Location
  • Mexico
    • Yucatan
Language
Spanish

Program Details

Language Level
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Immersion Level
Intensive Standard
Class Size
Private Lessons Small Class (1-7)
Weekly Classroom Hours
18
Housing
Guesthouse Host Family Hotel

Pricing

Starting Price
699
Price Details
$699 per week*.Our basic package includes:

18 hours of language instruction;
Homestay & three meals a day;
Trip to local cenote and lagoon;
Pick up from the local bus station;
Introduction to homestay family;
Orientation and support throughout the program;
Walking tour of Carrillo Puerto;
Welcome dinner with Na'atik staff;
Use of bike & bike lock;
Use of school’s library and WiFi after classes;
Na’atik t-shirt and Certificate of Completion;
Cooking class is included on two-week or longer bookings;
Every booking subsidizes our local English language program for the community, so every booking makes education more affordable for our local students  
*We also offer Group and Family Adventure packages. Please inquire.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Classes Meals Wifi
What's Included (Extra)

AC, special diets and airport transfers are available upon request at an extra cost.

What's Not Included
Airfare Domestic Airfare Airport Transfers SIM cards Travel Insurance
Mar 01, 2022
Dec 02, 2022
14 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

We are open for Spanish and Maya immersion students!

We are a nonprofit, intercultural hub where our immersive language courses in Spanish and Maya introduce visitors to the real Zona Maya (it’s not just ruins!). It is our mission to teach and learn languages through authentic intercultural experiences while thinking globally and working together as a part of the local community.

Our Spanish and Maya courses are delivered by professional, local, native-speaking teachers for all ages, backgrounds, and language levels. Whether you're looking to advance your career, learn for the sake of learning, or just have an unique travel experience you are bound to have a great experience living with a warm homestay family, meeting friendly locals, trying out delicious local food, and exploring surrounding areas of natural beauty. By enrolling in this program, you will also be subsidizing our English classes for the Mexican Maya students in our community!

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Stay with a warm, welcoming homestay family
  • Learn about modern Maya culture while discovering the real Zona Maya
  • Enjoy exciting day trips and excursions
  • Study with trained, professional, native-speaking teachers from the area
  • Subsidize our English language program and library for local students

Program Reviews

5.00 Rating
based on 39 reviews
  • 5 rating 100%
  • 4 rating 0%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.95
  • Support 5
  • Fun 4.85
  • Housing 4.7
  • Safety 5
  • Instruction 5
  • Support 5
  • Fun 5
  • Housing 5
  • Value 5
Showing 1 - 8 of 39 reviews
Default avatar
Karin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Naatik December 2022

We very much enjoyed our time with Naatik in Carillo. The immersion experience was everything we expected it to be, and more. Very friendly and supportive staff. The teacher was excellent. He understood our goals and targeted the learning accordingly. Being a native Spanish speaker he had an in-depth knowledge of the language and was able to provide clear and concise explanations. On top of that, he was approachable and friendly with a good sense of humour. Lots of laughs! He also shared a lot about Maya culture and history which added a lot to the experience.
Carillo is very safe and we were easily able to explore the town and surroundings. People in general were friendly and it was refreshing to be off the beaten tourist track, in a "real" Mexican town.
Our host family was welcoming and friendly and provided a comfortable and clean room and we enjoyed the discussions at mealtime.
We highly recommend this organization.
Linda and Karin

Pros
  • Learning Spanish through immersion
  • Living in a "real" Mexican town with a real Mexican family.
  • Fun adventures in addition to the learning
Cons
  • Be prepared that Mexican food is based on corn and at time can have a focus on starches.
  • Be aware that accommodation is as people here live. It is not a negative, but students should be aware that they need to adapt and not expect 5-star hotel accommodation.
275 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Benjamin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I recommend this program.

I entered into this program because I've been trying to learn Spanish for work, as well take a well-needed vacation in another locale. I'd say I'm very much satisfied on both fronts.
The spanish was probably the most important part for me. I received about 4 hours of instruction a day from a bilingual teacher, Maestro Cesar. He spoke really well in both languages, helped me to identify personal objectives and create a personalized lesson plan, and covered topics in class that were both educational and fascinating on a personal level. I know just enough about teaching to know that he's clearly had some amount of professional training on how to do it.
Something that I found with personal classes/immersion that was missing from other types of Spanish learning is this capacity/path that leads to fluency. I think a lot of resources I'd used in the past (language apps, some online classes, videos, etc.) gave a good grounding, but there wasn't anything to get you to the level where you were having actual productive conversations with native speakers. Like Ronnie Coleman (famous bodybuilder) says, "There ain't nothing to it, but to do it."
Felipe Carrillo Puerto is this quiet, smaller town between cities on the Yucatan Peninsula, it's very tranquil, giving you a lot of opportunities to relax, try immersion, and do local stuff in a calm environment. The weekends, or well-planned afternoons, give you opportunities to head to Chetumal, Bacalar, Talum, or a handful of other places to take in local sights/attractions that aren't available in Carrillo, go to fancy restaurants, or in general do touristy stuff without the pain of having to live among tourists for a week or more (I actually really liked going to El Parque and randomly seeing a new vendor sell something I haven't seen before, but they just don't see keychains). I did a lot of my street-food testing and general relaxation in Carillo, and headed to Bacalar for kayaking around La Laguna de Siete Colores, buying souvenirs, and fine dining.
I think what was most interesting to me was the way that my rapidly developing Spanish changed the trip over the course of 2 weeks and about 40 hours of personal instruction. I learned how to better communicate to store owners to find some of the specialty items I was looking for over the course of the week. I went from barely hanging on to my homestay family to being able to have decent conversations and joke around from them, I was upset at the local attractions' insistence on responding in English when I had decent Spanish coming to Bacalar, and I'd like to think I was pretty helpful as a volunteer for some of the English immersion classes.
The homestay family was very kind to me. They fed me pretty well, went out of their way to make me feel included in their day-to-day life, and were available whenever I needed help. I remembered taking a trip to an abuela's house to do some Dia de Los Muertos celebrations and eat a bunch of tamales with the family-there's some sort of unspoken closeness to helping unwrap tamales with someone that I can't really explain. I leave with some sense of familiarity, but also this sense that there's something much deeper and richer here than I could have possibly found out on my own, like a lil fishie growing up and realizing they've been swimming over a cenote (find out what that is! by traveling to another country and swimming over it!)
Anyways, the irony of being in an excellent language program is that I now feel empowered to do trips in other parts of Latin-America/parts of the world that have many Spanish speakers, and don't feel a strong need to come back (I'm still planning to do the online courses). I definitely recommend this program for anyone who wants to travel, but doesn't have an idea of where they want to go, or anyone who has a desire to be in Mexico or learn Spanish.

Pros
  • Great Immersion/Classes
  • Exposure to Culture
  • Good Location
Cons
  • It's Hot Out
281 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Annabel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

10/10

An amazing, authentic immersion program! Would highly recommend for anyone who wants an off-the-beaten path experience. My Spanish level is basic, but my teacher Cesar tailored my lessons to my ability and interests. The attention you receive at this program is incomparable -- from the incredible excursions offered to the classes and homestay family. The trip to Bacalar and bike tour were amazing! My homestay family was incredible as well -- very patient, and kind. Immediately felt like a part of the family. As a solo female traveler, I felt very safe as well. Cannot recommend this program more!

301 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Erika
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Program

I was blessed to stay with a great family, that was composed of three generations which let me experience the culture from various vantage points. They introduced me to foods that i would never order in a restaurant. It was great not having to find good restaurants to eat. Oh, and the restaurant where the welcome dinner took place was really good as well. The teachers and staff were welcoming, knowledgeable and i learned a lot. They also helped to set up a few activities for us that were equally as fun and educational.

310 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Theo
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Super Fun Way to Improve Your Spanish

I traveled alone at the start of 2018 as a 15 year old male. I had gone to Na'atik once when I was 12 with my family, but I did not remember that much and I had never traveled alone to a foreign country. I was nervous at first but as soon as I met my guide at the bus terminal my fears dissipated. Ananias, my guide, took me to Catherine and Simon, who were in charge of my activities, and they took me to my home stay family. My family was very kind to me and they food they cooked was delicious. Once I was there, I never felt nervous and Catherine and Simon did a wonderful job taking care of me. Pedro, my Spanish teacher helped me improve my Spanish grammar and vocabulary and my family really helped me improve my overall fluency. I take Spanish in school but I can't practice like this. I also became more confident when I talked. Despite the fact that it rained for the first week, I loved the trip. This program was wonderful and I would recommend it to any looking for a way to immerse themselves in the Spanish language and improve their fluency.

319 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Becky
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Incredible experience

This was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I stayed for 5 weeks and loved every part of it - I wish I never had to leave! I already had a decent Spanish base before going, so the classroom portion for me was mostly practicing conversation and comprehension. Staying with a host family was my favorite part of the trip. I feel like I got to know them very well and loved how they involved me in all of their normal daily and weekend activities. My Spanish definitely improved throughout this time, although I don't think I realized it until I came back home. I cannot recommend Na'atik and their study abroad program highly enough. Do it! You won't regret it.

314 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Deborah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A fabulous week at Na’atik

My week of study at Na’atik and living with a host family was amazing, actually transformational. The small (3) class size, the experience of the teacher (Pedro) and the overall Na’atik experience exceeded my expectations in every regard. Our host family, Doña Fernanda and Don Modesto May, were lovely people, who were eager to know me and the friend who also stayed in their home. The simplicity of our housing surprised me initially, but it came to feel like “home” by the end of the week. The people of Carrillo Puerto are humble, hard-working people who were friendly and helpful. As far as I know, the 9 of us at the school this particular were the only Americans in the entire town- which meant that we stood out. It also gave us a great opportunity to speak to many different people, in stores, restaurants, and in the street. Carrillo is a quiet place, with not a lot going on socially, yet I had the feeling that if I had had more energy in the evenings, I could have found more of a social life. Overall, it was a wonderful experience!

What would you improve about this program?
The only thing I would change is sending the Orientation package out earlier to participants, to give us a clearer idea of what the entire experience will be like. I hope to be able to return with my husband soon.
316 people found this review helpful.
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Karen
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A rich cultural and academic experience

My companion and I spent 2 weeks at Na'atik in Phillipe Carillo Puerto Mexico. It was an amazing experience. From the information we received prior to the trip to the communication and support we received as we were traveling to the program to the wonderful staff and students, it was a thoroughly delightful and enriching experience. I could not have imagined how comfortable I would be bicycling around a small city, visiting local shops and restaurants and using my Spanish as I acquired it.
The school staff were so welcoming and conscientious that I was completely comfortable, and my host family was very experienced and made every effort to help me with my language skills. I greatly admired my patient teacher who "endured" 4 hours a day of Spanish conversation with me
as I learned and used my newly acquired Spanish. I was the only one in my class as my skills fell just above very beginning and below those accomplished conversationalists. I appreciated the care that was taken in placing me just at my level.
There were two field trips planned, one to a Mayan medicinal plant forest and one for kayaking and swimming. We also took a trip to Tulum (one hour) and to the beach town of Mahuhual on our own. Bus transportation is very convenient.
We will be returning next year.

What would you improve about this program?
Because I am a visual learner, I would have liked a workbook with vocabulary and phrases in it.
321 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

We offer classes to students as young as 8 years old. We are happy to arrange daycare for younger children whose parents wish to take classes.

The school actually matched us. I didn't know where exactly I was staying or the details until I arrived in Carrillo. This also could be because I did not ask.. I was very open to whatever experience the program was going to provide me. The family was awesome and had hosted many students already so they were very familiar with the process. A friend I made who was also studying at Na'atik had a...

Totally and exactly they are decided by the level and I never saw a class bigger than 2. I came alone and had one other person come into my program a week in and they were at a similar level.