Yanapuma Spanish School

I volunteered for a month in Quito with Yanapuma and also took a spanish course. I knew little when I started which was a bit frustrating when volunteering but I learned fast thanks to the great teachers there. I loved the volunteering with kids with special needs and aim to go back there sometime when I can again. Gaby was great as volunteer organizer and was always interested in my experience. It was a totally neat time in Quito and I was happy my spanish got much better while I was there. I definitely recommend Yanapuma for spanish and volunteering.
Quito is a fun city too, maybe a bit dirty with the buses spewing black smoke, but there is lots to do and at the school there are things you can sign up for with other students, even for weekend excursions out of the city. There is a free salsa class each week too.

I spent two weeks in Quito, Ecuador and one week in Cuenca, Ecuador in Yanapuma cultural immersion program. Spanish lessons in the morning and visiting cultural/historical sites in the afternoon with a guide from the school. I stayed with a family in each city arranged through the school who provided room/private bath, breakfast, and dinner. My Spanish improved immensely and I learned so much more about Quito and Cuenca through the guides then I would have on my own. Very reasonably priced. The school is very good about tailoring the instruction to your level and needs. It was a pleasure meeting folks from around the world who were also taking lessons.

I visited both Spanish schools in Quito and Cuenca during my stay in Ecuador. Both schools have very friendly and helpful staff. The study environment is lovely and very cosy.
It is possible to take classes in small groups, private classes or follow courses together with family or friends.
The teachers use different kinds of study materials as written & oral exercises, texts, videos and even music… In that way you learn a lot about the Ecuadorian culture as well. I learned about the different Ecuadorian traditions and holidays. Moreover I learned about local products and how traditional dishes are made.
The teachers are very patient and helpful and adapt their courses a little to what you need or like to learn the most.
The staff at the schools also help with planning activities and excursions during the weekend or can help planning a further trip.
Furthermore both schools are located in the historical centre of the cities Quito and Cuenca and are very easy to reach.
I had such a great experience at the Yanapuma Spanish School and I would highly recommend it to solo travellers, couples, groups of friends and families.

I took 4 weeks of classes, already speaking a little Spanish. The first week there were two of us in the class and then another two joined for two weeks. Our teacher had us speaking from the start so we quickly got over feeling embarasses about making mistakes. It made us laugh a lot, but we really learned to communicate so it worked. The school is in a beautiful building place in the historic part of Quito with lots of traditional life around. I recommend Yanapuma to anyone who want to learn to speak and understand Spanish in a short time. Quito was really interesting too as a city to spend time in and at weekends I could take excursions to places outside the city.

I spent 4 weeks studying with Yanapuma in Cuenca in February and stayed with a host family provided by them. My experience overall was wonderful. The staff were very attentive and the teaching style was perfect for me. My teacher used different materials including laptop with videos in short sequences to explore different aspects of the culture of Ecuador so I really appreciated learning not only Spanish but much about Ecuador in general. Classes were never boring. I volunteered in a project with the children of some of the indigenous recylcers who comb through the rubbish looking for paper, plastics and other materials they can recover. The experience was very gratifying and I wish I could have contributed more. Yanapuma seems to do a lot of good work in addition to the Spanish classes, so definitely a good place to learn Spanish!