International Service and Language Immersion Program
On this immersive journey, experience Guatemalan cultures, languages and histories in the center of the Mayan Highlands region, Lake Atitlán.
Our mission supports indigenous, rural communities to restore their farming heritage through contemporary training in intensive organic farming, climate change mitigation and small business training.
Take part in these projects and work side by side with families who are learning these new techniques, feeding their families and communities, and rebuilding their local agricultural economy.
Since 2006, ViviendasLeón has operated our immersion travel program, bringing more than 2,000 volunteers to Central America who support our organization’s mission: Alleviating poverty by empowering and equipping rural communities to become the agents of their own transformation.
“I was profoundly moved by my experience on the trip. The families, the community, the staff, everyone carried with them an immense amount of warmth and joy for life. We stayed with host families, sharing meals and thoughts and plans with them, growing our bond as the time progressed. I had never felt so embraced by a culture and its community.
I observed real poverty for the first time in rural communities, where we worked alongside community members, including children, and young adults around the same age as I was at the time. These interactions were some of the most impactful to me throughout the entire trip.”J Ozuki, USF student
Highlights:
- Stay with host families in the lakeside town of San Pedro la Laguna, and enjoy traditional foods, Spanish language conversations and lake community culture.
- Optional morning language school classes available to reinforce language learning.
- Spend multiple days getting to know families living in indigenous rural communities while working side by side on their small, organic farms, over our mid-day lunch and through cultural activities.
- On weekends, enjoy regional visits to other lake communities that feature unique cultural activities, historic sites and nature reserves.
Program details:
1 and 2 week trips may be scheduled beginning January 1 – June 30, 2026
Program cost:
Contact ViviendasLeón for pricing. All in-country expenses included. Airfare is not included
Learn more: Download our School Immersion Travel Guide
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Use this link to contact us and find out more about our unique educational travel experience.
* A typical weekday:
- 7:00 – 8:00 AM: Start the day at breakfast with your homestay family.
- 8:30 – 9:00 AM: Gather for a group meeting to discuss the day’s planned activities
- 9:00 -11:00 AM: Attend Spanish language school in small groups and taught at each students level
- 11:00 -12:00 PM: Lunchtime
- 12:00 -1:00 PM: Travel to the rural community, Los Planes
- 1:00 – 5:00 PM: Work with the rural community families on their development projects
- 5:00 – 7:00 PM: Return to our homestay town and relax for an hour
- 7:00 – 8:00 PM: Enjoy dinner and conversation with your homestay family
- 8:00 – 9:00 PM: Gather as a group to debrief the day, and hear an introduction to the following day’s activities.
*This serves as a comprehensive overview rather than an exact itinerary, as not all elements will be the same depending on each school’s needs. The full itinerary will be developed with each school.
Schools that have traveled with us:
The Bay School, San Francisco 2026
San Francisco Friends School 2009 – 2019
The San Francisco School
The Drew School
The Branson School
Cathedral School for Boys
Lick Wilmerding High School
Balboa High School
International High School
The Field School, Washington DC
University of San Francisco
Clarkson University
