The school is located in a beautiful, recently renovated colonial building, only two blocks away from the famous Plaza de Armas of Cusco. The school occupies the first and second floor where you can find big and brightly-lit classrooms. Many of them have the traditional blue balconies unique to Cusco that overlook San Augustin Street and the beautiful cupola of the Santo Domingo Church. In addition to the larger classrooms, there are also smaller spaces for individual and private classes. Some of the classrooms are located downstairs along the sunny courtyard where the administrative offices, the head of studies office, the volunteer coordinator's office and teachers room are also found. The immense staircase up to the second floor leads to the rest of the classrooms. The second floor also contains a large room with a beautiful high ceiling for meetings and student activities, as well as big common spaces with a cafe that overlooks the courtyard.
Key features of our Spanish partner school in Cusco:
Amauta has its own travel agency named “Dos Manos”, which is also located in the school building. Every week Dos Manos organizes weekend trips for the students of the language school. Some examples of the trips are rafting, horse riding or visiting typical villages and ruins in the area. The excursions can take place in Cuzco itself, in Puno, Lima or in La Paz.
Classes take place in small groups of maximum 6 students per group, this way each student will get sufficient individual attention. The program consists of 20 lessons per week and the groups will be based on the language levels of the students. A written and oral placement test at the beginning of the programme will determine the level of each student.
Minimum age is 18 years.
By combining group and individual lessons, you can bring your Spanish in a shorter time to a higher level. During the 4 daily group lessons you can take advantage of group discussions and getting to know other international students. Followed by this you will have 1 or 2 daily individual lessons which enable you to focus on your personal language issues and weaknesses. This way, you can improve learning elements like for example grammar, conversation, vocabulary or pronunciation.
Minimum age is 18 years.
The one-to-one course is designed for those who want to optimise their study time. The aim of the one-to-one course is to offer a fully personalised method of teaching designed to meet the specific student's needs and desires. As the one-to-one course is private, the student will be able to decide the schedule and content.
Minimum age is 18 years.
The Travelling Classroom offers you a unique way to discover Peru and to learn Spanish at the same time!
The programme combines several destinations in approximately 5 weeks. You will follow Spanish lessons on most weekdays and enjoy various activities on each destination. Together with a small group of students you will travel from one destination to the other. Transport and accommodation is included. There isn’t a guide accompanying the group for 5 weeks, but there are local guides on every destination.
During the Travelling Classroom, you will visit the following locations: Lima, the Ballestas islands, Huacachina, Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. This is what the programme looks like:
Week 1: Lima
In the first week of the programme, you will arrive in Lima on Sunday (flight not included) and start with the Spanish course at a local Spanish school in Lima on Monday. You will follow 20 lessons from Monday through Friday. Accommodation is with a local host family, in a single room, breakfast included. There are several activities included, such as exploring the city, a museum visit, a cooking class or a salsa dance class. On Friday evening you will travel by bus to the coastal city of Pisco, to enjoy the sunset.
Week 2: travelling from Lima to Cusco
During the second week, you will travel from Lima to Cusco with many interesting stops on the way! First, you’ll visit the Ballestas Islands and the oasis Huacachina where you’ll do a buggy tour and go sandboarding! Next, there will be a 3-day hike through the spectacular Colca Canyon. Finally, you will make a 2-day trip to the islands on Lake Ticicaca, where you will be sleeping in a local community. At the end of the week, there will be a night bus taking you to the next destination; Cusco! During the travel week there are only 5 online Spanish lessons included. You will stay in hostels this week, in shared rooms, breakfast included.
Week 3: Cusco
You will arrive in Cusco on Sunday morning and start with the Spanish course on Monday. You will follow 20 lessons again, from Monday through Friday. You will stay with a host family, in a single room, breakfast and lunch included. Another option is to stay in the residence, in a double room, no meals included. During the week in Cusco there will be plenty of time to explore the city. There will be different activities organized, such as a dance class, cooking class, workshop on Peruvian music and much more! On Saturday, there will be a trip to the beautiful Rainbow Mountain where you will be climbing to the top!
Week 4: Sacred Valley
In the 4th week of the programme you will be staying in a small picturesque village in Sacred Valley. You will follow 20 Spanish lessons and discover the beautiful places in the Sacred Valley. There will be a trip to the salt mines and a visit to the old Inca Town Ollantaytambo. You will stay in a hostel, in a shared room with breakfast included.
Week 5: Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
The last week does not consist of Spanish lessons anymore. Instead, you will be doing a 5 day Trek to Machu Picchu! An experienced guide will take you to the best alternative route to Machu Picchu: the Salkantay Trek. Along the route, you will see the Humantay Lake, the peak of the impressive Salkantay mountain and you’ll hike through the green cloud forest to the edge of the Amazon.
The hike goes through different climates and includes the opportunity to visit warm water springs and a zip line. On the last day, you visit Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes. There will be a train ride back to Cusco on the last day (Friday of week 5), where the programme ends. There is no accommodation included anymore after this. You can decide to extend your Spanish course and stay in Cusco for a few more weeks.
Optional: you can decide not to go on the Salkantay 5-day trek or to replace it by a train journey to Machu Picchu.
Day of arrival: the Sunday before the course will start, in Lima
Day of departure: the Friday of the 5th week, in Cusco
Minimum age is 16 years.
You will stay in a single room with half board. Most host families live on an average of 15 - 35minutes walking distance or travel distance from the school. You will share the living room, kitchen and bathroom with the family and possibly with other students. If you are travelling together with someone, you can share a room but please note that the number of twin rooms is limited.
You will stay in a single room with half board. You will share the living room, kitchen and bathroom with the family and possibly with other students. Accommodation with an executive host family offers more comfort than a standard family. Your room is bigger and the food is more suited to your needs and wishes. The families live in quiet neighbourhoods outside the city centre and are particularly suitable for older language students. If you are travelling together with someone, you can share a room but please note that the number of twin rooms is limited.
The residence is located in the school building. You will live with many other students from all around the world. The bathrooms are shared and you have access to a communal kitchen, living room and terrace. There are single and double rooms available.
During the Travelling Classroom you will stay in different types of accommodation, the following accommodations are included:
Week 1: Lima: host family, single room, breakfast included
Week 2: travel week: hostels, shared rooms, breakfast included
Week 3: Cusco: host family, single room, half board included or the residence, shared room, no meals included
Week 4: Sacred Valley: hostel, shared room, breakfast included
Week 5: 5-day trek, 2/3-person tents, all meals included. Sleeping bag not included (bring your own).
The accommodation will end on the Friday of week 5. After Machu Picchu, you will travel by train to Cusco where the programme ends. No accommodation included anymore in Cusco, although you can decide to extend your Spanish course and accommodation in Cusco.
Destination |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
School |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Course |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Accommodation |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Social activities |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Price/quality |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Destination |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
School |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Course |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Accommodation |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Social activities | |
Price/quality |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
"I had the best summer ever!"