About Zapote Campus
In the city, the school is located between San
Pedro and Zapote, in a safe, quiet suburb of San
José which is about a ten minute bus ride
from downtown.  The
capital (San Jose) has many museums, theaters with
music performances and plays, international restaurants,
discotheques and bars. There is an active night
life during the week and it gets better on the weekends.
About the School Program
Classes normally consist of two or three students.
It is rare that a class size reaches the maximum
of six students.
We offer mini group classes, private tutoring,
or a combination of mini group and private tutoring.
There are two ten-minute breaks between classes
in which students and teachers enjoy coffee, juice,
fruit and other snacks. Classes emphasize oral communication
to achieve specific goals. Teachers are rotated
to ensure that the student is exposed to a variety
of Spanish accents.
The pace of the class is set according to the student's
language skill development progress.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Mini group: 4 hours a day
Students meet for four hours from Monday through
Friday in mini groups of six students or less. These
classes take place in the morning from 8 AM to 12
noon or in the afternoon from 1 to 5 PM according
to the student's preference. Most of the students
prefer morning classes; nevertheless, during the
rainy season (May to November) it is usually sunny
in the morning and rainy in the afternoon. Thus,
it is more advisable to take afternoon classes.
Groups may be divided whenever a student demonstrates
a different pace of learning.
Private tutoring: 4 hours a day
One-on-one instruction is designed especially for
people who want to advance at their own pace, work
on specific vocabulary, have special needs or who
have limited time. We recommend this program for
students who are taking classes for only one week.
These classes take place according to the student's
preference, in the morning from 8 AM to 12 noon
or in the afternoon from 1 to 5 PM.
Mini group 4 hours + 2 hours private tutor
a day
This program is designed especially for people who
want to reinforce what is being learned in the group
classes or who want to work on specific vocabulary.
The schedule for this program is: mini group class
in the morning from 8 to 12 and private instruction
from 1:15 to 3:15 in the afternoon.
Prices
View Rates
Lodging Options
Home stay
The offers the opportunity to live with a Costa
Rican host family. A private room, keys to the house,
breakfast, dinner and laundry service are all provided.
The school chooses the families according to their
interest in sharing with foreigners and to the evaluations
we have received from previous students. Some families
can accommodate students who are traveling with
children. Host family accomodations are available
in San José.
Apartments
The school can rent fully furnished apartments which
are located just one block from the facilities in
San José. Each apartment has a computer with
internet access through cable modem, refrigerator,
stove, microwave oven, cooking utensils and TV.
Room cleaning service is provided. Each apartments
has 3 bedrooms with a double bed in each room. It
is possible to rent the whole apartment or just
one room.
Hotels
If students do not want to stay with a host family,
there is a wide variety of hotels near the school.
School Activities
Cultural Programs:
Meringue and salsa dance lessons are also offered
once a week. There are visits to museums, presentations
of movies and other cultural activities which change
every week. Students can also participate in cooking
classes. Once a month, students bring typical dishes
from their country to share.
Transportation:
Students travel to Manuel Antonio by public
bus. Buses leave San José every day at 6AM,
12:00 noon and 6 PM. It is a 3 and a half hour bus
ride. The school buys the bus tickets in advance
for your trip. If you choose to fly into Manuel
Antonio or to rent a car, we will be happy to assist
you in making any arrangements. It is recommended
that participants arrive in San José on or
before the Saturday prior to the start of classes,
stay the first night in San José, and travel
the following day to Manuel Antonio. SFS can arrange
for your stay in San José, either with a
host family or in a hotel.
Optional activities:
TOURS
(Tours listed below are additional (prices) to the
program prices. )
City Tour
(transportation and guide)
Students will see the main buildings in and
around downtown San José and hear a brief
history of the city. |
Visit to Cartago city
(transportation)
Founded in 1563, this former capital is the
most historical city in the Central Valley.
Students leave COSI at noon and visit the
Lankaster Gardens, a beautiful orchid garden
run by the University of Costa Rica.There
is an arboretum that has a variety of Costa
Rican ecosystems. You will also enjoy the
view of the Orosi Valley, where there are
many coffee plantations. In Cartago, students
will visit La Basílica, the most important
and famous church in Costa Rica and Costa
Rica's patron saint La Negrita virge
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Heredia City
(transportation)
Heredia is a small but historical city founded
in 1706. It is called the "city of flowers"
and still retains some of its colonial character.
The Parque Central is the best place to see
the older buildings, such as the church of
La Inmaculada Concepción, a colonial
tower called "El Fortín"
and La Casa de la Cultura which houses art
and historical exhibits. Leaving at noon,
students will be able to appreciate the great
view from Monte de la Cruz, a famous look-out
point.
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The Butterfly Farm
(transportation and entrance)
This is a great place to visit. It is located
outside of San José. Students will
learn about the relationship between the beautiful
winged insects, their host plants and their
predators, as well as the amazing transformations
that take place within their life cycle. The
price includes transportation, entrance to
the garden and guide service.
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Coffee Tour
(transportation and entrance fee)
Students will visit the coffee farm (finca)
and see a bilingual presentation that describes
the historical importance of coffee to Costa
Rica. The tour also shows parts of the production
process and finishes with coffee-tasting sessions.
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Aerial Tram
(transportation, lunch and entrance fee)
The Rain Forest Aerial Tram is only one hour
away from San José. It is located on
a 450 hectare (1000 acres) private reserve of
virgin forest that borders Braulio Carrillo
National Park, one of the biggest and most biologically
diverse parks in Costa Rica. The Students experience
will include transportation in an open air vehicle
to the Visitor Center where they will be shown
a video about the project. They will then go
on a guided walk on the trails (which bird lovers
will really enjoy) and then an aerial excursion
through the tree-tops.
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White water rafting
(transportation, breakfast, lunch, guide and
equipment)
Rafting on Costa Rican rivers will bring you
an unforgettable experience. The tour company
will choose the most appropriate river according
to your level of expertise. The most common
ones are the Reventazón or Pacuare Rivers.
This trip includes transportation to and from
local hotels, breakfast, lunch and all rafting
equipment required for the rivers such as rafts,
lifejackets, helmets and paddles.
|
Isla Tortuga
(land and boat transportation, breakfast, lunch,
guide)
Isla Tortuga is a romantic place with
white sands located close to the Puntarenas
seaport. You will pass through small towns,
sugarcane fields and green coffee plantations.
The adventure continues on the ocean where you
will admire the Island of Negritos, San Lucas,
Gitana and the National Bird Santuary of Guayabo.
The ocean at Tortuga Island is quite calm and
safe for swimming and kayaking ($10). You can
also go on a canopy tour.
|
Volcán Poás
(transportation, park entrance)
The National Park of Volcán Poás
lies about 37 km north of Alajuela. It is one
of the oldest and best-known national parks
in Costa Rica. The centerpiece of the park is
Volcán Poás which has been active
since 1828. The volcanic activity has resulted
in acid rains and occasional closures occur
depending on gaseous emissions and wind. The
volcano is surrounded by a cloud forest abundant
in flora and fauna. It also has a beautiful
lagoon that is worth visiting.
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Volcán Irazú
(transportation, park entrance)
Volcán Irazú is the highest active
volcano in Costa Rica measuring 3432 meters
high. The last major eruption was a memorable
one: March 19, 1963, the day that US President
Kennedy arrived on a state visit. The park features
several craters and on a clear day, it is possible
to see both the Pacific and Caribbean oceans
from the summit.
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Tortuguero Canals
(2 days, 1 night; boat & land transp, all
meals, hotel accommodations)
One of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica
is the area of Tortuguero. You can get there
only by boat. The beach is protected because
thousands of turtles come here to nest their
eggs from May to October. It includes an afternoon
tour to town of Tortuguero and a morning tour
to the Caño Palma reservation. You can
see monkeys, crocodiles (caymans), sloths, toucans,
parrots, morpho butterflies and other animal
species.
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Volcán Arenal
(hot springs spa entrance and dinner)
The Volcán Arenal National Park is relatively
new because it was founded in 1995. Visiting
the active volcano is an unforgettable experience.
The best time to see it is definitely at night.
You can watch it from the Tabacón Resort
area, a natural spa close to the volcano. The
Resort uses hot water that springs from the
volcano.
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Services in Zapote:
In Zapote, there are many different types
of stores, gyms, hotels and restaurants. In addition,
communicative services such telephones, faxes and
internet access are available. Public transportation
is inexpensive with buses and taxis.
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