AEC in Turrialba
The Golden Jewel of AEC in Costa Rica.
Nestled in the tropical mountain rain forest near the Caribbean coast you will find this wonderous community of Turrialba. AEC-Costa Rica has chosen this location for its extremely immersive experience for our students and it’s Costa Rican charm. Surrounded by mild temperatures the community is a pure Costa Rica experience. This Jewel offers families, teens, medical and nursing students to immersive themselves in a cultural and language experience unparalleled. With a caring staff and local families who really enjoy the cultural and immersive exchange with our students, making Turrialba the purest Costa Rican experience for all visitors. With no large hotels or thongs of tourists, Turrialba offers locals who speak Spanish and enjoy meeting language learners from around the world.
“Our family of six recently spent 5 months in Costa Rica, and AEC was there to help the whole time. We knew very little Spanish when we arrived. AEC helped us arrange a house rental, city orientation, transportation, and other logistics as we settled into our extended stay. Soon we were underway, learning Spanish, and getting to know Turrialba. Our approach was to take several weeks of Spanish classes from AEC, and then travel for bit. We repeated this cycle throughout our 5-month stay. This approach gave us both the breadth and depth of experience we were hoping for. Could not have done it without AEC!!!”
The staff, the administrators, the teachers and the host families are all welcoming and wonderful. I have recommended the experience to many fellow students.
Lori Lawson
AEC Client, 2022
Turrialba Facts
Country: Costa Rica
Province: Cartago
Altitude: 2,093 feet
Climate: Tropical Rainforest
Average Yearly Rainfall: 131 inches yearly
Average Temperature: 75°F
Things to See
Coffee Plantations, The Guayabo National Monument, and abundant wildlife.
Things to Do
Learn Spanish, adventure tours, river rafting, hiking, zip lining and mountain biking.
Turrialba Programs
Getting to Turrialba
Fly into Juan Santamaría International Airport, (SJO). You will need to arrive by Sunday afternoon to your lodging.
Use AEC’s airport pickup or direct pickup by a driver for ease of arrival to your campus.
Airport Pickup
AEC Spanish students traveling to Arenal can take advantage of the airport pickup package.
The AEC Airport Pickup Includes the following:
Price: $140 per person
Take the Bus
If you have been to Costa Rica before, and are familiar with Costa Rica’s public bus system, taking the bus is also an option.
Things to know about taking the bus to Turrialba:
Lodging in Turrialba
Home stays are with local Costa Rican families in the town of Turrialba. Each student will have a private room with their own bathroom. Couples can stay with the same family. Weekly laundry service is provided along with two meals a day, breakfast and dinner. Almost all of our families are within walking distance to our school campus. The families are of middle income and usually professionals. They have all been in our service for years and we have some the best host families in all of Costa Rica says coordinating staff for “Rustic Pathways”.
They have to meet certain criteria for becoming a host family, cleanness, bathroom required and overall interest in our student’s experience. Some of the best families are where their children have left the nest and they enjoy having cultural exchanges with our students. They help with homework, speak slower and want to be part of the experience and not looking at students as a dollar sign but wanting the best overall experience for them.
2023 Turrialba Pricing
| Program Options | Desciption | 1 Week | 2 Weeks | 3 Weeks | 4 Weeks | Extra Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 16 Hour | Group lessons with a class size of 6. |
$310 | $605 | $860 | $1,090 | $260 |
| Intensive 20 hour | Group lessons with a class size of 6 |
$360 | $705 | $990 | $1,255 | $315 |
| Super Intensive 28hr | Group lessons with a class size of 6 and private. |
$530 | $1,055 | $1,520 | $1,960 | $490 |
| 16 hour Medical Program | Group lessons with a class size of 6. |
$440 | $865 | $1,520 | $1,960 | $490 |
| 16 hour Nursing Program | Group lessons with a class size of 6. |
$440 | $790 | $1,140 | $1,470 | $355 |
| 20 hour Medical Program | Group lessons with a class size of 6. |
$490 | $965 | 1,380 | $1,775 | $445 |
| 20 hour Nursing Program | Group lessons with a class size of 6. |
$490 | $965 | $1,380 | $1,775 | $445 |
| Childrens 16 Hour Program | Ages 8-13 | $280 | $545 | $775 | $980 | $240 |
| Childrens 20 Hour Program | Ages 8-13 | $325 | $635 | $890 | $1,130 | $285 |
| Kinder 20 Hour Program | Ages 3-7 | $215 | $430 | $640 | $860 | $210 |
How to Register
Contact our registration coordinator, Jeff Garrison, for more information and assistance with booking your course sessions. To contact Jeff please use the numbers below or submit a message via the contact form.
Call Us
For calls placed from within the U.S. and all international calls, please call:
Inquiry Form
Please fill out our inquiry form one of our knowledgeable representatives will get back to you within one business day.
Explore a Turrialba
Turrialba was selected as a campus site by AEC because of this unique location. By being outside the standard tourist flow, Turrialba has kept its Costa Rican native charm and therefore serves as the most immersive of our campuses. Even though many tourists pass through town to experience its famous white water rafting, there are not many foreigners living in the area. This makes for an excellent environment for students wishing to practice their Spanish.
There are over 70,000 inhabitants of the Turrialba valley and the town is its social, political, economic and cultural heart. Here, the people are famous for their love of life, outgoing natures and devotion to family. This spirit radiates to all who visit and spend time here. Visitors become a part of this extended family and can feel as safe and secure as if it were their own hometown.