Activities in Quito

In order to make your stay an unforgettable and culturally enriching experience, our Spanish language school in Quito offers activities and excursions and trips in the region. Activities take place after your Quito Spanish language lesson or on the weekends, and include visits to natural parks, city tours, trekking and city trips to surrounding towns. Our activities are perfect to practice your Spanish outside the classroom, and to get to know the Ecuadorian culture and society. A selection of the activities we offer:
Afternoon activities
Quito’s historical centre, the “Old Town” or cuidad vieja, is an official World Heritage site. Wander in the small streets, a colorful chaos where vendors, taxi drivers, pedestrians, buses, artisans and tourists all try to find their ways. The architecture is a mix colonial styles and indigenous elements. Don’t miss the Presidential palace and the Cathedral, located on Plaza de la Independencia, Quito’s main square, the monastery and Ecuador’s oldest church on Plaza San Francisco, a lively square where locals meet up to make music.

The wonderful collection of Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919-1999), Ecuador’s most famous painter and sculptor, is located in his former house, now turned into a museum. Close by, you will find the most ambitious project the artist carried out before his death, the Capilla del Hombre (The Chapel of the Man), a tribute to the suffering of the repressed and poor, and their hopes for better times.
Weekend excursions
Only a two hours drive away from Quito you’ll find Ecuador’s most famous national park: Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, named after the snow-topped volcano which is Ecuador’s second highest mountain standing at 5,897 meters above sea level.
Another beautiful weekend excursion near Quito is the Mindo Cloud Forest, a bird habitat park in the Andes, also only two hours away from Quito. Here you will find one of the most diverse bird populations on earth.

The Papallacta hot springs are the perfect escape from the city. Only 67 km from Quito you can enjoy hot springs of different temperatures, and hiking and horse riding activities in the surroundings.
Otavalo is an indigenous town on the Andean countryside, located two hours up north from Quito, famous for its handmade woven textiles and artesanía. Close by, you can also visit the Peguche waterfalls and the Cuicocha crater lake. You can combine your program in Quito with a language course in Otavalo.