If you’re reading this post then you’re probably thinking you could improve your Spanish capabilities, and what better way than enrolling in a Spanish School in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala?
Guatemala is one of the most popular countries in which travellers can learn Spanish. When speaking with anyone who has lived in or travelled through Central America, they all say that Guatemalans speak the best Spanish for when you’re just getting started.
And everyone always recommends Lake Atitlan for the classes!
So, let us tell you everything we know about Spanish schools in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, and our firsthand experience.
Help! Where do I start?
Lake Atitlan is a large lake surrounded by 11 small townships, each one unique in its own way.
This might seem overwhelming to start with. There are so many schools in Lake Atitlan to pick from, and they all look great!
First, we’ll narrow down the options and suggest you stay in one of the towns called San Pedro la Laguna. This is where most backpackers (and even some families!) come to take classes while making their way through Central America.
It’s a pueblo known for its backpacker community and bars (we guess that goes hand in hand these days).
But wait, there are nearly 20 different Spanish Schools in San Pedro!
Looking for the best Spanish School in Lake Atitlan
As you can see, there are a few different types of schools here, all with different vibes. Some are more central, and therefore more popular with backpackers.
Others are a bit further out, with beautiful views from your desks, but not so many other students to chat with on your breaks.
If you’re like us, you’ll want to make sure whatever program you choose is ethical and provides benefits for not only yourself but your teacher and the community too. Ensure the teachers are being paid fair wages, and the host family aren’t being exploited.
Many of the schools in San Pedro work hard to give back to the community and look after everyone involved in their projects. We suggest being mindful of this when you’re deciding on where you’ll enrol.
What Spanish School in Lake Atitlan is best for you?
Are you looking for a totally immersive experience? Ready to commit to speaking more Espanol than English each day?
Do you want a homestay and meals included? Prefer longer or shorter lessons? Long-term classes or just a few days?
Do you enjoy parties and socialising in the evenings? Or do you prefer quiet afternoons reading your book at a peaceful cafe?
These are the questions you need to ask yourself before settling on a school that’s right for you.
If you thrive in the outdoors, then Community Spanish School or Orbita Spanish School have the best views and tranquil, outdoor classrooms so you’re in amongst nature. They are known for the genuity of their teachers, and for supporting their communities.
If activities and social events are something you’re interested in, then Lake Atitlan Spanish School and San Pedro Spanish School have a long list of activities you can choose from each week.
These schools are the most popular in the town, and are generally more full up year-round (especially during the high seasons) so you can be meeting new people every day!
Our Favourite Spanish School in Lake Atitlan
For us, when it came down to picking one of the many Spanish schools in San Pedro to attend, one stood out.
Community Spanish School in San Pedro has been one of the best experiences we’ve had in Central America so far.
We signed on for three weeks of 3-hour lessons, homestay and meals included.
Not only were our host parents the best, and the most comfortable people to live with, but our teachers catered to our every learning need and over time became our friends.
The classes were in small shelters with 3 open walls, and curtains if you needed to block the sunlight directly. On the back wall hung the whiteboard, with a desk and chair facing it. There were upstairs and downstairs classes, all of them with surreal views of the lake, and mountains beyond.
If you decide on Community, we absolutely recommend Manuela and Andrea as maetras. Both of us hope to reunite with our teachers in the future to continue our lessons via video chat!
Our homestay was La Casa de Ana and Edgar; Casa Rolma. Ana and Edgar looked after us the whole time and made sure we felt really at home there. If there was anything special we wanted to do, or explore, they would always show us the way.
Ana took us for a trip over the lake to another pueblo, San Juan. Here we walked down the market street and she had us taste new fruits, gave us a small tour of the bee farm, and even took us to a tienda where we could attempt to create dyed wool for the loom.
We even went to church one night and dressed in the traditional clothing of Guatemalan women!
Edgar owned a tuk-tuk, so often took us to our destinations when we rode with Ana.
We ended up being very fortunate during our time in San Pedro, and were always well looked after by the locals.
Spanish Immersion in Lake Atitlan
If you want to learn Spanish quickly, then a homestay is the best option for you. Just like it was for us! For some it might sound nightmarish, going to school for a few hours and only speaking a language you don’t know, then coming home and doing the same thing.
While it’s true that it’s tiresome, we found it was the best, most immersive experience. And that’s the best way to do it!
We’d suggest you arrive with at least the basics of Spanish, like “¿Cómo estás?“, “Estoy bien, ¿y tú?”, “¿Cómo Te Llamas?” and “me llamo (insert name here)”. Because your families won’t speak English, and your teachers will avoid it as much as possible. As we said, it’s immersion!
We had no issues with our vegan lifestyle once we specified what we don’t eat, and our host mother was more than accommodating with our meals. As long as you like tortillas (a lot, of tortillas), you’ll have no issues!
Pricing of Spanish School in Lake Atitlan
The pricing of classes at Spanish school in Lake Atitlan depends on how many hours you’re committing to, and whether you also want to stay with a homestay.
We were paying Q2000pp (est. $250 USD) each week. This included three meals a day during the week, 7 nights of accommodation (private rooms with double beds and a desk!), and 15 hours of Spanish lessons. Also one or two free activities with the school each week, and most importantly, coffee and snacks at the school.
You have the option to pay more or less than this. You’ll end up paying more if you want longer Spanish lessons per day, or if you want a private bathroom at the homestay.
You’ll pay less if you opt out of the homestay option and figure out your own accommodation.
But we thought it was an alright gig to pay a bit more and be looked after in a comfortable home for 3 meals a day!
Final thoughts on the best Spanish school in Lake Atitlan
We’ve had such a great experience at Spanish school in Lake Atitlan, if we weren’t moving on to the next country we would have loved to stay longer and continue to improve!
For our final thoughts, we’d like to suggest that if you do sign up for a school, you take it seriously! We’ve found that over three weeks of lessons, and speaking Spanish in our homestay, our Spanish has improved GREATLY. It’s such a cool opportunity to learn the language, while at the same time learning about the culture and history of the Mayan people.
While San Pedro offers courses that are far cheaper than the ones back home (New Zealand isn’t cheap), if you’re looking for even less expensive classes, Xela, Queztaltenango, is the cheaper option.
The vibes are different because instead of being by the lake, you’re going to school in a big city. But there are still lots of activities to keep you busy and heaps of hikes in the area.
Keep in mind that during the low season at Lake Atitlan, you might be the only one at school! The difference between the seasons is that you could truly be the only student, or you could be one of 20+.
Muchas gracias for reading our post about Spanish school in Lake Atitlan, we hope this has helped with your overall idea of what life at a Spanish school in San Pedro is like! We wish you a great experience no matter which school you choose.
If you’re exploring Guatemala, we’ve written more posts about San Pedro food, Antigua food, hiking and transport. Make sure to check these out so you don’t miss anything!
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