Language Immersion Vacations in Ecuador and Ecotourism

Article and photo by Dr. Clay Hubbs

In our last issue Clay Risen wrote that "Quito may be the best city in the world for Spanish Language Learning" and emphasized that Ecuador offers some of the best ecotourism in the Western Hemisphere. With a few days on our hands and other reasons to take us in this direction, my wife and I investigated for ourselves the opportunities to combine the two — Language Learning and ecotourism — in one vacation. On our first day we found ourselves happily lost in a rainforest, attempting to speak Spanish, and already planning a return trip.

We found — not to our surprise — that combining language learning and adventure is a remarkably inexpensive and richly rewarding way to spend a vacation. And it’s also a great deal of fun. Many of the more than 60 language schools in Quito include, as part of their program, outings to the mountains, jungles, and rainforests that surround the city.

Living with a Host Family While Studying Spanish

Language immersion in Quito means living with a host family whose members can (or will) speak only Spanish, spending from four to seven hours a day with your own tutor, learning at your own pace, developing the vocabulary that’s important to you, and making periodic excursions — in most schools with your own tutor and always speaking Spanish — to local places of interest.

Our host family welcomed us like long-lost relatives, made us feel at home, and gave us a key to the door so we could come and go as we pleased. Because of our limited time, we selected only one school for an extended visit, the Academia Latinoamericano. The atmosphere at the Academia is that of a warm and close-knit family. Hours of individualized study are from 8 a.m.-12:30 or 1:15 p.m. with a short break when students place their orders for lunch, send money out to be changed, etc. The school provides a variety of services so that student are free to concentrate on learning Spanish.

We were amazed by the personal attention that every student receives. Each member of the del Coral family — the parents; the children, Sandra, Patty, and Diego; and Sandra’s and Patty’s small children — are at the school throughout the day and take often part in the twice-weekly excursions. At least one family member meets every student at the airport when they arrive, regardless of the time. Diego and Patty were both Rotary Foundation exchange students in the U.S. They say they know what it’s like to arrive in a strange country for the first time, and they want every student to feel secure and relaxed from the moment they step off the plane.

The school is in a large and elegant home inside a walled garden in a green and affluent neighborhood. Amenities include a heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, hot tub, lounges with a TV-VCR system and a stock of educational and travel tapes, and a large eat-in kitchen where students can join the family for lunch.

As at other schools we visited, activities are organized at the Acadamia Latinoamericano according to the interests of the students — dancing lessons, cooking lessons, etc. You can even take lessons with a professional golfer while you learn Spanish.

Students themselves decide where to go on optional twice-weekly outings, always accompanied by their tutors and always speaking only Spanish. On the day we arrived, the destination was Aldea Salamandra, a spectacular nature reserve in the lush tropical rainforest on the western slopes of Pichincha, 140 km northwest of Quito. We spent the day trekking with Darwin, a 15-year-old local guide, who not only introduced us to the flora and fauna of the rainforest but took us to his home and showed us how he and his family lived off the forest’s products.

Another group at the school was bound for a week in the Galapagos Islands. Afterwards, they would return to the Academia for a week of intensive Spanish instruction before going down to the Amazon basin for yet another week of ecotouring. Here, as at other schools we visited, schedules are flexible and can be customized for groups as well as for individuals.

Diego del Coral arranged transportation to an ecolodge above Otavalo — just two hours to the north — where we spent the weekend hiking around the Mojanda lakes at a breathtaking altitude high above the town. In the evenings we were entertained by, and provided entertainment for, the local villagers who came to the Casa Mojanda. The men played their handmade instruments and the young women coaxed us to join them in their dance.

There are many language schools we visited in Quito — all of which have been consistently praised for teachers’ competence and enthusiasm, quality of facilities, location, extracurricular activities. All schools in Quito can place you with a family.

Dr. Clay Hubbs was the Founding Editor and Publisher of Transitions Abroad magazine.