Explore Summer helps you find programs based on what actually matters to you: interests, location, dates, grade, budget, and more.
The programs below match the starting criteria All these programs match the starting criteria Costa Rica and grades 6–12.Refine these results further (e.g. by dates, length, budget, etc.) or start a different search.
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6th–12th grade
47 programs to compare
45 updated for 2027 · 2 pending
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2 sessions between Jun 16–Jul 28, 2027 (3 weeks options)
Length:
3 weeks
Cost:
$6,300
Location:
Monteverde, Costa Rica
Grades:
Current grades 9-12
Format:
Group Housing
Deadline:
Jan 20, 2027
Field research quantifying tropical tree growth and carbon stocks at the CIEE Monteverde eco-campus. Farm-based living (milking cows, composting, tree nursery care). Week on the Pacific coast studying marine conservation.
Arts & Performing ArtsGlobal & LanguageApplication
Photography & Costa Rican Culture (Monteverde)
CIEE
Dates:
2 sessions between Jun 16–Jul 28, 2027 (3 weeks options)
Length:
3 weeks
Cost:
$6,250
Location:
Monteverde, Costa Rica
Grades:
Current grades 9-12
Format:
Dorms, Group Housing
Deadline:
Jan 20, 2027
Students build a photography portfolio; includes ziplining over the Monteverde Cloud Forest canopy and excursions to Santa Rosa National Park and the Pacific coast for coastal/underwater photography.
2 sessions between Jul 8–Jul 28, 2027 (2 weeks and 3 weeks options)
Length:
2 weeks–3 weeks
Cost:
$4,725–$6,725
Location:
Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica (with excursions)
Ages:
14–18; all Spanish levels, beginner to advanced (completed grades 8–12)
Format:
Residential
Deadline:
Priority · Registration Apr 1, 2027
Students live with a host family in Santo Domingo de Heredia, where Spanish is spoken at home, take afternoon Spanish and cultural classes, volunteer with local children, and take excursions that include Manuel Antonio and Arenal Volcano.
High School Spanish Immersion – Ecuador & Costa Rica Combo
Common Ground International
Dates:
2 sessions between Jun 18–Jul 28, 2027 (4 weeks and 6 weeks options)
Length:
4 weeks–6 weeks
Cost:
$8,995–$12,250
Location:
Cuenca, Ecuador and Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica
Ages:
14–18; all Spanish levels, beginner to advanced (completed grades 8–12)
Format:
Residential
Deadline:
Priority · Registration Apr 1, 2027
Students split the program between a host family in Cuenca, Ecuador and a host family in Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica, with Spanish and cultural classes, community service, and excursions in both countries.
A Spanish-immersion camp in Costa Rica: mornings bring group cultural activities and adventure tours such as ziplining, national-park hikes, surf school and farm tours, and afternoons follow the chosen track. The Spanish track is small-group classes with certified native-speaker teachers, 3 hours each afternoon (15 hours a week), and ends with a certificate of Spanish level. The volunteer track is 3-4 hours of community service each afternoon at local schools and projects, such as light construction, activities with children and English tutoring, and ends with a volunteering certificate. Campers live with local host families.
Multiple 2027 sessions (e.g. Jun 15–22, Jul 6–13, Jul 13–20, Jul 27–Aug 3, Aug 3–10)
Length:
8 days
Cost:
$2,595
Location:
La Fortuna & San Jose
Ages:
14-18 (completed grades 8–12)
Format:
Group Housing
About 16 hours of community service at Linda Elementary School and on trails in Arenal Volcano National Park, plus rainforest ziplining, Sarapiqui River rafting, and volcanic hot springs.
Costa Rica (Camaronal Wildlife Refuge & Puerto Carrillo, Nicoya Peninsula)
Grades:
Completing grades 9-11
Format:
Residential
8-day sea turtle conservation program on Costa Rica's Pacific coast with 20 service hours at Camaronal Wildlife Refuge - night nesting patrols, hatchery work, and hatchling releases - plus surf lessons and ziplining.
2 sessions between Jul 12–Aug 9, 2027 (9 days options)
Length:
9 days
Cost:
$3,810
Location:
Costa Rica (course starts in San José, Costa Rica)
Grades:
8–12 (varies by track)
Format:
Residential
Outward Bound wilderness expedition in Costa Rica for high school students (surfing, service, cultural immersion), where a crew of 8–12 teens and 2–3 instructors live in the backcountry, share daily roles like navigator and cook, and build leadership and teamwork skills.
Exact 2027 dates not fully captured in this research pass
Length:
Length not fully captured (based on 80 veterinary hours, likely 10-14 days)
Cost:
$7,999
Location:
Costa Rica (exact region not fully captured)
Grades:
9-12
Format:
Residential
An international veterinary program in Costa Rica offering up to 80 veterinary hours -- more than double the 40 hours offered on Envision's domestic Veterinary Academy programs. Run in partnership with Loop Abroad, described as the leading pre-veterinary travel program in the nation. 10:1 student-to-veterinarian ratio, maximum 30 students.
Sea Turtle, Monkey & Wildlife Conservation in Costa Rica for Teenagers
Projects Abroad
Dates:
2 sessions between Jun 27–Jul 31, 2027 (2 weeks (14 days) options)
Length:
2 weeks (14 days)
Cost:
$3,895
Location:
Barra del Colorado and Camaquiri, Costa Rica
Ages:
14-18 and in grade 9 or above (completed grades 9–12)
Format:
Residential
2-week fully supervised Projects Abroad high school program — Sea Turtle, Monkey & Wildlife Conservation in Costa Rica — based in Barra del Colorado and Camaquiri, Costa Rica, with structured project work, social events, and sightseeing, staying in a lodge.
3 sessions between Jun 14–Jul 31, 2027 (14 days options)
Length:
14 days
Cost:
$6,295
Location:
San José, Turrialba Valley, Caribbean coast
Grades:
Completing grades 9-12
Format:
Group Housing
14-day trip in Costa Rica. Students spend six days on community service in the Turrialba Valley, 24 to 36 service hours, then hike Cahuita National Park, surf, and kayak mangroves on the Caribbean coast, visit a Bribri community, and raft the Pacuare River for three days with a zipline through the canopy. An optional escorted flight leaves from Miami.
Global & LanguageWilderness & AdventureApplication
Costa Rica: Community Service (High School)
Putney Student Travel
Dates:
5 sessions between Jun 14–Aug 15, 2027 (15 days and 22 days options)
Length:
15 days–22 days
Cost:
$5,690–$6,890
Location:
Costa Rica
Grades:
9-12 (Completed)
Format:
Residential
Service program in Costa Rica. Students live in a rural community and work on projects with local partners, with time in the rainforest and on the Pacific coast.
Start almost any day in summer 2027 except major holidays. Early June or mid-July recommended; local schools break from late June through early July. Exact dates are set after acceptance.
Length:
1 month–2 months
Cost:
$4,190–$4,730
Location:
San Ramón, Palmares, or Zarcero area, Costa Rica
Ages:
15–18 (recent graduates welcome); minimum 2.75 GPA; U.S. or Canadian citizens (completed grades 9–12)
Format:
Residential
Summer exchange in Costa Rica where students attend a local high school while it is in session and live with a host family that has a host sibling at the same school, in a small or mid-sized town near the rainforest.
A Spanish-immersion camp in Costa Rica: mornings bring group cultural activities and adventure tours such as ziplining, national-park hikes, surf school and farm tours, and afternoons follow the chosen track. The Spanish track is small-group classes with certified native-speaker teachers, 3 hours each afternoon (15 hours a week), and ends with a certificate of Spanish level. The volunteer track is 3-4 hours of community service each afternoon at local schools and projects, such as light construction, activities with children and English tutoring, and ends with a volunteering certificate. Campers live with local host families.
6 sessions between Jun 8–Aug 10, 2027 (8 days options)
Length:
8 days
Cost:
$2,895
Location:
Camaronal Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica
Ages:
14-18 (completed grades 8–12)
Format:
Group Housing
About 26 service hours protecting Olive Ridley sea turtle nests at Camaronal National Wildlife Refuge: hatchery monitoring, night beach patrols, beach cleanups, and trail work, plus a surf lesson and a dolphin-watching boat tour. Maximum 18 students. Lodging is rustic, with open-air shared bathrooms and unreliable phone service.
