Bariloche is one of the most important tourist areas in the country and is the capital of Patagonia, in the mountainous west of Argentina. Bariloche or San Carlos de Bariloche is the most populated town of Río Negro Province (100,000 inhabitants) and lies at 770 meters above sea level approx.1650 km from Buenos Aires.

The area's main attraction is the stunning National Park (Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi) that surrounds the town, although in winter, it's specifically the ski-resort of Cerro Catedral nearby - the most important of Latin America.

The stunning natural beauty, as well as the different outdoor activities offered vary according to the season, Winter (skiing & snowboarding), Spring (hiking in the mountains), Summer (trout fishing, rafting, trekking and hiking) Autumn (the mountains and its autumn foliage colors), in total the town has more than 1,000,000 visitors arriving annually.

The town of itself banks up against the slopes of Cerro Otto, behind the Cerro Catedral mountain and over looks the lake, an impressive expanse of water that can seem like a benign Mediterranean one moment and a froth of seething whitecaps the next.

The town is also famous for its five-day festival (Fiesta Nacional de la Nieve) which is held every August. It's a week long celebration with ski races, parades and a torch lit evening descents on skis to open the ski season officially, as well as the election of the Reina Nacional de la Nieve, or Snow Queen.

Just 16 km south of Bariloche is Cerro Catedral, named after the Gothic spires of rock that surround this area (2405m). The Catedral ski resort attracts international tourists (from North America, Europe, Chile and Brazil). The main skiing months are July and August (late July is peak season), although it is possible to ski from late May to early October. Snow conditions vary wildly from year to year, but you can often find excellent powder snow.

In Summer, the village of VILLA CATEDRAL at the foot of the bowl (just over 1000m) is the starting point for several fantastic treks, and you can take a cable car and then a chair lift to reach Refugio Lynch near the summit (1870m). Views from here and from the ridge above are beautiful.

In Winter, the village serves the main ski-resort, with an infrastructure that includes hotels, restaurants, and shops offering ski rental. There are 67km of pistes, and descents of up to 4km in length. July and August are the busiest months to visit the Cerro Catedral. There are many buses that travel every 15 minutes to the Catedral Resort on Winter. Alternatively, you could take a half-day organized trip to the village or you can travel by taxi or remisse.

It is the participant's responsibility to have a valid passport and any necessary visas and permits to study abroad. Visit G3Visas for comprehensive information on visa, passport, permit and general country entry requirements.

Bariloche's domestic airport is located 14km east of the town and most student will have to fly via Buenos Aires. The airlines that service Bariloche include: Aerolíneas Argentina, Southern Winds - SW, LAPA and LADE.
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Wonderful landscape and unusual location
Ski at the most popular ski resort in South America (winter)
Wonderful lakes and wide selection of outdoor activities: fishing, rafting, trekking and hiking
Rafting on the Manso River
Colonial churches and convents
Shopping in town
Visit the Patagonia Museum
Many excellent excursions: local mountains, waterfalls, train trips, national parks, sandy beaches and wonderful scenery
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Established over 16 years ago, our school is located in the "Melipal´s borough", a wealthy area of Bariloche city, with many restaurants, bars, boutiques, shops and cafes. It is also located 10 blocks from the beach of Nahuel Huapi lake, the biggest lake of Patagonia, and just 5 minutes to the downtown by public transport.

Housed in a typical styled building, the school offers incredible views of the surrounding mountains and lake. It offers over 20 comfortable classrooms (no AC but with heating), with computer room (30 computers and free internet access for all students) a comprehensive library Kitchen and Bar. Students can relax between or after in several social rooms and enjoy free coffee and tea. The majority of our host families are located just a few blocks from our school (from 3 to 10 blocks from the school, walking distance). Public transport is close by and is very cheap: to downtown by bus (US$ 0.33 per ticket) or by taxi (US$ 1 per trip).

Students come from around the world: North America: 58%, Europe: 28%, Asia: 4% and the rest are from Australia and Brazil

The school is recognized by the Provincial Council of Education and is dedicated exclusively to teaching Spanish as a foreign language.
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Standard: 4 Lessons daily (20 lessons per week) Max. 5 students per class.
Intensive: 6 Lessons daily (20 Group lessons per week PLUS 10 lessons of private instruction) Max. 5 students per class.

Our programs cater for all language levels from absolute beginners to the more advanced, include the use of course materials and provide a variety of options to enhance your program. Each group course has a maximum of 5 students to provide a more personalized teaching. The average is 3 students per class and the duration of a lesson is a full 60 minutes.

Each student will be expected to take a short placement test (oral and written) on the first Monday morning of the course (unless a complete beginner), to determine the students language level and ensure placement in the correct class. Lessons are usually held in the mornings, which leave the afternoons free for social or cultural activities, trips, workshops, short excursions or free time to relax or explore on your own.

Our essential objective is to guarantee an intensive, successful and solid learning of the Spanish language. The students begin to understand and to speak the Spanish language as soon as possible accompanied by a solid learning method, with a grammatical base developed within a communicative context.

Our method is designed specially for foreign students and we emphasize communication by using much interaction. Covering all aspects of language learning (speaking, listening, writing and reading skills), our high-quality Spanish programs are specially designed for foreign students and are taught in Spanish.

We work with own materials and books designed for an intensive and progressive understanding of the Spanish grammar and its uses in the speech. We guarantee a permanent supervision of each student with reduce groups. This allows the adjustment of the course to the needs of each student, please see our COURSE OUTLINE link, for more information.

After classes are over for the day, our program allows you plenty of time to discover your new country, culture, traditions, customs and everyday life. All the courses are complemented with the Plan "Spanish out of the classroom", where the students -accompanied by the teacher- can check their language learning involving themselves in different communicative situations.

Our cultural and social activities allow you to make new friends among your new international classmates, experience cultural and social activities together, and also practice your new language skills in real life situations.

Some of the typical cultural opportunities offered weekly could include visits to, Colonial churches and convents, shopping in town, a visit to the Patagonia Museum, outings to different places to see the typical architecture of the area, a visit to the Local Library, art exhibitions and cultural events, Interviews and meetings with local professionals, artists, business people, teachers or other person that students may find of interest.

At the weekend many students can arrange to take optional excursions or enjoy outdoor activities.

NOTES: School is closed on all public holidays, private lessons and options can be added to any program, lessons normally last 60 minutes, you will be studying with students from around the world, lessons run from Monday - Friday , you will be expected to arrive early on the first Monday morning to take the placement test, a language proficiency certificate is available at the end of the program. Please see the program info and resource links, for additional information or please contact us.
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Host Family: (private room) 2 meals daily.
Living with a host family is probably the best and most effective way to become fully immersed into the language and culture of your chosen country. All families are chosen after a careful selection procedure and are visited regularly by the school to ensure that high living standards are maintained. As many of our host families live in the surrounding neighborhoods, the trip to school, is usually very quick.

Students have access to all living areas in the house and in most cases, will be expected to share the bathroom. All bed linens and pillows will be provided, however we suggest you bring your own towels. If your family does not provide a laundry service, they may allow you to use the laundry facilities for a small additional charge.

Staying in a family is a truly wonderful experience and many students make lifetime friends with their host family. However, you should also have realistic expectations and recognize that an element of flexibility is required to adjust to the local customs and way of life. Your host family may not have the same comforts as your own home but you will always be treated as a guest and free to come and go as you wish.

Hotel 2 or 3 stars: (private room) breakfast daily.
Stay in a comfortable local hotel with private bathroom, cable TV, telephone and breakfast daily. Please contact us for more information.

NOTES: Airport transfers may be included or available, also extra nights can be booked before / after course (at an additional cost), please check price page for details. The Sunday night accommodation before your course begins on Monday, is included in the program price. All meals will be local custom and meal times may be different to what you are used to, however you are not obligated to eat all your meals with the family, just notify them when you will not be returning to eat. Our families are diverse with young couples without children, couples with children (of all age groups) and older couples with grown children who are no longer at home. Please see the Accommodation link for additional information.
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