Guatemala Medical Spanish Bootcamp + Antigua Adventure
Length of trip: 7 days/6 nights | Group Size: 10
Activity Level: 2 Dates: December 5th – 11th, 2027
This Trip is For: Couples/Friends/Solos Price: $4495
Continuing Medical Education: 20 Hours of Medical Spanish + Optional Global Health & Humanitarian Medicine CME/CE
Learn Medical Spanish. Explore Guatemala. Come home a more confident communicator.
Take your Medical Spanish skills beyond the classroom with a week in the colorful colonial city of Antigua, Guatemala. Designed specifically for healthcare professionals, this course combines 20 hours of practical Medical Spanish instruction with afternoons spent exploring the culture, cuisine, coffee farms, cobblestone streets, and volcanic landscapes of Guatemala.
Each morning, we’ll focus on the Spanish you actually need in clinical practice – from introductions and patient histories to physical exams, emergencies, medication instructions, and discharge education. Then in the afternoon, step outside the classroom and experience Guatemala through guided cultural activities, local food, adventure, and plenty of opportunities to put your new language skills into practice.
Learn in the morning. Explore in the afternoon. Practice Spanish everywhere in between.
Trip Highlights
- 20-hour immersive Medical Spanish Bootcamp
- Optional Global Health & Humanitarian Medicine CME/CE
- Stay 6 nights at beautiful Porta Hotel Antigua
- Explore historic Antigua with a private local guide
- Walk through the coffee fields on a Guatemalan coffee farm experience
- Learn to prepare traditional dishes during a hands-on cooking class
- Optional hiking adventure on Volcán Pacaya
- Free time for spas, cafés, markets, rooftop restaurants, museums, and shopping
- Practice Spanish naturally throughout the week
- Welcome and farewell dinners with your MedTreks group
- Small-group experience designed specifically for healthcare professionals
- Plenty of time to enjoy Guatemala
A Different Kind of Medical Spanish Course
Medical Spanish is hard to learn from a textbook alone.
You need to hear it. Speak it. Make mistakes. Try again. And ideally, practice it somewhere that makes learning feel a lot more interesting. Our Guatemala Medical Spanish Bootcamp has been designed around exactly that idea. Each morning includes four hours of focused instruction, followed by an afternoon of cultural experiences and free time throughout Antigua.
You may spend the morning learning how to take a patient history and the afternoon making tortillas with a Guatemalan chef. One day you’re practicing anatomy vocabulary; the next you’re walking through coffee fields in the countryside.
Throughout the week, we’ll continuously create approachable opportunities to use Spanish outside of class—ordering coffee, talking with local guides, asking questions, navigating restaurants, and interacting with the community.
The goal isn’t perfection.
It’s to return home more comfortable, more capable, and more confident communicating with Spanish-speaking patients.
Porta Hotel Antigua
For the entire week, we’ll settle into Porta Hotel Antigua, our comfortable home base in the heart of one of Central America’s most beautiful cities. Surrounded by gardens, colonial architecture, and views of Guatemala’s dramatic volcanic landscape, Porta gives us the perfect balance of relaxation and convenience.
Each morning, we’ll gather onsite for Medical Spanish before heading out to explore Antigua in the afternoon. Between adventures, enjoy time by the pool, schedule a spa treatment, wander into town for coffee, or simply relax in the gardens. And best of all, Antigua’s colorful streets, cafés, restaurants, shops, and historic sites are right outside our door.
Unpack once. Stay awhile. Let Antigua become home.
Itinerary at a Glance
Our journey begins in the colorful colonial city of Antigua. After arriving in Guatemala City, transfer to Porta Hotel Antigua and settle in before meeting your MedTreks hosts, faculty, and fellow travelers over drinks and a Welcome Dinner. On Day Two, begin your Medical Spanish Bootcamp with practical vocabulary and essential clinical phrases, followed by a guided walking tour of Antigua’s cobblestone streets, historic churches, lively plazas, and local markets.
Continue building your Medical Spanish skills through patient interviews, symptom assessments, medical histories, and physical exam communication. In the afternoons, experience two of Guatemala’s most celebrated traditions. Visit a local coffee farm to learn how coffee is grown and produced, then join local chefs for a hands-on cooking experience featuring traditional dishes, handmade tortillas, and plenty of opportunities to practice Spanish.
Put your new language skills into practice through emergency scenarios and simulated patient encounters. Choose an optional hike on Volcán Pacaya or enjoy time to relax and explore Antigua at your own pace. On the final evening, gather for a special MedTreks Farewell Dinner, a fun ¡Solo Español! challenge, course certificates, and a celebratory toast. Day Seven includes a final breakfast and airport transfers to Guatemala City.
Itinerary - Guatemala
The Medical Spanish Bootcamp
20 Hours of Practical, Healthcare-Focused Spanish
This isn’t a general Spanish course. Our curriculum focuses specifically on the conversations healthcare professionals have every day. Over five mornings, we’ll progress from basic introductions and rapport-building to complete clinical encounters.
You’ll Practice:
- Greetings and introductions
- Pronunciation and essential conversational Spanish
- Anatomy and body parts
- Chief complaint
- History of present illness
- Pain assessment
- Past medical and surgical history
- Allergies and medications
- Family and social history
- Physical examination instructions
- Cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, musculoskeletal, and neurological terminology
- Emergency vocabulary
- Trauma
- Chest pain and shortness of breath
- Neurological emergencies
- Allergic reactions
- Medication and treatment instructions
- Patient education
- Discharge instructions
- Communicating with patients and families
- Interactive patient scenarios and role-playing
By Friday, participants will bring everything together through simulated patient encounters that mirror real clinical conversations.
Because language makes much more sense when you’re surrounded by it.
Instead of taking a course at home and hoping you remember what you learned months later, you’ll spend an entire week hearing, speaking, and practicing Spanish naturally.
You’ll learn in class.
You’ll practice at cafés.
You’ll hear it at the market.
You’ll use it during cooking class.
You’ll talk with your guides.
You’ll order dinner.
And somewhere along the way, the language starts feeling a little less intimidating.
That’s exactly the point.
Inclusions
- 6 nights at Porta Hotel Antigua (based on double occupancy)
- Daily breakfast and lunch
- 4 dinners
- 20 hours of Medical Spanish instruction
- Antigua City Tour
- Cooking Class
- Coffee Farm Tour
- Medical Spanish course materials
- Welcome reception + dinner
- MedTreks farewell dinner
- Airport transfers
- MedTreks host/faculty throughout the week
- Optional CME/CE Global Health Humanitarian Medicine Course
- Optional Volcano hike
Exclusions:
Two dinners (free to enjoy dining experience of your choice), international airfare, extra nights at hotel for early or late departures, travel insurance, gratuities and items of personal nature (laundry, alcoholic beverages, souvenirs etc. )
When you travel with MedTreks, you‘re not just signing up for a trip—you‘re joining a community of like-minded healthcare professionals who share your passion for adventure, learning, and connection. Every itinerary thoughtfully crafted by our founder and owner, (a nurse practitioner herself!) with decades of experience in travel. Our expert team of guides and faculty ensure a high-quality, personalized experience and handle all the details so you can focus on learning CME, recharging, and experiencing the adventure of a lifetime. To learn more about Why MedTreks, click the link below!
You will fly into La Aurora International Airport (GUA), located in Guatemala City.
We will arrange all airport transportation. Upon signing up for this trip, we will be in regular communication with you. You will send us your flight information as the trip gets closer and we will arrange all transfers
Yes! As long as the trip is booked before the final payment is due (100 days before trip start). A non-refundable deposit secures your spot on the trip.
Our CME trips are all accredited for physicians, NPs, PAs and also provide CEUs for Nurses. We provide course information for all the courses that you can submit to your employer. After the trip/course is complete, we provide you with a CME certificate within 2-4 weeks
We provide you with a comprehensive Welcome Package that includes a packing list, resources, course materials, and helpful travel tips for your upcoming adventure.
Yes! We welcome loved ones and non-medical guests. They are welcome to attend all of our workshops and lectures while on the trip at no further cost. Children under 18 are not allowed at this specific retreat venue. Please send us an email to inquire about any specific requests and we are happy to help!
This trip includes 7 nights at deluxe, 4 & 5 star lodges. Rooms are booked double occupancy, 2 people sharing a room with one or two beds (based on preference and availability). Price is based on per person (sharing a double room). Single supplement (private rooms) might be available at an increased price. The sooner you book, the better chance of locking in your preferred rooming situation.
Send us an email! We are happy to set up a call and answer any questions that you might have!
Join Us in Guatemala
“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”
– Anita Desai