama Canal and actually see the huge ships pass
through the locks. Both Tuesday and Wednesday are good days to study and Wednesday night
salsa, bachata and merengue can be practiced during the first Latin dance classes that we organize
in the hostel with a local dance instructor. On Thursday and Friday, you will be amazed by
the Kuna indigenous people and the idyllic tropical beauty of the San Blas Islands. A tour for to
another island where we can snorkel along a sunken ship is included. Here we don’t organize
formal classes but the teacher accompanying the trip and will be as much as possible giving
information in Spanish and organize some games or tutoring sessions when
that is appreciated. Saturday morning we travel back from the Kuna land to the city and Saturday
afternoon is for journaling, sharing pictures, get in touch with friends and family back home and

Saturday night can be used for the party animals to check out Panama City’s nightlife or spend at

the hostel for a more quiet time.

 

BOQUETE
On Sunday we travel from Panama City to Boquete on local buses. In the evening, there will be a
welcome drink and introduction to the Boquete school, surroundings and history of the area. The
fresh climate in Boquete is great for studying, lots of progress can be made here. Options are to
stay at the school or go and live for a week with a local host family. The zip lining experience is a
high-speed adrenaline tour to discover Panama's rainforest from up above and admire its
magnificent beauty from 13 different canopy stations. Hiking, waterfalls, hot springs, a coffee tour,
volcano Barú are attractions worth to explore.

 

BOCAS
The following Saturday, we will travel six hours by bus and boat from the highland town of
Boquete to the Caribbean island of Bocas del Toro. On Sunday, the catamaran tour with
snorkelling will ease everybody into the Caribbean lifestyle. During the week, exploring the many
beaches and other attractions around the islands in kayaks, bicycles or water taxis is very popular.
There are many beautiful beaches to be explored throughout the islands. Some require a bit of
effort and an adventurous spirit while others are just a few minutes from the school. The Dive
school, a few steps away from our Spanish school offers all PADI courses in a way that they can be
smoothly combined with the Spanish classes. The town is full of restaurants and bars, many built
out over the water, providing endless night-time entertainment. Classes in Bocas end on Saturday
with another Happy Hour during the barbecue.

 

TURRIALBA
Once again on Saturday, we make a trip by boat and bus, this time to a different country: Costa
Rica. In Turrialba, Costa Rica, the non-touristy feel of town can be enjoyed and all the Spanish that
have been learned so far can be practised with the local “ticos”, a nickname for Costa Ricans. Daily
life activities like shopping at the fruit and vegetable market or sitting in the park to chat with the
locals are typical things to do in Turrialba. During the last day of classes on Friday, the possibility is
offered to do a level test (levels A1 till C2) and at the final Happy Hour during the barbecue,
certificates will be handed to all the participants, the effort realized will be celebrated and
together, we get ready for the last spectacular excursion: the rafting trip on the Pacuare. This
excursion provides a thrilling ride down the river filled with stunning natural beauty and exciting
rapids. The campsite, located in the heart of the jungle, will provide an opportunity to learn about
the rainforest and will give us some time to relax in a hammock, check out the toucans and sloths,
and realize what a smart decision it was to participate in this unique and wonderful experience!
This trip ends after an included lunch in a restaurant in Siquirres. After this, you can decide to
come back to Turrialba or you can continue at our location in Puerto Viejo, for more Spanish
classes, relaxation at the beach, a surf course or volunteer work, for example at the Jaguar rescue
center. You can also decide to do an extension and take Spanish classes at our Puerto Viejo location!

After leaving Siquirres we will make a stop at the bus stop of this little town, from where
you can take the direct bus to San José or to Limón where you need to change buses to continue
to Puerto Viejo.

 

Packing List

We recommend you to bring a backpack (not a suitcase) and a smaller daypack as well

  • 5 sets of thin clothes
  • Rain jacket, poncho or umbrella
  • Bathing suit
  • Towel 
  • Shirt with long sleeves and long pants (to protect against the mosquitos)
  • Sweater
  • DEET (at least 50%)
  • Shoes: Hiking Shoes/ Sneakers for hikes, Sandals and Flip-flops
  • Sunglasses and hat or cap
  • Sunscreen (at least 20 SPF)
  • Water bottle
  • Camera
  • Pen & Notebook
  • Flashlight