The culturally-diverse heartland of Bolivia is a landlocked South American country bordered by Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile. The country is sometimes referred to as the "Tibet of South America" due to its height and isolation in the Andes mountains. The landscape is varied, with snow capped mountains and semi-tropical lowlands, with rainforests in the Amazon basin. Situated on the border with Peru, Lake Titicaca, with its crystal blue waters is the world's highest navigatable lake and a once-in-a-lifetime excursion. Sucre is the constitutional capital and seat of the Supreme Court of the country. With a population of approximately 250,000 inhabitants, the city is medium in size. Situated in the South-Central part of Bolivia, Sucre is positioned at an altitude of 2800 metres above sea level, making it the highest capital city in the world. The colonial city, with its whitewashed buildings with its red rooves and beautiful balconies is easy to explore on foot. We advise our students to take it easy during their first few days in Sucre, considering the thin mountain air. The country has two distinct season, the dry season and the wet season. The dry season extends from May to August, whereas the period between October and March records the highest rainfall.  A visit to the local Asur museum with its magnificent collection of woven fabrics is a must. Besides learning about the Indian and South American cultures, students of the local university also ensure a cosy and vivacious atmosphere in the city. The immediate surroundings of the city of Sucre are also worth exploring. The historic mining town of Potosí is one of the world's highest cities. Farmers and textile workers from far and wide flock to the Tarabuco weekly Sunday market to sell their colourful fabrics. A little further in the distance is the dazzling white plain of the Uyuni salt lake.

Learn Spanish in a colonial school building
Our partner-school Enforex is located in a traditional Spanish-style building in the heart of Sucre. The school is quite small in size, with the capacity of about 40 students. The school has excellent facilities for language courses and for studying Spanish. These include: 8 classrooms, a kitchen, 2 student common rooms, colonial balconies, 2 interior patios, a small roof deck, an entertainment room and a cafeteria. The school also has free internet access. On arrival, all students who have studied Spanish before undertake either an oral or written exam to determine which class they are best suited to. This means that students are not forced to chop-and-change early on, which can be disruptive to both themselves and other students. We want the students to learn and develop their spanish as quickly as possible. The team of teachers are all very experienced and friendly, with the school employing a relaxed but professional attitude.

Social programme
The accommodation for students is in the form of a host familiy. This type of accommodation provides the student with a great opportunity of practising their spanish and meeting new people. Also, the student can really immerse themselves in the Bolivian culture and learn a lot about not only themselves, but about a completely different way of life. All host family accommodation is selected and visited regularly by the school staff. In addition to Spanish language courses, the school organises a variety of extra-curricular activities. These include cooking and dance lessons at school, visits to various parts of Sucre and excursions to surrounding towns, which are organized on a regular basis. This gives you the opportunity to visit traditional markets, impressive architecture, lagoons and thermal baths. If you decide to go away alone or with your fellow students at the weekends, an employee of the school will help you plan your excursion.

If you require further information or would like to find out more about StudyTravel, please follow this link or contact us via the following telephone numbers:

Call FREE from the UK: 0808-2348578
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Impression
The teachers were very flexible and used personal examples to broaden not only my knowledge of the Spanish language, but also of the culture and traditions of Bolivia. I was so warmly received by the host family… At the end of the course I spent three weeks travelling through Boliva and Peru. This was an unforgettable experience I never would have wanted to miss!

Claus Obel, Denmark.