Reviews of Yanapuma Spanish School, Quito

I took private Spanish classes at the Cuenca facility in April, 2016. The teacher, Maria, was actually from Quito but came down to Cuenca to fill in for someone (vacation I think). The classes were outstanding.

My Spanish is at a more advanced level and Maria tailored the classes to my interests. Along with refining my Spanish she provided interesting material about Ecuadorian culture and ethnic groups, local legends/folk tales, music and humor. For example, in one lesson we watched videos of 3 different comedians. One was Mexican, one Colombian, one Ecuadorian. It worked as insight into different forms of comedy as well as differing regional accents. In another, we listened to some music of different types and from different Spanish speaking countries.

All in all, it was a thoughtful, interesting and engaging way to improve my Spanish. I highly recommend this school.

My husband and I are in our early 30's and attended the Yanapuma school for one week in Cuenca. We definitely recommend it.

I was very impressed with the quality of the teaching with Yanapuma and their methodologies. The teachers gauged my current skills and goals to determine an individualized program. All my instruction was one-on-one. With other schools, there was the traditional verb conjugation, worksheets, reading paragraphs and answering practice questions, etc. Instruction with Yanapuma was totally different. My instructor and I traveled together to exotic locales, where I was able to be totally immersed in Spanish. Some days we sat together in a classroom in the morning, then I was free to spend the afternoon zip-lining in the cloud forest or whitewater rafting. Other days we spent with an indigenous community or local guide to learn about local customs, flora and fauna. Yanapuma will also arrange homestays with lovely families, and help you with your travel plans before or after your program. Learning a language by living day-to-day was what I needed to complement the book-learning I had done at home.

I took 1 week of intensive classes with the Cultural program in the afternoon. As a trainer and instructor, I can say it is an excellent school. My instructor, Narcisa was top notch and her experience and ability to meet my specific needs was exceptional! I would certainly go back there again! (Also, do the cultural program in the afternoon. Such a great way to get continued practice speaking and listening and learn about the culture and people!

I took one week of classes at Yanapuma and the whole experience was great: my teacher - Carina - was capable and friendly, the school premises homely and welcoming, and I actually improved my Spanish !
Highly recommended

What a wonderful, friendly school, with excellent teachers! This school is really professional, and they care about their students. All their teachers are trained in how to teach Spanish as a second language, and they receive continuing workshops for self-improvement with the latest teaching methods. I have taken Spanish classes in the U.S., Mexico, Bolivia, and Guatemala, but Yanapuma Spanish School in Quito and Cuenca, Ecuador is by far the best school I have ever attended! I highly recommend it to people of all ages. They teach children, families, individuals, and seniors. Also, they are nonprofit. They give 100% of their profits to support poor indigenous communities throughout Ecuador.

For the last six months in Quito, Ecuador, I took Spanish classes at the Yanapuma Foundation and Spanish School. I really enjoyed my one-on-one individual classes there. What I liked best was that my classes were conversation-based and interactive, and that I chose with my teacher the learning method which worked best for me. My class activities were very diverse; I watched videos and t.v. excerpts, listened to songs and even had to sing along, read stories and so on. Every couple of weeks, I switched teachers so as to experience different teaching styles. The teachers always had very interesting stories about Ecuadorian culture, and we spoke often about the differences between Ecuador and Holland (my native country). I also had a lot of fun getting to know the other students through activities planned by the school! I have a much better understanding of the language than when I started, as my Spanish has improved a lot. Many thanks to the teachers, in particular Santiago, and the staff at Yanapuma!

I had a great experience at Yanapuma Spanish School! The staff were all really friendly and the classes were awesome! I did not believe that I could learn so much in just a few weeks of classes. The weekend trips were also really good fun and great value for money. I stayed with one of their host families and that was amazing too. I would completely recommend Yanapuma to anyone who is serious about learning Spanish fast!

I studied at Yanapuma in October and was really impressed. As an "older" student in my 50s, I found a great mix of social activities and enjoyed doing things with students of all ages. There was a great atmosphere at the school, and the school itself is lovely.
My teachers were great (I had two during my stay there). They were very patient and mixed up the classes with different activities. I loved the emphasis on the social and ecological aspects of Ecuador and not only learned a lot of Spanish, but I learned a lot about the country in general and its political challenges and problems.
I would study there again!

I came to Quito to study for two weeks and ended up staying nearly 5! Yanpuma is a phenomenal school - the teaching is great, flexible and my teacher was never boring. And there was a great social atmosphere in the school. It felt good that they are a non-profit too, knowing that just by being there I was supporting sustainable development in the communities that they work with. You can also get involved in this work if you like.
I would recommend this school to anyone serious about learning Spanish and who appreciates being able to meet like-minded travelers.
10 out of 10!!