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Learn Spanish while visiting Costa Rica

At Elemento Natural we want you to learn spanish while taking a trip around Costa Rica. We offer a 2-week program were you we will give you the basics. Enough for you to have a meaningful conversation with any Costa Rican.

You will enjoy small intensive lessons while visiting the main spots of Costa Rica. We offer the full cultural experience: language, travel and gastronomy!

Our excursions enable students of any age to fully absorb the Costa Rican culture while taking in all that this country has to offer.

lear-spanis-in-costa-rica

On your first lessons, we will take a city tour after your classes. You will visit San José downtown and its main attractions, including the beautiful National Theatre, the Cathedral, the Gold Museum, and the Central Market, among others.

Early morning we will also visit the Poás Volcano and its huge active crater. You will be blessed with the cloud forest of the national park and the small hikes to the craters. After the visit, you’ll have more fun at your Spanish classes.

lear-spanis-in-costa-ricaManuel Antonio National Park, Quepos, Costa Rica.

What a better way to teach our students than giving them the opportunity to communicate with locals! This is done in the field trips. During this learning experience you will visit one of Costa Rica’s most popular national parks: . You will have the chance to talk with locals, admire the rainforest wildlife and take a stroll at the beautiful white sand beach.

On the cultural side, we also offer a tour to the oxcart monument in Escazú. Here you will realize the importance of the traditional oxcarts. We will also take you to an old sugar cane mill were you will see how sugar cane is processed and the products that are made from it. You will also find out  about wood crafts made in a responsible way and have chance to buy some artesanías (souvenirs).

How about a taste of authentic Costa Rican cuisine? What better way to understand about the local foods and gastronomy than by making it yourself! One of our classes includes a cooking experience of customary Costa Rican cuisine.

lear-spanis-in-costa-ricaArenal Volcano, La Fortuna de San Carlos.

To roundup this experience, our course includes a weekend getaway at La Fortuna, home of the Volcán Arenal. There you can hike on the Arenal Old Lava Flows or swim and kayak on lake Arenal.  You will also have some free time to explore the town of La Fortuna. You might choose to try other activities like the canopy tour or to experience the world famous Aguas termales.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to travel and learn Spanish in Costa Rica! Book your tour here:

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CategoriesBlog By ipacheco

Your Trip to Caribbean Paradise starts with Tortuguero! 

Costa Rican Caribbean is a treat to all your senses.  The different shades of green mixed with the sounds of calypso and reggae are intertwined with the smells of coconut and spices.

At Elemento Natural we offer you a unique trip in October. Come join us in Costa Rica`s Caribbean experience!

About twenty minutes after leaving San José, we will drive into Braulio Carrillo National Park. Ranging from high-altitude cloud forests to lowlands tropical rainforest, this park has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in Costa Rica. We will continue to Guápiles, and from there to Tortuguero National Park, the gateway to Costa Rica´s Caribbean.

Tortuguero National Park is located on the Caribbean coast of Limón province, about 80 km northeast of the city of the same name. The Costa Rican legislature declared Tortuguero as a National Park in November 1975 to protect the nesting of the sea turtles, the beach and the adjacent terrestrial habitats.  It has an area of 26.256 hectares in the land part and 50.160 in the marine zone.

There are no roads to Tortuguero. Access is by boat from Moín near Puerto Limón or from La Pavona Port or Caño Blanco. It can also be reached by a small plane from San José. In order to visit Tortuguero National Park we will embark you on a river boat that will take you along Costa Rica’s north Caribbean coast through an extensive system of canals. Tortuguero, also called “the Amazonian Costa Rica” is one of the most fascinating and popular destinations in our tour.

your-trip-to-caribbean-paradise-starts-with-tortuguero

Tortuguero literally means “land of turtles”. It is no wonder that they are the main attraction of this National Park.  Green (Chelonia mydas mydas ), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles nest on these beaches.  Green sea turtles neared extinction due to hunting of the adults for meat (they are easy prey when they nest) for turtle soup, and poaching of eggs.  The nesting season for leatherback and green turtles goes from July to October.  If lucky enough, you might just get to watch turtle hatchlings emerging from their nests and racing into the ocean.

Dr. Archie Carr of the University of Florida formed the Caribbean Conservation Corporation (now called  The Sea Turtle Conservancy) in 1959 to study and protect sea turtles, and the turtle-tagging program he began at Tortuguero in 1955 continues until today.

The park has an important biological diversity due to the existence within the reserve of eleven different habitats, including:  rainforest, mangrove forests, swamps, beaches, and lagoons. The park was recognized under Ramsar Convention on 1991 for its rich biological diversity and ecosystems (especially wetlands) that support threatened flora and fauna species. The wildlife in this area is very diverse, there are usually large populations of monkeys, amphibians, birds and fish. The resident wildlife includes tapirs, jaguars, sloths, frogs, macaws, toucans and bats.

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This is one of the rainiest areas of Costa Rica, and even in the dry season afternoon showers are common. Rain is between 5,000 and 6,000 mm per year. We can distinguish two types of rain:  that of short duration which is the most common, and the tropical downpour rain characteristic of the Caribbean that may last up to 15 days. The latter is usually caused by winds from the north and northwest, related to existent low pressure systems.

You will also have some time to stroll through the little town of Tortuguero and the museum of the green turtle, during the afternoon. The park has worked closely with the neighboring village to help its inhabitants understand that preserving their natural resources is key to encourage eco-tourism and sustainable development.

Join us on our trip to Tortuguero, the gateway to Caribbean paradise!

your-trip-to-caribbean-paradise-starts-with-tortuguero

Sylvia León Koberg for Elemento Natural.

Sources:

http://acot.co.cr/portal/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=99:observaci%C3%B3n-de-tortugas-en-costa-rica&Itemid=488

http://www.cccturtle.org/costarica.php?page=research

http://www.conozcacostarica.com/parques/tortuguero.htm

http://www.tortugueroinfo.com/spa/info_tortuguero.htm

http://www.sinac.go.cr/AC/ACTo/PNTortuguero/Paginas/default.aspx

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learn spanish in costa rica
CategoriesBlog Learn Spanish By ipacheco

9 Words to speak like a local in Costa Rica #TheTicosSay

In Elemento Natural we know how important it is to plan ahead. In order to get your way around the country, start by learning what “#TheTicosSay”. If you speak these words to any “tico” they will totally understand and empathize with you. These nine words are an essential part of Costa Rican culture and key to understanding local people and their sayings.

Let’s begin:

learn spanish in costa rica


Chepe: Costa Rica’s capital, San José, is referred to colloquially as “Chepe”. The word is also used as nickname for people named José.

Examples of use: Today I have to go to Chepe. My friend here is Chepe (José).

learn spanish in costa rica

Chiva: It is used as a local expression to communicate that something is nice or “really cool”.

Examples of use: That’s really “chiva”! We went on a trip to the mountain it was chivísima (superlative of the word chiva).

learn spanish in costa rica

Chunche: This word is used to refer to anything, any physical object or thing can be referred to as “chunche”. This expression is often used when forgetting the name of an object. Carlos Gallini, author of the book “Diccionario de Costarriqueñismos” states that the word “chunche” is a derivation of the Quechua word ‘chunchulli’.

Examples of use: Give me that chunche that’s above the table. I have bought many chunches.

learn spanish in costa rica

Diay: This is a typical tag word (or pet phrase) used by Costa Ricans in conversations. It can be used as a greeting or as a complaint and replacing the word “because”.
Examples of use: -Diay, How are you? – Diay, I’m doing fine. – Diay, I was travelling, that’s why I am happy.

 

learn spanish in costa rica

Mae: One of the most popular slangs. It is used as a noun concerning a person, for example: “that mae” means that boy or girl. It is similar to the word “dude” in English. However, it is also a catch phrase used in any sentence.

Examples of use: Mae , how interesting! It’s raining, mae.

learn spanish in costa rica

Tuanis: It is, as defined by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE www.rae.es), a thing of excellent quality. It is also used to express that a thing or situation is “just fine”. Some people believe that the word ‘tuanis’ comes from a derivation of the expression in English “too nice” (or very good), but it actually comes from Malespín, a code of war from the XIX century by the Salvadoran General Francisco Malespín, which changed the letters of the word “Bueno” (good in Spanish).

Examples of use: This is tuanis! Everything is tuanis? (fine)

learn spanish in costa rica

Upe! This word is used when knocking on someone’s door or entering a house. According to historian Costantino Lacariz, in his book “El Costarricense” the announcement comes from the Spanish Colonial period and has a religious background. This greeting, announced at the doorstep of houses, was typical in Nicoya, who annexed it to the celebrations in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, their Patron Saint. Devotees would knock and ask for charity. ¡Upe! is the shortest version of the long expression: ¡Una ayudita para nuestra Patrona la Señorita de Guadaluuuuupeeeee!

Examples of use: Upe! Hello.

learn spanish in costa rica

Yodo: Meaning a cup of brewed coffee.

Examples of use: Brew up some yodo this morning. Want some yodo?

These words, called “Costarriqueñismos” are a group of slang phrases that have been adapted or invented by our ancestors and that our generations have inherited. Many of them remain in our colloquial language and are generally accepted and understood by all “ticos” alike. When someone hears them they know they are talking to a “tico”. We invite you to use them. They are history, part of our living language.

Sylvia León Koberg for Elemento Natural.

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Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/costarriquenhismos/?pnref=story  11 de Julio

http://el-callejon-m.blogspot.com/2007/03/diccionario-de-costarriqueismos-largo.html

https://www.facebook.com/notes/costa-rica-y-su-historia/el-origen-de-algunos-de-nuestros-t%C3%A9rminos-m%C3%A1s-populares/452420708139774/

http://www.nacion.com/archivo/Dichos-pura-vida-origen-tuanis_0_1231876914.html

http://www.nacion.com/archivo/par-lectores-preguntan_0_1164683557.html

http://www.crhoy.com/mae-yodo-y-macha-algunas-de-las-palabras-que-aprenden-los-extranjeros-con-el-tico-talk/