Aquiares Waterfall
Not for from Turrialba is the Aquiares waterfall you can visit. You will go on a sort hiking trip through coffee fields before you reach this spectacular waterfall. Here you can take a refreshing swim and enjoy a natural waterslide!

Bird Watching Tour
Learn everything about the birds around Turrialba: their singing, nests, beauty and environmental importance. Accompanied by a specialized guide you take a short hike in the morning. The guide has a lot of information about the birds and knows exactly how to spot them. After the tour you will receive coffee and a typical Costa Rican breakfast.

Canyoning and Canopy
This tour at a short distance from the school takes you through the rainforest attached on ropes and lines, 100% adrenaline!

CATIE
The Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza is one of the world’s leading tropical agricultural research station. CATIE is devoted to experimentation and research on some 335 species of tropical plants and crops, including more than 2,500 coffee varieties and contains the largest library on tropical agriculture in the world. Several trails crossing the magnificent landscape grounds provide superb birding and the laboratories, orchards, herbarium, and husbandry facilities are fascinating.

Guayabo National Monument
Visit this three thousand years old, most important and largest archaeological site of Costa Rica. Besides the monuments, the vegetation and birds such as toucans, golden orioles, trogons, woodpeckers and cuckoos are well worth the visit. You can also find armadillos, sloths, ocelots, squirrels and tapirs, snakes, frogs and many more.

Golden Bean Coffee Tour
Learn the secrets behind the world’s most popular beverage! The tour starts in the coffee fields and ends in the little factory. You will be able to experience every aspect of coffee, from the farming and harvesting to the milling and roasting process and finally the cupping and tasting of an exceptional cup of Costa Rican coffee. There is a nice shop where you can buy some coffee as a souvenir and a lot of other products they make of the coffee plants and beans.

Horseback Riding
Experience Turrialba and its surroundings from a different angle with our horseback riding tour. Our horses are specially trained to serve beginners, but we have a more advanced tour as well. The tours will take you through coffee and sugarcane fields and picturesque villages.

Mountain Bike Tour
Turrialba is a popular place for mountain biking and the tour is an adventures way to can see the beautiful surroundings. During the mountain bike tour you will be accompanied by a guide who also is an experienced mountain biker. You can choose yourself how challenging you want the ride to be, so even experienced bikers can get the ride of their life!

Snake Farm
The snake farm is one of the world’s leading rehabilitation, educational and research centers for tropical herpetology (the science of studying snakes). Visiting the farm gives you the opportunity to observe, photograph and learn more about Costa Rica’s beautiful, yet potentially deadly, population of venomous snakes. Also the famous red eyed leaf frog can be seen here.

Gekui River Camp
Our campsite at the bank of the Pacuare River has a deep sense of wilderness and a night of falling asleep with the sounds of crickets in this magical place is a must. Come here just to relax or to study your Spanish. During the weekend you can combine a relaxing stay at the Gekui River Camp with an exciting white water rafting tour!

Besides the activities arranged by the school, there are lots of other things to do. Turrialba is a nice town to visit, especially on a Friday or Saturday when there is the fruit market. Just walk around, practice your Spanish and do some shopping while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. You can also take salsa and meringue classes, practice aerobics, go hiking or take a swim in one of the several swimming pools in and around town.

HALF DAYTRIPS

Bocas Butterfly Garden

Bocas Butterfly Garden is an enclosed tropical garden with a wide variety of butterflies and plants. It is located in the forest closest to Bocas town. Enjoy the peaceful surroundings while learning more about the lifecycle of these fascinating animals!

Botanical Garden

“Finca Los Monos” (the Monkey Farm) is a botanical garden on Isla Colon with large collections of heleconias, gingers, palms, flowering trees, fruit trees, spices and ornamentals. Because “Finca Los Monos” is located on the hilltop of “La loma del Idaan” it has stunning views, both eastward toward the archipelago of Bocas del Toro as well as westward toward the mountainous mainland, with the fabulous blues and greens of the Caribbean in each direction. And you might spot some howler monkeys and possibly some sloths or iguanas!

Horseback Riding

Enjoy a good horseback ride while looking at a beautiful sunset. The tour ends with a great dinner at a restaurant located at a beautiful beach.

La Gruta

Located 8 km out of town, on the road to Boca del Drago you can find this shrine dedicated to the Virgen del Carmen. It is a peaceful place and some people enjoy walking in the cave where they will find many bats!

Visiting surrounding beaches

The school itself is not on the beach, but there are several beaches nearby. There is a wide variety of beaches to choose from depending on what you are looking for. Some beaches are located on the same island as the school (Isla Colon) and can be reached by taxi, bus and bike or on foot; others require a water taxi to reach them. One of the must see beaches is Bocas del Drago, also known as Starfish Beach because of the many starfishes there. Some beaches are more suitable for surfing while others are better for swimming and boogie boarding, but what all beaches have in common is the beautiful weather and the very agreeable water temperature!

Catamaran Sailing

Spend a whole day on a 42 feet catamaran feet catamaran. Watch dolphins jump around, afterwards go for some snorkeling or swimming. During the sailing or when you do not want to swim nor snorkel you can just relax on the nets of the boat. This is the ultimate relax day after some good partying or intensive studying!

Cacao farm

The educational tour on a cacao farm on the mainland of Bocas del Toro proceeded by a boat trip that sometimes enables you to observe dolphins, makes for a very special day.

Zapatillas

To see the most beautiful beach in the Bocas archipelago you definitely have go to the Zapatilla islands! These islands are a part of Bastimento National Park and a must see for everybody who comes to Bocas. Going there you will first visit Dolphin Bay, where you can see the dolphins jump around. In the afternoon you will spend a few hours on Zapatillas beach where you swim, snorkel or just enjoy the sun!

Leatherback Sea Turtle Tour

This is an all day trip to Playa Bluff, where you can relax on the beautiful beach, next to the jungle. In the evening there is a BBQ in a rancho in a botanical garden. At night you will take a walk looking for the leatherback sea turtles. Most chance you have seeing a leatherback is from late April to July, as that is when the turtles lay their eggs here. Besides the leatherback turtles there are a lot more animals living on or near the beach, for example sloths and tropical frogs!

PADI Dive Courses

Because of the great diving spots around Bocas, studying at Spanish by the Sea is a great opportunity to combine Spanish with becoming a certified diver. Our dive instructor speaks English, Spanish, German and Dutch and has a small dive operation which he runs from his house. You can do all PADI courses from Open Water (beginner) till Dive Master. The course includes instruction, material, tanks and certification.

Sailing Course

A Licensed and experienced captain will teach you the basic skills about sailing with a 18 feet Hobbie Cat, and the big 42 feet Catamaran. After the 3-7 day course you will be able to sail the Hobbie Cat alone!

Wave Surf Course

With extensive coastlines on the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Panama is home to some of the finest surfing in Central America. The principal surfing season in Bocas extends from late November to early April, with a short season in June and July. With advanced notice, Spanish by the Sea can arrange affordable, private surf instruction for students, including experienced local instructors, equipment, materials and transportation in one package. Students are advised to bring booties.

Weekend Trip to an Indigenous Tribe

ODESA is an organization for Development of sustainable ecotourism that supports the preservation of local natural resources and cultural traditions of the Naso, 11 indigenous communities that live along the Teribe River. You will take a boat up this Teribe River into the dense jungle of “La Amistad International Park” and at the edge of the tropical forest you will spend the night in a typical indigenous hut. The next day you will visit the Naso communities and the former jungle survival military training school of Noriega.

Renting Snorkeling Equipment, Bicycles and Kayaks

If you like to explore the island by yourself you can rent snorkeling equipment and kayaks as well as bicycles. Discover the underwater world by peddling a kayak to Hospital Point, a great place for snorkeling. Or take a bike a cycle across the island to Playa Bluff or Bocas del Drago for a relaxing day at the beach!

Caldera Hot Springs
Visit these natural hot springs famous for their curative properties. There are 4 hot springs with temperatures ranging from 38°C till 46°C. The springs are a really good place to relax for a few hours, especially because they are really quite.

Canopy tour
Glide through the canopy of cloud forests on 3 km of zip-line divided into 11 different cables, high above pristine rivers and waterfalls of the National Park La Amistad and the famous Volcán Barú.

Coffee Tour
Boquete is the centre of the Panamanian coffee industry. On this tour at Café Ruiz you can learn about the production and processing of the high quality coffee of Boquete. The tour includes information about environmentally friendly methods and of course tasting some coffee. After this tour you will be a coffee expert!

Guided Hikes
Hikes during two till four hours, from easy to difficult walking and in various parts of the Boquete and Caldera. These hikes are more interesting if you can go with a local guide that can tell you about all you see and don´t see on your way, espescially because they know the places to spot the wildlife.

Horseback tour
Horseback riding is another way to discover the beautiful surroundings of the town of Boquete. A horseback riding tour can easily be combined with a visit to the Caldera Hot Springs.

Paradise Gardens
Paradise Gardens is a Wildlife Rescue Center set within 4 acres of splendidly landscaped gardens. The garden is one of the must see destinations of the Chiriquí province and the owners are pleased to welcome you and tell you more about the flora and fauna of Panamá. You will have the opportunity to see some of the rescued animals and maybe even interact with them!

Rock Climbing
Rock Climbing is the perfect combination of speed and patience, force and agility. The basaltic rock formation originated by Volcán Barú offers climbs of various difficulties, but each one requires determination and courage to reach the top. After a day of climbing you definitely will be tired and content!

DAYTRIPS

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Besides the activities arranged by the school there are various other things you can do. If you for example want to explore the surroundings by yourself, we have information on the various hikes you can do on your own. But you can also rent a bike, because the environment offers great mountain biking opportunities with diverse trails for every level. The town of Boquete also has a paintball company. Perfect if you want to blow of some steam after a week of intense studying! And if you need a refreshing dive after all the exercise, there are various swimming pools around Boquete. Boquete even has a Spa where they have a unique array of personalized treatments for both men and women.

If you like to see more of Panamá, you can easily visit surrounding towns like Volcán, Cerro Punta (for famous horse stables and trout fishing) or Guadelupe (for the Orchid Sanctuary). Like spending a weekend on the beach? It is only two hours from Boquete to the Pacific Ocean, where you can relax at the beach!

City Tour & Canal

In the morning your English speaking guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you on a private tour to Panama City and the Miraflores Locks. You will start the tour with a short drive to Miraflores to see the huge vessels passing the Panama Canal. The busiest hours are between 09:00 and 11:00, so you will be able to see many ships getting lifted or lowered 18 meters in two distinct steps. You will enjoy the view on the Locks from a sheltered terrace and listen to the explanations of your guide. To complete the visit of the Canal you will visit the Museum and Visitor Center at Miraflores which gives you a good idea on the construction of the Canal – a masterpiece of engineering. You will also learn about the history of the canal and its significance for Panama and the entire world trade as well as on the current expansion project.

After the visit to the Canal you continue with your guide to the Amador Causeway, a road that connects three Islands in the Pacific Ocean and offers magnificent views on the Canal on one side and on the skyline of Panama City on the other side. The tour continues to the Casco Viejo, Panama City’s colonial quarter. At the Casco Viejo you feel set back in time as you walk through the stretched streets, plazas and public parks. A lot of Panamanian history is conserved at places such as France Plaza, Las Bovedas, San Jose Church with its wonderful golden altar, the Flat Arc and of course the Cathedral. After the tour you will be taken back to your hotel.

Don't forget to wear comfortable shoes and to bring your camera, sunglasses, sunscreen and water.

Embera Village

In the morning your guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you up north towards Lake Alajuela. There you will step into small boats, which will carry you up the Chagres River. A fascinating and dense jungle will accompany you on your boat trip. You will arrive at a village of the Embera Indians, one of seven indigenous tribes in Panamá. The people of the Embera tribe will welcome you at the pier and gladly give you an idea on how they live. While visiting the Emberá Indians, you will experience an authentic view into thousands of years of culture and human tradition, who already were there before the Europeans arrived to the Americas. You will be inevitably set back hundreds of years. The Embera women will also prepare a typical lunch for you.