"IA Summer" - Learn Spanish through Cultural Immersion in Mexico

With only one week to travel, I chose Iguana Abroad for an immersive jump start to my Spanish conversation skills as well as a first experience of Mexican culture. The program met and exceeded all of my expectations. The program directors and teachers at the language school worked to understand my goals and interests and offered a week filled with amazing hands-on experiences (salsa and cooking classes highly recommended!) and opportunities to meet and converse with fascinating people. I have returned home with a deeper understanding of a beautiful country that has so much to offer a curious traveler. As a woman traveling alone, I felt comfortable and safe at all times, with just the right combination of organized events and time to explore the city on my own. I would highly recommend this very personalized experience!

Iguana Abroad was for me the first time in Latin America and the first time in a Spanish speaking country (apart from several family visits to Spain and Catalonia in my childhood). Coming from Europe the culture shock in Mexico was quite extreme, but after a short period of adaptation I was soon loving Mexico and Mexican culture. The Spanish language tuition on the course was really excellent. I arrived on the program with no Spanish (level A1) but after four weeks I was able to talk to my Mexican friends and teachers in Spanish, and understand almost everything people were saying to me. It was an intense course (but in a good way) because you are always encouraged to speak in Spanish, and English is discouraged. This “total immersion” approach was really helpful for me and it was one of the main reasons I chose Iguana Abroad to begin with. Immersion can sometimes be challenging because you are sometimes in situations with Spanish speakers that you don’t fully understand, but eventually you start to absorb the language and become more attuned to the nuances of people’s speech. Reaching that point with Spanish was such a satisfying experience for me. I am very grateful to Iguana Abroad for the experience.

I was little bit nervous about joining the program before I came, mainly because Mexico sometimes gets bad press back home, but I am so happy that I chose to join Iguana Abroad! Everyone on the course (literally everyone!) really helped our group of girls to feel comfortable right from day one and everything was so well organized (Spanish classes, accommodation, weekend trips, the cookery class, etcetera) - basically everyone on the program took so much care to make sure that we were enjoying ourselves and having a good time at every moment during our stay. If I could choose one word to describe how the program was it would be that it FLOWED! From the start to the end it felt like the course was perfect to make sure that we were having an awesome time and learning Spanish as well. The two Harrys who run the program made us feel 100% comfortable at all times and we appreciated their knowledge and recommendations for things to do in the city and places to go. I am so grateful for all the effort that everyone on the program put in to making our time in Mexico so special.

Iguana Abroad was a lifechanging experience for me. I always wanted to learn another language and live abroad but I never took the step forward to actually do it. When I found Iguana Abroad online I knew right away that it was the perfect opportunity to achieve the dreams that I had always had. And I am SO SO glad that I took the leap and applied because it was absolutely one of the best decisions of my life (if not the best decision of my life so far!). I can now actually speak Spanish, which I never thought I would be able to do! But more than that Iguana Abroad gave me the confidence to travel abroad and not be scared about what life can throw your way. It taught me that living abroad is not a stressful or dangerous thing to do and it showed me what an amazing country Mexico is, and that living there is absolutely life changing! I am so grateful to all the people that I met on the program that made the program what it was, and I am so humbled by all the Mexicans that I met who have changed my life for the better in so many ways. Thank you Iguana Abroad! Muchas gracias!

I would recommend the Iguana Abroad program for many reasons. Firstly because the tuition you receive on the course is really precise and efficient and really gives you the skills needed to learn Spanish very quickly. I felt that I learnt more in 4 weeks on Iguana Abroad than I did in 4 years of college and 1 year of Duolingo – literally. Secondly, the accommodation was really amazing. My accommodation had a huge outdoor heated swimming pool that we could use as well as an incredible garden with hammocks, banana trees, gym, and spacious outdoor seating area – it really was incredible, and so much better than I would expect for a course of this price. The accommodation was actually quite a surprising aspect of the course because they didn’t really advertise how good it was going to be before we arrived so I was really nicely surprised when I arrived, as I was thinking it would probably just be normal language school accommodation (which would have been ok as well, but this was so much better).

[By the way, if anyone from Iguana Abroad is reading this – you should definitely advertise the accommodation more before students arrive because it’s a real selling point that would really make people like me more likely to sign up!]

The last thing that I will say about the course is that the excursions and events were really well planned and so useful for learning Spanish. We often visited places where many people didn’t speak any English at all, which was so useful for helping us improve our Spanish conversation skills. It really felt like complete “immersion” in the language which is exactly what I was hoping to find when I signed up. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone looking to learn Spanish quickly and comfortably, in a beautiful location.

Iguana Abroad was such an awesome experience and absolutely gives you so much confidence in yourself and belief in what you are capable of! The program helps you use Spanish around the city and shows you how to interact with people in different places. We did a market tour which was so fun, and also a cookery class and salsa event. We also did excursions every weekend with the group. Everyone on the program was so lovely and amazing and I will never forget the friends I made on the course! If you are in two minds about joining the program, I would say – go for it! You won’t regret it.

Choosing a Spanish course honestly took me ages— there were so many options, so many incredible destinations, so many things to consider. What I can say for sure though, is now that I’ve experienced Iguana Abroad and Mexico, I know I made the right choice. If anybody else was unsure about which course to choose - my advice would 100% be Iguana Abroad.

For one thing, I really felt like this course had it all, everything I was looking for with a course - and more: a super friendly, organised atmosphere, really passionate teachers, and a fantastic team running the program. The students and participants (all the guides, salsa teachers, friends of the guys running the course etc) make it even better. It was honestly a really inspiring and supportive learning environment that I haven't experienced many other places. For language learning, I can really say this course is very special. The immersion events were all unforgettable - run by fantastic teachers and guides, the travel destinations are incredible, unique and always beautiful, and the opportunities to practice Spanish I felt were pretty much endless. For anybody who is serious about learning Spanish while exploring a Spanish speaking country, I have to say - this is the place to be!

I’d say that Iguana Abroad’s magic lies in how the course seamlessly blends language and life. Yes, the Spanish classes are excellent (small groups, passionate native teachers, a truly stunning school campus), but for me the real lessons happened outside: discussing Mexican history beside ancient Aztec ruins, cooking mole poblano with "abuelitas" (at my homestay), or haggling for the best prices in the local markets. As well as just the classroom textbooks and whiteboards, you’ll use street art, local slang, and laughter to learn—and it sticks. I’ve got so, so many great memories from this trip, and so many new friends that I share them with.

Everyone on my course (Summer ’24) said the same thing - the instructors (affectionately called “the Harrys”,) are the heart of the program, and I couldn’t agree more. I felt like they really mapped my journey personally so even on a group course, things felt tailored just for me and my goals. They even included activities completely outside of the course schedule just because of a few passions of mine I had spoken about, such as jazz music. We went to a local jazz club to see an open event there and talked about music with some of the people playing there - which was one of the best moments of the whole trip for me. Moments like this played such a huge part of improving my confidence and fluency with Spanish. Another day we visited the hidden, beautiful San Anton waterfall in Cuernavaca to help me nail some key words and phrases for hiking and exercise - another deep passion of mine, (and a few others in the group). Nothing ever felt scripted - the Harry’s felt like true masters of language immersion courses.

I’ve done language programs before, but none ever pushed me to engage so deeply. By week two, I was joking with my homestay family, navigating local transport solo, and (mostly) holding my own in everyday conversations. The confidence boost was unreal, not just for language, but travel too. Plus, the friendships—with locals and fellow learners, students on the course, etc —are the kind that long outlast Instagram posts.

Considerations to Know:
* Pace: Days can be packed! If you crave downtime and rest, don’t feel afraid to do that. It’s a really flexible course - and that’s sort of what this course is about - you, and your Spanish learning journey.
* Physicality: Some adventures (like ruins hikes) require moderate fitness. Hiking up to the Tepotzlán pyramid from the "zocalo" town center (which is optional) was a real mission.
* Homestays: My family was wonderful, but flexibility is key—the every so often cold showers and salsa-dancing toddlers come with the territory! If you want something more predictable you’d probably be better with the private accommodation option.

What I’d say is that Iguana Abroad isn’t for casual tourists—it’s for adventurers who learn by living. Yes, classrooms are a big part of the program, but they’re just the starting point. If you’re ready to move beyond textbooks and let the rhythm of Mexico guide your learning, this is the course for you… just make sure you bring an open mind and you’re willing to step outside your comfort zone—at least for me, that’s when the real learning happened.