Study Spanish in Quito, Ecuador

Yanapuma Spanish School, Quito:
Yanapuma Spanish School is a unique, non-profit school located in a beautiful historic building in the main tourist area of Quito. Our friendly staff and comfortable school offer a welcoming start to your stay in South America. Not only do we offer the highest quality Spanish instruction, but we also offer a wealth of social activities to help you meet other students of all ages, and explore the rich culture and history of Quito and the rest of Ecuador. We also offer accommodation with selected host families, or in selected hostels or hotels according to your budget.

Basic Spanish Program:
Our basic Spanish program includes 20 hours per week, 4 hours per day, of one-to-one Spanish instruction. Teaching is balanced between the areas of grammar, writing, reading, audio comprehension with video, and most importantly, conversation skills. Our focus is not only on learning Spanish from a textbook, but on learning based on real world experiences and Ecuadorian life and culture. 

Classes normally run from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and from 2.00 PM to 6.00 PM. We can arrange group lessons with advance notice, but most Spanish students find that individual instruction is the most effective method to learn the language. If you would like to arrange a different class schedule, we can usually accommodate your needs. 

Quito Cultural Package:
Designed for those who will not be staying in Quito for a long period of time, yet want to get to know Quito and its cultural and tourist attractions well, the two-week Quito Cultural Package combines 20 hours per week of Spanish classes with four daily guided excursions each week in or around Quito. This program can be combined with additional weeks of Spanish study.

Homestay Program:
For students wanting to make the most of their Spanish study, we suggest a homestay for your accommodation here in Quito. Staying with a family gives you the chance to practice Spanish and to interact with a local family, learning more about daily life in Ecuador.  Yanapuma provides homestays with carefully screened local families. You can have either 2 or 3 meals per day with your family, but be aware that sometimes returning to your homestay for lunch can interfere with plans, visits, or your ability to lunch with new friends on the spur of the moment.

Intensive Spanish Course - Quito Volunteer Package:
Our Spanish school and Foundation are dedicated to community service and improving the lives of Ecuadorians while offering our students the chance to learn and experience Ecuadorian cultures. The Quito Volunteer Package was created for Spanish students looking for an intensive Spanish language and cultural learning experience including the opportunity to help others. These packages include 20 hours per week, 4 hours per day of classroom Spanish instruction each afternoon and four or five mornings of volunteering. The minimum time for this program is 4 weeks, and you must have a basic knowledge of Spanish to volunteer. If you have little or no prior knowledge of Spanish, we require a minimum of two weeks of classes at our school before beginning the volunteer program. We arrange the volunteer program and a member of our staff will accompany the student on the first day of the volunteer project. 

Intensive Spanish Study in Ecuadorian Communities:
We offer options to study Spanish outside of Quito in small communities at the coast, in the Sierra, and in the Amazon. A primary goal of Yanapuma Spanish School is to offer foreigners the opportunity to learn about Ecuador; its culture, its history, its traditions and the challenges it faces. We also encourage our students to participate in the work of the Foundation through volunteering, giving them the chance to work towards offering members of the communities we work with the chance for a better future. As part of these goals, we have developed optional intensive Spanish programs offering a combination of Spanish study and community experience, including the opportunity to help the communities with their daily work if desired. Your Spanish learning will progress remarkably fast in these programs, since you will be accompanied by your teacher and will be staying in communities where little English is spoken. Of course, these programs are also designed to include plenty of tourist-style activities as well. To make the most out of the experience, we recommend a minimum of two weeks Spanish study at our school or a basic knowledge of Spanish before beginning these programs.

- Volunteer Opportunities in Ecuador:
Study Spanish and Volunteer through Yanapuma Foundation in Ecuadorian communities in the Andes, in the Amazon rainforests and cloud forests, and at the coast. Our aim is to encourage the development of sustainable practices in social, environmental and economic terms. Volunteering opportunities include; teaching English, computing, and other subjects to children and adults in small communities, basic health, nutrition, hygiene education and contributing other specific skills. Short-term group projects include; reforestation, construction, agricultural/land development projects.  We also work with other local organizations in Quito, and can offer several different volunteer options locally depending on your particular interests. For more information about the opportunities available, please contact us with your specific interests and we will reply promptly. 

Courses in Kichua:
The indigenous language of the descendants of the Inca peoples at our school in Quito, and can arrange classes in other languages such as Shuar and Tsa’fiki for students wishing to learn those and other languages.