You will get to immerse yourself in Costa Rica’s vibrant and friendly culture by learning to dance like a local! Be sure to sign up for our dance lesson with a local instructor to get your feet moving to the beats of merengue, salsa, cumbia and a Costa Rican favorite: bachata. This is a small-group experience so you can get the most out of your class.

Most Costa Ricans learn to dance from an early age and one could say “it’s in their blood…” Merengue is probably the style of music you’ll hear most-often around Costa Rica and probably the easiest to learn how to dance to. It’s a quick two-step pattern and the man is responsible for directing the woman with his right hand back and forth. Cumbia is believed to come from Colombia, but Costa Ricans have put their own twist on how to dance to it. It’s a mostly sideways step in a 1-2-3-4 count that Costa Ricans call the “Swing Criollo” that adds a special bounce on the step and goes a little faster.

And then there’s Salsa… the sexiest of Latin dancing that originated in Cuba. When you get to the salsa part of the lesson, you’ll be doing spins and turns! So, once you take one of our dance lessons, you’ll feel completely comfortable out on the dance floor at any of our bars, nightclubs and “discos” around Costa Rica.

Dance lesson logistics:

1) You get picked up from your hotel and taken to a gorgeous location just outside of the town of La Fortuna.

2) You’ll meet your experienced dance instructor.

3) Your instructor will start giving you some instructions on foot placement and understanding the different musical rhythms and types of music.

4) Adults can order a wine or beer for an extra cost, if desired.

5) Practice your moves a bit more.

6) Feel free to head out to the local disco and show off your new moves! Your instructor can recommend a local disco for you to check out afterwards so you can get use out of what you learned in your salsa dance lesson!

Additional details

• This tour requires a minimum of 2 people to run. Please contact us to inquire about tour availability if your travel group is comprised of less than the tour operator’s required minimum number of participants.

Minimum/maximum age/weight/height/other requirements

• Children must be at least 8 years old to participate.
• It is recommended that individuals older than 69 years should not participate in this tour.

What to bring for tour participation

• Camera
• Shoes to dance in

Map (tour operator’s headquarters; mapped as “Hunters & Gatherers Costa Rica”)