Spanish Language School – Learn Spanish on your gap year

GapGuru works with a Spanish School that offers both one to one lessons, or small group lessons for all levels of Spanish. Programme can be individually tailored to you so that you get the most out of the experience.

Courses for gappers can also include optional sightseeing activities with your teacher so you get to see some of the sights whilst you learn.

Schools are available in Quito, Puerto Lopez (coast), Yarina Lodge, Coca (jungle), Otavalo (Sierra), Puerto Quito(coastal rainforest), Banos del Aqua Santa – or a combination of these sites.

Special programs

• 4 week course – including Quito, Otavalo, Jungle and Coast with 1 week in each centre. Cost includes private Spanish lessons 80 hours, some excursions, salsa classes, several meals and bus fares.
• 2 weeks Spanish for gap year travellers.
• A short course at the end of which you will be comfortable in everyday situations whilst you travel on your gap year in Ecuador. 40 hours in private classes.
• Combine Spanish classes with volunteering abroad.

Programmes can be adapted to suit your ability with lessons scheduled for either the morning or afternoon leaving you the rest of the day to volunteer.

We recommend homestay accommodation whilst you are at school or on your volunteering programme in Ecuador to assist with your learning.

For prices and further details please discuss with your gap year advisor while booking your volunteer programme to Ecuador.

A Gap Year in Ecuador

A Gap year in Ecuador is a fantastic chance to discover the culture and nature of this fascinating South American country and a real opportunity to improve your Spanish!

Ecuador is a small country. Its name is derived from the word equatorial and the equator crosses the country just North of Quito, which is the capital city.

It may be small but Ecuador is renowned worldwide for its biodiversity. The country is divided into three regions.

• the eastern Jungle ("El Oriente"),
• the central Mountain region ("La Sierra")
• the western Coastal region ("La Costa") which also includes the famous Galapagos Islands.

Volunteer in Ecuador

Ecuadorian society is characterised by a lot of disparity. Very often, young people have to stop their education early as they cannot afford it - many leave very young and begin work to help their families. Not many young people can afford to go to university.

An important aspect of volunteering with GapGuru is that in Ecuador is that gap year volunteers can give support to these young people to give them a real chance to keep learning.

In addition to volunteering, Ecuador is one of the best places to study Spanish in South America, Ecuadorian Spanish is clear and precise. GapGuru also offers you the chance to stay with an Ecuadorian family whilst you are there on your gap year abroad. You will be immersed in local culture throughout your daily life and will doubtless see your Spanish improve fast.

GapGuru in Ecuador

GapGuru offers you an opportunity to work in lively Quito the capital city, in the remote Andean countryside or on the Pacific Coast.

The largest gap year volunteer roles in Ecuador involve teaching children or young adults English. Learning English and also maths or computer science; are key elements to progress to a better job in a country where tourism is continually growing.

GapGuru also offers gap year placements working in child care. Sick children or children from a poor background do not have any support from the state. Gap Year volunteers can help in orphanages or in a children’s hospital, bringing new skills and energy to these children who need it the most.

Another option for gap year volunteering is in one of Ecuador’s National Parks. Here you can get involved with conservation work including practical work on the coast and in the forest, you could also be teaching English to the employee’s so that they can deliver a better service to the tourists.

There is also a terrific gap year program for those interested in sports. GapGuru is working with a football club where gap year volunteers will be able to provide much needed support and personal development for young people to help lead them to a brighter future.

Ecuador At a Glance

Nowhere else on earth will you find so much natural diversity and all the fun that accompanies it in so tiny a place. Ecuador (Literally Republic of the Equator) is the second-smallest country in South America, but its range of offerings is no less than astounding. In one days drive you can journey from the Amazon Basin across glaciated Andean volcanoes, down through tropical cloud forest and into the sunset for a dinner of ceviche on the balmy Pacific coast.

The country also consists of the Galapagos Islands. Ecuador's most beloved and popular national park lies in this splendid isolation about 960 kilometers off the mainland. Made famous by Charles Darwin, the Galapagos Islands are no less enthralling now than they were a hundred years ago. Every year, thousands of curious visitors journey to the remote islands to behold the wondrously variegated wildlife that inspired The Origin of Species. Visiting the islands is a definite must see for any gap year travellers to Ecuador.

Ecuador is a patchwork of indigenous communities, including people of colonial Spanish origins and the descendants of African slaves. Its capital, Quito, once a part of the Inca Empire, has some of the best-preserved early colonial architecture on the continent.

Traditionally a farming country, Ecuador's economy was transformed after the 1960s by the growth of industry and the discovery of oil. There was rapid growth and progress in health, education and housing.

Ecuador's official language is Spanish, but Quichua - an Incan language - is spoken by the Indian population. Besides Spanish, ten native languages are spoken in Ecuador. English is the most spoken foreign language amongst tourist providers and professionals, making it easy to for gap year travellers to get by with limited spanisah.

Flying in Ecuador is affordable and also convenient; you can get to where you want to go in usually no more than half an hour's flying time making this a popular option for gap year travel in Ecuador. The country's main airlines offer daily services to the main towns and cities, usually departing from Quito or Guayaquil. It's also the best way to get to the Oriente, with other modes of transport unable to access the area. Flights to the Galapagos Islands, however, can be pricey and flying time from Ecuador is around 3 hours. It's also worth noting that seats are not reserved and are given on a first come, first served basis.

Buses are a cheaper option and although most long distance journeys take a day or less, it can feel longer due to the road conditions. Buses usually leave from central terminals and it's best to buy a ticket at least a few hours in advance to reserve a seat. Local buses are often very cheap but also very crowded. Taxis are a good option for short journeys or day tips out of cities if hired for the day and can be cheaper than car rental. Taximeters are in existence but not always switched on so it's best to agree on a price before the journey begin

Things to see and do

Ecuador is a tourists paradise. You can use your time before, during or after your gap year project here to explore the beautiful country. There are literally hundreds of different things to do, catering for varied tastes scuba diving, hiking, climbing, trekking, the list is endless. Some activities that made it to our list for gap year volunteers in Ecuador and which you may want to check:

Hiking in the Andes High-altitude walks in the Cotopaxi and El Cajas national parks require some stamina due to the lack of oxygen, but this is your chance to see the stunning scenery of the grass-covered Paramo plateaus, surrounded by volcanoes.

Amazon Tour If you think you need to take a gap year trip to Brazil to see the Amazon Rain Forest, think again! Although Ecuador's share of the Amazon Rain Forest only accounts for some 2% of the forest's total size, that 2% is also home to one-third of its total species diversity! As you can no doubt imagine then, a trip to Ecuador's part of the Amazon Rain Forest means that you'll be visiting one of the richest places in the world for species diversity!

Scaling volcanoes Cotopaxi - the world's highest active volcano - is one of the best mountains for any gap year traveller to Ecuador to start their climbing career. The climb doesn't require previous experience, but you need to be very fit and accustomed to high altitude.

Jungle The wet equatorial forest of the Oriente is teeming with wildlife. Some areas are dotted with eco-lodges from where gap year travellers embark on canoe expeditions through the intricate network of rivers and creeks that form the Amazon basin.

Cruising in the Galapagos One of the world's most enticing destinations, the remote Pacific islands are full of unique creatures that you can't find anywhere else in the world. The ultimate experience for any gap year in Ecuador is swimming with the giant Galapagos tortoises. Cruises should be booked in advance.

Surfing The Pacific coast of Ecuador has sandy beaches that draw crowds of surfers. The village of Montaita has grown into a surfers' enclave with plenty of cheap accommodation and active nightlife.

Devil's Nose Riding on the train's roof is not forbidden by the local tourist authorities in Ecuador - it's more encouraged. The famously precipitous Devil's Nose' train route takes you from Riobamba to the Alausi station, with most passengers opting to ride on top of the carriage.

Indian shopping Indigenous markets are an ethnologist's wonder, but also a cheap and efficient way to stock up on gifts for your friends and families. While the Otavalo market mostly caters for tourists, the market in Saqisili is a authentically local affair.

Culture and Customs

The first thing for anyone on a gap year in Ecuador to realize about Ecuadorian culture is that it is not one single culture. Instead it is a whole range of cultures mingled together, representing every level of this very stratified community.

Ecuador's official language is Spanish, but Quichua - an Incan language - is spoken by the Indian population. Besides Spanish, ten native languages are spoken in Ecuador. English is the most spoken foreign language amongst tourist providers and professionals.

Long before the Spanish conquered Ecuador and even before the rise of Incan civilization, the diverse native cultures of the region had rich musical traditions. Music played an important role in the ancient Andean peoples lives and archaeologists have found some very old instruments, such as, drums, flutes, trumpets and other musical artifacts, in ancient tombs. The Afro-Ecuadorians that are present in Ecuador today are famous for their marimba music and many music and dance festivals.

Graffiti is integral to the urban culture of Quito. Nearly every wall of the city was covered in it; leading to the rise of the saying "No wall is blank in Quito". However, this has reduced giving the city a much cleaner look, and reducing the gangs in Quito. Graffiti has spread to other provinces

The Ecuadorians have a distinctive type of dress code. The men and especially the woman in each region of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands can be easily identified by their dress as it is displays specific cultural diversities that are characteristic of that particular region. A major aspect of Indian identity is present in Ecuador. People that are familiar with the native dress can often tell roughly where an Indian is from, based on what they wear.

Ecuador has some very tasty and very strange combinations in their cuisine. Gap year volunteers in Ecuador can expect to find some lemon marinated shrimps, toasted corn on the cob and a huge variety of pastries filled with all types of different stuffing.

Ecuadorians place great importance on the family, both nuclear and extended. Unlike in much of the West, where the elderly are often placed in care facilities geared towards people of advanced age, elderly Ecuadorians will often live with one of their children. However, in recent years the number of facilities to care for the elderly has grown significantly. Living with a family homestay completes the experience of being on a gap year in Ecuador.

As with almost all of Latin America, Ecuadorians are ardent futbol fans, and the national team has shown some successes in international tournaments of the sport in the last few years. Ecuadorians are prideful of their soccer team and highly celebrate its victories regardless of how small these are.

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