Gap Year in Peru

I had an amazing experience at AMAUTA Spanish school in Cusco. The combination of grammar lessons in the morning and speaking/listening practice in the afternoon was incredibly helpful for comprehension. The group classes were fantastic as they provided opportunities to converse in Spanish with peers of similar proficiency levels, while receiving guidance from the teacher to improve speech. The atmosphere was welcoming, and the school organized enjoyable activities like dining out, cooking workshops, and attending football matches. Overall, I highly recommend it.

The overall experience was very good. As I was a complete beginner I was a bit apprehensive at the start but the teachers encouraged me a lot and were very patient. As a result I quickly started speaking more and more and gaining confidence. The online PowerPoint learning aid was helpful especially when we did listening activities. Beyond the lessons themselves the location is lovely for food and wandering around and the extra activities the school put on were a lot of fun especially the salsa class.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at AMAUTA. The students had a wide range of ages and nationalities. The teachers were excellent at balancing conversational learning with the structured lessons. The school is in a great location, central to the historic region. The school made an effort to plan small activities for the students at no cost. I did not stay in the housing provided through the school but only heard good things about the option.

Amauta outperformed my expectations. Both group and individual lessons were very good, and they easily worked out my level and matched me to the right teachers. Classes were very good, very focused on speaking, but also covered writing and comprehension. For some lessons, our teachers took us out to visit local museums, which was fantastic.

Most of the students were young (in their twenties) but some of us were older and we were all made to feel welcome and included. I stayed in a hotel but fellow students were staying with local families (organised by the school) and also in the school's onsite hostel. All seemed happy with their accommodation. My son stayed on to study at the school for a few more weeks and moved into the hostel.

Cusco is a great place to live and study Spanish. It's small enough to really get to grips with and it's safe to walk around. The school is very well located. There are lots of things to do at weekends, with lots of nearby trips to do (and of course Machu Picchu). Cusco is surprisingly full of excellent restaurants, including quite a number of good vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Lots of us meat eaters chose to keep going back for more!

I traveled to Cusco, through Pisac, to adjust to the altitude. The school is in a building with several floors that overlook a central court / entrance area. It is possible to live at the school. I am an older adult and decided I would prefer an apartment. The students were a mix of gap year university students and older folks. There are several levels of instruction. You are placed into your level on Monday of each week. I was only able to attend for one week and was placed in an intermediate level class with three other students. They were very nice, we got along very well.
There was a conversation teacher for the first two hours and a grammar teacher for the second two hours. Both of my teachers were very good. The school is very similar in it's approach to instruction to the Italian Language Schools I have attended in Italy.
We had two outings to local museums during classes. The visits lasted the length of the class time. One was to the Inka Museum. I particularly enjoyed that and went back on my own time to see more of the museum.
There are also evening activities, a dinner together, salsa dancing and other activities
The school has it's own travel agency and so they were able to arrange my transportation to Pisac and back. They also arrange airport transfers.
I enjoyed my time at Amauta and worked quite a bit on my Spanish..

My time in Peru was incredible! The best part about Amauta was the students and the teachers. Everyone was so welcoming and we all became friends rather quickly. The initial placement test really helped the students be at the right level. The teachers were supportive and I enjoyed how they took us outside the classroom to museums and markets to further utilize our Spanish. During the weekends when we had no classes, the students would all do excursions together and we became one big family. My Spanish got significantly better in just 3 weeks and my confidence went up as well. I'm so happy with Amauta and the program in Cusco!

I took 4 weeks of Spanish, and am happy to anounce that I really improved my spanish! The teachers really new how to make it interesting and we even visited the chocolate museum! The classes were teached in a really practical way and there was a lot of attention for me as we were in a class with only 4 students. I also lived in the residence and this experience was just a good as the classes. I had a really nice roommate and grew fond of each other. And yes, we had warm showers ;p
I would definatly recommend Amauta Spanish School to anyone!

I went to Amauta Spanish School for three weeks. I was tought by different teachers, all of them were really kind and we did not just study Spanish grammar but learned also a lot about the Peruvian culture. We made different excursions with our teachers to important places in Cusco. I liked the combination of Grammar lessons and excursions. The school is located in the city center and everything is near by (restaurants, coffee shops, supermarket, museums etc.). Apart from the Spanish classes, the school offered daily activities for the students such as dancing classes, movie nights, visits of museums, a Pisco Sour class (we learned how to make this popular Peruvian cocktail) and more! It was very easy to make friends with other students and I really felt home during my stay!

My time at Amauta Spanish School was an unforgettable experience. I did a group course for four weeks in Cusco and I really liked it. The teachers were friendly and really helpful by giving tips. Every day after the Spanish classes the school offered for free different activities( like Peruvian Cooking, salsa dancing) to learn more about Peruvian culture. I stayed in the student residence of the school and i had a great time. I got to meet people from different countries, making it great experience. While I was staying in Cusco I also visited Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain and some other amazing places.
I definitely recommend Amauta Spanish school if you want to learn Spanish while having an amazing time.

I took 4 weeks of group classes with Amauta Spanish School and they really made my stay in Cusco unforgettable. The professional native teachers were super nice and helpful and improved my grammar significantly. Also, the daily activities that were organised helped me to improve my Spanish and knowledge of the Peruvian culture. I would totally recommend Amauta Spanish school to backpackers and other travelers who are planning to go to Cusco!

I love the school, teachers and students.
It wasn't a regular school, it was a travel experience with a lot of culture. Learning Spanish in a pleasant way. Classes in a cafe or interesting chats.
The food was homemade - delicious!
The only thing I would suggest to improve is the rooms.

The school was very nice, well located and all the teachers were very nice. They offered a cheap lunch which is very nice.
Sometimes, classes were not so well structured and more chatter-hour.
But all in all I can recommend it, to go there, also because Cusco is such a nice place.

I had such a great time studying Spanish at Amauta in Cusco. The teachers and all the staff were so kind and helpful. They went out of their way to help me with anything I need. My Spanish improved incredibly fast and I am able to speak very well now. The nice little outings and activities we did during the week with the teachers and fellow students were a lot of fun. We learned to cook Peruvian dishes, participated in Salsa dance classes, did art classes, went to the Chocomuseo, etc. I also made friends from all over the world. My experience was great! Muchas gracias Amauta!

I took 4 weeks of group lessons at Amauta Spanish School in Cusco. It was an awesome experience where I got to meet a lot of nice people and to learn the beautiful Spanish Language. Cusco is a really nice city with a lot of things to do.
I stayed in the Student residence of Amauta and I really liked it. My room was big and I had 3 really nice roommates. The lunch at school was delicious, and I really liked it that I had the change to taste the Peruvian cuisine. The staff of Amauta are really friendly and they also speak English. What I liked about the Spanish classes is that you got to learn the grammar, and that you also got the opportunity to talk alot. We also went to sights and markets in Cusco, to practice our Spanish but also to learn some more about the Peruvian Culture. The school also offers different free activities every week, like a cooking class and Salsa class. I really enjoyed my time here, I had alot of fun and made some friends for life!!

When I arrived at the school I immediately felt at home, there was a nice atmosphere, and a great group of students.
I had a lot of fun during the class, we played games, went to explore the city and got to know each other.
I already knew Spanish, but with my four-week classes I was able to improve my language skills a lot; especially the conversation part. We talked a lot during the classes about our life back home, what we thought of Cusco and what we wanted for our future; this way we practiced all the time.
The location of the school is perfect, which is only two streets from the main square, so everything is at walking distance.
During my classes I stayed in the student residence at the school, this way I got to know a lot of new people from all over the world; a good way to make new friends.
Together with the other students I often joined the activities in the evening organized by the school. I especially liked the salsa classes and the cocktail workshops, we always had a lot of fun!
Cusco is an amazing city to make new friends, learn Spanish and get to know the Peruvian culture.

The classes are really nice. The exam on the first day decides which level you will start with your classes.
The teachers are really nice and they know a lot. With the games they make the lessons interactive and interesting!
The location of the school is really, really nice! It is in the city center and everything is nearby. I found the facilities not really good. Because the bathrooms at the first and the third floor are really bad. Also the rule that you have to be quiet at 10 PM is really early because if you want to have a chat with some friends you made, it's not possible, and you are also not allowed to sit in the living room after 10. So that's really sad! The food is also not really good. In the 5 weeks that I am here, we already found 2 worms in the food for lunch. Also, there is not much variety in the food: rice, chicken and potatoes. The breakfast is also always the same: white bread.

The activities are nice. The cooking class is really interesting.

The location of the school is excellent and the classes with a max of 6 ppl are just perfect. All teachers are so much fun, trying to explain everything for all students. Double or 3 Bedroom accommodation helps to make new friends quickly. Also the evening activities like cooking or salsa classes are a very nice special. Breakfast and lunch are quite ok, though the lunch could be little more varied.

I studied for two weeks at the AMAUTA Spanish school. I really loved the ambiance of the school. I met so many new people and everybody was so nice. We did a lot of activities like Salsa dancing, cooking together, etc. I learned a lot and I would recommend the school to everybody!

My experience with Amauta, was overall very, very good. My Spanish went from beginner to really advanced in a few months. Not really liked the teachers, but actually loved them! The school is very informal and relaxed and they offer you free activities what makes it very nice to meet new people and get to know the city. The building is a little bit small, but you will get used to it.