With both countries still relatively off the beaten tourist track, the unspoilt natural beauty of Costa Rica and Ecuador is helping to put these two South American countries firmly on the map for adventurous language travellers. One of the principal attractions of both countries is the wide variety of natural landscapes that can be found throughout, which is often a surprise for those coming from more built-up industrialised countries, according to local language schools.

"Ecuador contains an incredible range of interesting sights within a relatively small area," says Gustavo Guzmán at Amazonas Education & Travel in Quito. "The student is within 30 minutes of the sierra, the jungle or the coast and in two and a half hours can be in Galapagos [Islands] by plane."

The jewel in Ecuador';s crown for many must surely be the Galapagos Islands, which are a group of islands containing their own indigenous wildlife that formed the basis for Darwin';s theory of evolution in the 19th century. They are now a popular destination with tourists for wildlife watching and diving and some Ecuadorian schools have developed language programmes that involve travel to the islands. María Clara de Wohlermann, from Benedict Language School in Quito, says that they have recently introduced "a volunteer programme in the Galapagos Islands that includes two or three weeks of language preparation in Quito and one month volunteering with a community on the islands plus language tutorial".

Ecuador has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world, mainly due to its wide range of different habitats and location on the Equator, as Wohlermann points out. "The country is divided into two hemispheres by the Equator line and has the privilege of enjoying four distinct geographical regions," she says. "This unique geographical location allows visitors to step one foot on the northern hemisphere and the other foot in the southern in the place where shadow disappears at midday."

Benedict Language School is not the only school to incorporate Ecuador';s natural attractions into an unusual and attractive language study package. Students at Academia de Español in Quito (AEQ) can take part in a number of programmes that venture out into the wider countryside. Morning classes are held in natural environments such as the Amazon rainforest or the Pacific beach while guided activities such as jungle walks, parasailing and visiting indigenous communities take place in the afternoon. "AEQ recently launched a new Mindo programme," adds Virginia Villamar at the school. "Mindo is a cloud forest in a valley near Quito where thousands of species of birds live. Students learn and relax for five days in this peaceful environment, lodge in cabins and visit the area. Activities include visiting an orchid and butterfly farm, bird watching, coffee plantation visits, waterfall dive and river rafting or tubing."

The local people of Ecuador have a fascinating cultural background that combines a number of local distinct indigenous populations with later European influences. In Cuenca, a Unesco World Heritage city, Estudio Sampere offers students the chance to explore some of this history first-hand. "Cuenca is located in a wide Andean valley named by the Cañari indigenous people as ‘the valley of the flowers'; or Paurcarbamba, and where the Incas placed the city of Tomebamba," relates Juan Martínez Borrero at the school. "Almost 450 years ago, the Spaniards founded the city of Cuenca, materialising the European utopia of the perfect city as opposed to the crowded towns and cities of Spain."

Despite being a "peaceful and rather quiet Andean city" there are also lots of more traditional student-centred activities to be found. "At night the city transforms itself," says Borrero, "with dozens of cafés and restaurants open, where students make their first stop before going dancing to discos, specialising in salsa music, until dawn."

When it comes to nightlife, Ecuador';s capital city of Quito has much to recommend itself to students, according to schools located in the city. Quito is the second highest capital city in the world, behind La Paz in Bolivia, and is located at 3,000 metres above sea level in the Andes mountain range. Sylvia Nancy Paucar Cajas, from Escuela de Español Mitad del Mundo in Quito, points out that students are often surprised to find that Quito is a "modern metropolitan destination with a well-developed health care [system] and infrastructure".

The city has a thriving nightlife and a diverse resident and tourist population, as Enrique Torres from Ordex Cultural Exchange in Quito explains. "Nightlife in Quito is active especially in the touristy area known as Mariscal where every night of the week there is something going on," he says. "From Tuesday to Saturday bars are quite crowded and there is an interesting mix of about 50 per cent locals and 50 per cent tourists."

A highlight for students studying in Quito, according to Cajas, is the many events that students can get involved in. "[During the] Festivals of Quito in December, the school rents a ‘chiva';, which is a large bus without doors or windows that is typically used in the coast of Ecuador," she relates. "The students, teachers and families ride in the bus around Quito with a band of musicians on the roof. The bus stops in different plazas in colonial Quito where everyone in the bus dances and enjoys a typical drink called ‘canelazo';, which is a liqueur

Agent viewpoint

"In Costa Rica and Ecuador, learning Spanish includes the countryside and streets as the classroom, which is a more interesting way to learn. The cost is also less than in Europe. Students particularly enjoy the interaction with local people in their language. As Greenforce runs group expeditions, participants can come from the UK, USA or Europe so there is the opportunity to make friends for life – from different parts of the world, not just Ecuador or Costa Rica. Our locations have a swimming pool at homestay houses, but clients rarely sit around the pool. They want to get out and soak up the atmosphere."
Marcus Watts, Greenforce, UK

"Students wanting to learn Spanish in Costa Rica or Ecuador usually go there because these countries are sometimes perceived as safer than other Latin American destinations. Also many students going to Costa Rica have an interest in conservation and nature. Many say that in Costa Rica the Spanish accent is easier to understand, so this helps in their language learning. Those who go to Ecuador have similar interests as well as an historical interest and like to be able to experience something of the indigenous people and see historical sites. Students also enjoy seeing the country';s volcanoes, beaches, cloud forests and nature reserves."
Sarah Spencer, Cactus Language, UK

"Most of the Swiss students want to study in Latin America because they like to spend some time on the continent and continue travelling. The completely different culture in Ecuador and the fact that Costa Rica is called "Switzerland of Latin America" are also facts that attract a lot of Swiss."
Claudio Cesarano, Globo-study Sprachreisen, Switzerland

"Stunning natural landscapes and an abundance of unique cultural activities make both countries ideal destinations for Spanish language training. Students are now asking for these two countries first [before Spain] and they know the exact cities or towns where they';d like to be. Because of the low cost of living, most students decide to add excursions or weekend trips to their language training. White water rafting, horseback rides through rainforests and some of the best hiking imaginable are just a few of the options available."
Marc Cappelletti, Global Experiences, USA

"Our schools offer interesting activity programmes. The capital cities like San José and Quito offer museums, historic buildings... At our beach schools, students are surfing, playing volleyball or football."
Alex Henzi, STA, Switzerland