Instituto Superior de Español

Study in the indigenous town of Otavalo, famous for its handicraft market! The Otavalo Spanish School is a peaceful environment in which to learn Spanish, with plenty of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. Become acquainted with the rich culture of Otavalo in the heart of the Andes.

Otavalo, a small indigenous town in the north Andean countryside, is located just two hours north of Quito. A growing but peaceful city, with a population of around 35,000, Otavalo is situated in a valley in the shadow of the extinct Imbabura Volcano to the south, while further north lies the extinct Cotocachi Volcano. It is the main city on the north-south route from Quito along the Pan-American Highway.

Otavalo has been made famous by the incredible success of its indigenous population in selling handicrafts and quality textiles in the international arena. Lose yourself in the tapestry of rich-colored textiles and deep rural traditions while looking for the perfect gifts to bring home.

Most of the indigenous people in the area live in the villages around Otavalo. Otavaleños still dress in traditional clothing: the men have long hair, rope sandals, ponchos in blue or grey, with pants and felt hats; women also wear the rope sandals and ponchos, but to cover their heads they use interesting folded skirts and shawls. In addition, they sometimes wear jewels made out of golden glass, and around their arms they wear red beads.

You will benefit from all the advantages of our Quito Spanish school, including the 24 hours emergency phone number, a teacher with a university degree in teaching, and the guarantee of continuity of studying.

Spanish Classes:

Study Spanish in the tranquility of Otavalo. Each week students study Spanish for 20 hours, 5 days per week. Usually classes are held in the morning and in the afternoon students can participate in adventurous activities organized by the school.

Excursions:

During the week, the Instituto Superior de Español organizes trips to the sights nearby. Students visit Laguna Cuicocha, which is a lake on top of Volcan Cotacachi. In the middle of the lake are two small islands, with the possibility to visit by boat. Other excursions include a lovely hike to Cascada de Peluche, a nearby waterfall, and then continuing on to Lago de San Pablo, a beautiful lake with wonderful views of rolling hills, situated in the indigenous village of San Pablo. This is a great chance to experience and learn more about the indigenous culture.

The Instituto Superior de Español is a Spanish School with more than 30 of experience. We opened our Otavalo branch in 1994. This is a small and quite charming town, here our Students get the chance to have a great immersion in a South America andean area. Traditions are still kept and that is one of the most beautiful aspects of Otavalo, this is a place of very talented and creative people who is dedicated to the making of handicrafts. This area is also surrounded by natural lagoons, peaceful mountains and other small towns that produce other local goods of great quality.

In our Spanish School you can choose between Group Courses, Private or Combined Lessons depending on your personal goals, needs and interests. Our vast experience allows us to apply an effective methodology that allows our Students to feel comfortable speaking Spanish as well as getting to know the local culture.

We also organize activities and have the option of homestay, these to help you improve your Spanish each day while getting to know the area and give you the opportunity of a full Spanish immersion.