Na'atik Language and Culture Institute - 77240 Felipe Carrillo Puerto

Unlike many who come to Felipe Carrillo Puerto to visit, we came as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When we arrived over a year ago, my Spanish was only marginal and there was so much that I couldn't understand. My husband had a desire to learn Mayan and so looked into the possibilities of learning at Na'atik. While he had Mayan classes, I started Spanish classes with Pedro. I had 4 months of in class learning with him, before were forced to return home due to COVID. Now we still meet twice a week on-line. Pedro is an amazing teacher with both English and Spanish skills. He understands how to teach methodically the grammar, but is very good about working on pronunciation as well. He is patient and encouraging, and we have become good friends over the past year. I have studied Spanish with others, but in all honesty, there is nothing better than learning Spanish with a native speaker!! If your desire is to learn Spanish, and to learn it well, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Na'atik!!

I have really enjoyed taking online Spanish classes with the school the last few months. It's been a great way to keep up with my language learning during lockdown. My teacher is amazing - he asked what I wanted to focus on at the start and has tailored the lessons to my needs. He's also super patient and very knowledgeable about the culture. Being based in the UK, it's often difficult to practise my Spanish skills, so the classes have been very useful and a fun way to break up my days!

Absolutely life changing experience! These fantastic people connect you with locals, verily they insert your into the local culture, for a truly authentic experience. There is an enthusiasm for their work that is absolutely infectious and inspiring. Homestay is THE way to travel. Sign up right away and stay for at least two weeks. I wish I had done two months!

Wow, what an amazing experience! I spent a week studying at Na'atik and my only issue is that I didn't stay longer. Here is my breakdown of the experience: Arrival: We arrived on Sunday. We took the bus. We had to switch in Playa del Carmen, but it was really easy. Jason met us at the bus station and we took a cab over to our homestay. HOMESTAY: This was absolutely the best part. The home was very clean (cleaner than my own apartment in NYC LOL). My fiance and I had our own room and our own bathroom. Our homestay family was so extremely kind, hospitable, and patient. Even though we had very basic level spanish, we were able to get to know them and have really wonderful and deep conversations (my fiance is definitely a beginner and I'm at beginner/intermediate, but we managed fine). We also got to know the kids... we played games and helped them practice their Spanish. I was SO SO SO sad to leave this amazing family. FOOD: They provided all of our meals, which were delicious! My fiance has had issues in the past with eating food in Mexico, but everything was amazing and we had no tummy troubles. We went out to eat with the family a few times. CLASSES: We spent 4 hours/day studying Spanish at Na'atik. I ended up having a teacher by myself. Her name was Wendy and she was wonderful. I'm a nurse and she even tailored the lessons to learning medical words and phrases. It moves FAST but I learned and grew so much over the week and am excited to continue studying all of my notes now that I am back home. EXCURSIONS: Our first day, we had a tour of the town and went out to dinner with the staff. I really liked getting to know everyone and I enjoyed learning about the school and their amazing initiatives. The lagoon trip (which is included) was a ton of fun. It was a short an easy trip and the water was beautiful. We also signed up for the cooking class and a massage. Everything was great. SAFETY: I was a little skeptical before going on this trip, but I felt extremely safe the entire time. We had no problems at all. OTHER CONCERNS: The city itself is a little dirty and there are quite a few stray dogs (who never ever bothered us). It is definitely a different way of life, but that is also what makes it SO special. OVERALL: LOVED LOVED LOVED it. I have recommended it to everyone I know. Get out of your comfort zone and do something different!

We had an incredible time during our three weeks at Na’atik. Truly a fully immersive experience through and through. Our home stay family was amazing, helping us quickly grasp and absorb the language, cooking amazing meals, and teaching us about the local customs - an integral part of the overall experience. All of the staff at Na’atik were extremely friendly and willing to help out with anything we needed. Our classes were excellent - given the complete immersion and tailoring of lessons to our interests and needs, we were able to learn very quickly. The activities and excursions were fantastic, as they provided great opportunities for additional language learning in settings that respected the local culture and gave back to the community. As a testament to the learning experience, after leaving the school we travelled through Mexico and Spain using primarily Spanish and the locals and guides frequently remarked that they can’t believe how much we picked up in only three weeks. Highly recommend Na’atik for anyone looking to learn Spanish abroad. A few other travellers’ notes about Carrillo Puerto… It’s not difficult to get to, ADO buses are comfortable, cheap, and simple to navigate (though tickets need to be purchased in person and not online). The city is very safe, we never felt uncomfortable. The locals were quite patient with us whenever we used Spanish. Our accommodations were comfortable, we actually had our own separate space that was on the same property as the family (though we spent most of our time in the main family home, which was open for us to hang out it at all times) - we were also set up with a hammock in our room which was nice to have a siesta in during the afternoon heat. The town is easy to navigate using the bikes that the school provides, or just as easy to wave down a taxi. Also a nice base for weekend day trips or overnight trips that are accessible by bus or combi (Tulum, Bacalar, Muyil, Chetumal).

I highly recommend Na'atik's language programs to anyone who would like to kick off, or deepen their knowledge of Spanish or Mayan in an environment where you won't have many tempting opportunities to slip back into English. The teachers and admin staff are very supportive, communicative and committed to creating a positive learning environment for both incoming and local students. The town is just the right size to get things done without the overwhelm of a large tourist or urban centre. I'm actually staying on for longer than I originally signed up for because I want to keep going!

I had an amazing experience taking Spanish classes at Na'atik. The program truly offers an immersive language and cultural program and I gained confidence in speaking Spanish rapidly as my AMAZING host family and people in town mostly either spoke Maya or Spanish. My host family made me feel right about home and quickly integrated me into their family! The classes were fun and engaging, and my teacher, Cesar, was super knowledgable not only about effective teaching methodology but also the history of the city/Mayan history in general. I can't say enough about how great every excursion offered by the program are. Everyone involved in Na'atik is very genuine about uplifting Mayan culture, and it was a breathe of fresh air to step outside of the more touristy parts of Mexico and learn more about Mayan history. If you're thinking about talking classes here, DO IT! It's been a phenomenal and super educational experience.

I really enjoyed my online lessons with Na'atik. I had a (very) basic understanding of Spanish but wanted to improve my conversation skills. Evelyn was an excellent and patient teacher, and I had a lot of fun in our lessons. I feel much more confident speaking in Spanish than I did before. Definitely recommend this program. (Bonus tip: I was given these lessons for Christmas, so if you want to impress someone with a thoughtful gift, this is the way to go!)