Yelapa English Spanish Institute (YESI) offers a Spanish study program of classes in Mexico designed for you to learn Spanish and speak  Spanish quickly. Study near Puerto Vallarta , Mexico in small groups, and at your level of learning. Spanish classes run for 3 hours from Monday to Friday. Focus on learning Spanish in small grammar units, with vocabulary lessons daily to join them. Students study Spanish through various exercises and games to reinforce learning, and through Spanish songs, readings and writing. As a follow-up, materials such as CDs, DVDs, books, songs, music are available and a Cine y Cena - Movie and Dinner night arranged so you can learn Spanish naturally. Do more than parrot phrases, after a few short weeks of Spanish study through classes, activities and home stay. The mood of the school is casual, with a relaxing atmosphere on a sunlit patio at an authentic palapa. Classes are small, typically 2 to 4 people, so you can learn at your pace.
After Spanish classes, maximize your study at a Mexican home stay . Discover the stories of Mexico through native Spanish speakers. Each offers conversation opportunities, a comfortable private room with private bath, great meals and a chance to make new Mexican friends! Private accommodation can also be arranged where you can still join a Mexican family for meals, if desired.
We offer guides to study Spanish with, who reinforce the Spanish learned in classes. Guided tours or activities with local Mexicans is a very interactive and fun Spanish learning experience. To maximize your Spanish learning experience , a local guide from Mexico can take you whale watching,  boating or fishing , hiking , horseback riding among other activities . You can practice your Spanish while having fun outdoors. We'll make time for a variety of social activities in the village weekly that are free such as weddings, quincinieras (15th birthdays for girls), a variety of festivals (e.g. Revolution Day Nov 20), children's birthday parties lots of piñatas, school concerts, the high school dance group performances, among others.
Groups - If you have a group of five or more at one class level that you'd like to bring, we can customize your studies, block time outside of the posted dates, and/or teach at your accommodations. Please inquire early as special arrangements must be made.
We can also arrange separate Spanish conversation classes by the hour for those wishing to practice with a native speaker from Mexico .
Medical Spanish , including observations in the clinic and vocabulary and terminology training, is offered in the fall and spring months (usually November and April). See (see G below) or Medical Spanish .
NEW to YESI are Spanish Study Tours on the Road to a few select towns, features and events either one week or weekend, with transport, accommodation, guides and studies all arranged for you!! ( see H below ).
COURSE DATES
i) Intensive Spanish Course Dates 2008 - 2009 *
November 09-16 16-23 23-30
December Nov 30-07 07-14 14-21 21-28 28- Jan 04
January 04- 11 11-18 18-25 25- Feb 01
February 01-08 08-15 15-22 22- Mar 01
March 01-08 08-15 15-22 22-29 29-Apr 05
April 05-12 12-19 19-26
* Spanish Courses outside indicated dates can be arranged with notice.
ii) Summer Spanish Courses 2008 2009 *
June 01- 08 08-15 15-22 22 - 29
July Jun 29- 06 06 13 13 20 20 27 27-Aug 03
* Spanish Courses outside indicated dates can be arranged with notice.
iii) Medical Spanish November 9- 16,16-23 (Level 1 & 2).), Jan 4-11, 11-18 (Lev 1 & 2).Inquire for other dates. See G below or Medical Spanish
iv) Spanish on the Road 2008 - 2009 ( see H below for dates)
REGULAR AND SUMMER PROGRAMS - SUMMARY A. Weekly Spanish Intensives for Adults: - 2 locations to choose from.
1. Yelapa, 1 hr from Puerto Vallarta , on the coast ( Regular and Summer Program )
2. San Sebastian , mountains 70 km near Puerto Vallarta ( Summer, Spanish on the Road - see H )
B. Spanish for Birders ( Regular - 2 hrs language 1-2 hrs tours)
C. Spanish Summer Adventures Program ( Full Day - Summer )
D. Family Group Spanish ( 1 hr language, 1 hr language activity ) ( Regular and Summer )
E. Children's Group Spanish (1 ½ hrs) ( Regular and Summer)
F. Spanish for Teachers (Beginners, Intermediate - Summer only )
G. Medical Spanish (10 Hrs/Week Grammar, 5 Hrs Vocabulary Training, 3+ Clinical Visits, 1 Medical Plant Tour, Vet visit/surgery)
H. Study Spanish on the Road ( One Week and Weekend Tours) (See www.StudySpanishontheRoad.com ) for details - Tours summarized below.
One-Week Tours to 4 locations:
1. a) Lago de Pátzcuaro Region of Michoacan, or b) Pátzcuaro Region and Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations or c) Lago de Pátzcuaro region and El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve - Purepechan Culture, Arts and Crafts and Monarch Butterfly Wintering Area Tour.
2. San Sebastian del Oeste, Mascota to Talpa picturesque colonial villages mined since the 1600s a few hrs from Vallarta in the high Sierras, and a Virgin of Guadalupe pilgrimage to Talpa de Allende.
3 . Tepic and Huichol Culture, pristine Crater Lake Laguna Santa María del Oro to mangrove jungle and beaches of San Blas Small city rich in Mexican tradition and lifestyle. Adjacent Huichol village of Zitacua . Surrounding natural region of volcanoes, crater lakes, and then jungle, beaches and estuary town of San Blas .
Weekend Tours within 1-3 hrs of Puerto Vallarta :
1. San Sebastian del Oeste mountain villages
2. Tuito - Virgin of Guadalupe festival Jan 12 2009 to LasJuntas y Los Veranos Botanical Garden & Canopy Tours
3. Puerto Vallarta Shopping off the tourist track
4. Las Palmas Hotsprings near Puerto Vallarta
5. Tepic Traditional Mexican city, Huichol culture
REGULAR AND SUMMER PROGRAMS - DETAIL
A Weekly Spanish Intensives for Adults
1. Yelapa, Jalisco, Mexico (near Puerto Vallarta ) ( Regular and Summer) Winter: Regular Group Spanish classes run from November to end of April, and then in the summer months (July - August), and by request, other months. The climate is ideal for beach life and lots of activities. Study Spanish classes outdoors in a jungle setting with ocean view just a minute from the village. Groups are small, classes casual and fun with an emphasis on spoken Spanish, but with lots of Spanish structure to hang vocabulary!
Summer: Yelapa is verdant green and lush, hot and humid, with often afternoon and overnight showers and amazing electrical storms to cool things off. In July and August we teach from a few localities to maximize opportunities to dip into cool pools in the rivers, sit in the breezes in the shade, and enjoy the patios and views of our favorite restaurants, while learning Spanish and enjoying the summer life here. We combine the Spanish grammar studies, games, exercises and songs and then apply them in the field in a group activity for under an hour: a visit to a small farm, a nature hike, a tour of the Rosewood factory, or the water factory or tortilla factory, the stores, the medical clinic, among other locations.
2. San Sebastian del Oeste, Jalisco, Mexico (1 hr east of P to. Vallarta) ( Summer Spanish Min. 2 Pers .) (Spanish on the Road - Dec 7 - 14; and Weekends - see H below . Only 70 kms from Puerto Vallarta , San Sebastian is an old colonial town, built at the peak of gold and silver mining in the 1600s with lots of Mexican history and myth. Once a rich town of 30,000, today it's a village of only 600 people. The houses are of adobe and clay tile roofs. The Spanish colonial  architecture with central town square, inner court yards and gardens, tile and cobblestone, stone fences surrounding fruit orchards and fields, make this a scenic treasure. It's surrounded by pine forests, agave and cornfield, mountain trails leading to old mines, smaller villages and viewpoints. It has a hot dry climate with mild evenings, except for the sunny, cooler winter months (Dec - Feb).
Summer Program : Inquire re: dates of interest
We'll stay and study at the Hotel del Puente a 500 year old colonial building with inner cobbled courtyard with peach trees and flowers, and arched portals for outdoor seating. It's a peaceful and serene setting at the edge of town near the river, one block from the main square. We'll combine some local activities such as hiking and touring the museum, church, local creek-side trails and, for a small additional charge, plan some longer guided excursions into the mountains.
road trip up to Real Alto, visit chapel with legendary Virgin del Rosario
hike or guided road tour to Bufa, the peak above the village
walking tour of town sights, colonial buildings
birding, wildlife and nature interpretation tours
Also See Spanish on the Road for One Week and Weekend Tours : ( see H below )
B. Spanish for Birders (Regular)
 We'll learn Spanish on the forested hillside school of YESI which is one of the best locations in Yelapa for birding. Birds regularly fly through and sit in the treetops and past the class. We'll learn birding vocabulary; focus on Spanish verbs related to bird behavior in addition to regular grammar study and exercises for two hours daily. Then we'll take a minimum of one hour daily to watch birds, identify them and learn their natural history in various habitats
At least one trip will be taken in the estuary , one upriver to the waterfalls , one up the road to Chacala to experience the various habitats. Some unique birds we can expect to see: military macaws, elegant trogon, summer tanagers, mot mots, painted and varied buntings, magpie and San Blas jays, and most of the North American herons.
Course Dates : Weekly - Based on Demand
C . Spanish Classes - Summer Adventures Program (not available Summer 2009)
For those who want a committed Spanish language guide or Spanish classes and follow-up activities, we offer 3 hour classes with 4 hour guided activities . The week's guided schedule is pre-arranged, and you'll have one person dedicated to your instruction and adventure daily from Monday to Friday. Additional activities can be added on the weekends. (Pricing Variable depending on selected activities - See Activities page ).
D. Family Group Spanish ( Regular and Summer 2009 )
To allow children and their parents time together as a group, we've arranged a 2 hr Spanish course for parents to study with their children. The only requirement is that the children can read and write (approximately 7 years of age). Younger children can accompany us, but the focus will not be directed to them. See E. below for Children's Group Spanish .
We will spend the first hour learning simple grammatical structures, then use pictures for vocabulary building, games and Spanish songs for learning. In the second hour, we will do an activity that allows use of that Spanish vocabulary and structure (eg. farm visit, riding burros, tortilla making on an outdoor stove, a visit to a grocery store, tours of water factory and tortilla factory and rosewood workshop, cooking class).
E Children's Group Spanish ( Regular and Summer 2009 )
Spanish Classes for children will be offered Monday to Friday for 1.5 hrs for ages five and up. We'll learn simple grammatical structures and practice them through games, readings, crafts, activities and songs. Please inquire for longer class times, if interested.
F. Summer Spanish Classes for Teachers (Summer 2009 )
A summer one week or two week Spanish class is designed for teachers during the summer holidays. Week 1 is Beginner´s (Present Tense) and Week 2 is Intermediate (Past Tenses). Three hours of grammar and vocabulary through exercises, readings, games and songs. For intermediate level 2 hrs grammar, then one hour of conversational practice daily with a native speaker. Please inquire for advanced study.
Enhance Spanish learning through accommodation arranged with a host family. This includes a private room, comfortably furnished, with private bath. Two meals per day are included in the home stay. We can also arrange private accommodation, with or without meals.
G. Medical Spanish Classes (see more info here )
H. Study Spanish on the Road - One Week and Weekend Spanish Study Tours - see below
see www.StudySpanishontheRoad.com
OFFERINGS AND REQUIREMENTS:
• Recommended Level 2 Students and higher (recent study of basic verb conjugations, Ser and Estar); Limited to 4 per group, Minimum 2.
• . If your Spanish is rusty or non-existent, spend the first week in Yelapa and gain the basics!
• Prices include : Transportation, Accommodation, 10 hrs Spanish study plus conversational support and daily tours with teacher (Some extra costs for group tours on location, but at group rates).
• If you'd like to form your own group , have a specific date in mind, or want to go for less than a week, please inquire. We may be able to accommodate your request. If you bring your own group of 4, we can overlook the basic language requirement.
One Week Tours
1. Pátzcuaro (One Week) Departure from Puerto Vallarta (or fly to Guadalajara or Mexico City )
The high mountain state of Michoacán is inhabited by the Purepechan natives. They were the only neighboring kingdom not to be conquered by the Aztec Empire. They still speak their language, sing traditional songs, and dress typically. They also produce arts and crafts unique to each village www.Pátzcuaro.com . There are still ruins of the ceremonial temples of the city states. Pátzcuaro is the regional government and market centre (3 square block central market). It is located 3 hrs south of Guadalajara and a half hour from Morelia . It is internationally famous for its Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations on November 1st (All Saints Eve).
We'll head there through the Sierra Madre range east of Puerto Vallarta , with a quick tour of the old gold mining colonial mountain villages of San Sebastian and Mascota en route. Once through the mountains we´ll travel the southern shores of Lake Chapala , off the main freeways. We'll make a few brief stops of interest before we arrive in Pátzcuaro (approximately 12 hrs on the road). We'll stay in the Posada de Salud in the center across from the Basilica, with its inner courtyards, lawns and gardens.
Option A Lago de Pátzcuaro Tour - Each morning after breakfast, we'll focus on 2 hours of Spanish with useful phrases,  vocabulary and structure. Then we'll do a tour of Pátzcuaro itself or one of the many interesting local villages to view arts, crafts and local geographic and cultural features (eg. Ancient Ruins of Ihuatzio and Tzintzuntzan, handmade Sombreros in Jarácuaro, wooden Mask Carvers in Tócuaro, hammed copper crafts in Santa Clara del Cobre, walking and tramway tour of historic and cultural Pátzcuaro, the natural park region of Lago de Zirahuén, potters in various villages, the 1943 Volcano Paricutín, various local festivals) (see Teacher's Journal at www.talkadventures.com for description and photos Feb 2008, Oct 2007, May 2007). Also see www.Pátzcuaro.com for general info re: Pátzcuaro.
Costs - 7 nights (Inquire re: dates) $850 or $800 (D).
Option B - Day of the Dead Tour After breakfast and Spanish class, we'll tour the town and market by tramcar and on foot with a guide. In the afternoon we'll visit some of the local sites and/or villages surrounding the lake as per A (above). The second day after classes, we'll tour the village of Tzintzuntzan and see the ruins of the Prehispanic kingdoms, and tour the cemetery. A local anthropologist will discuss the details of the ceremonies and what we can expect in the days´ events. We'll spend subsequent days touring the surrounding villages and nights in Pátzcuaro joining in the celebrations. On the way back through the mountains, we'll spend a night in San Sebastian del Oeste or Mascota, mountain villages located 2-3 hrs high above Vallarta.
Costs 7 Nights- Oct 28-Nov 3, 2008 $950 and $900 (D)
Please reserve early as Accommodation bookings are required well in advance.
Option C - Pátzcuaro and Monarch Butterflies Winter Sanctuary
We'll travel through the mountains from Puerto Vallarta , along south shore of Lake Chapala and arrive  at Lago de Pátzcuaro region. Here we'll stay for 4 nights and visit the many villages with ancient ruins, distinctive arts and crafts of the region. Then we'll drive east for 2 hrs to Anguangueo and El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve (2 nights). We'll hike from the trail head a half hour of moderate degree of difficulty into the forests where they reside. The town has lots of charm. Then we´ll head to the coast through the mountains and an overnight at San Sebastian , a mining town from the 1600s for our final night. (See Teacher's Journal , www.talkadventures.com March 2008 for photos and story.
Costs : 7 Nights - Feb 22 -1 March, 2009 - 7 nights $900 or $850 (D)
2. San Sebastian del Oeste - Mascota - Talpa de Allende (One Week, Weekends)
Just 70 km east of Puerto Vallarta , Mexico in the pine-clad high mountains, lays San Sebastian del Oeste. Cobble-stones pave the streets, comprise the fences and the houses are of adobe, ancient timbers and red clay roofs. This was once a wealthy mining community, and today although with fewer facilities, still retains its charm, tranquility and the magic of Mexican village life. After Spanish classes in the morning, we'll tour the museums, the cultural landmarks and the surrounding environs. We may explore Real Alto, a village of 50 people 3,000 ft higher, where dried fruits, tequila and raicilla are the main home industry.
We'll spend 2 nights in Mascota, a spacious agricultural centre, and tour the unique anthropology museum. A local guide walks us through the streets to reveal the town's fascinating history. An hour above Mascota we'll visit the small village of Navidad , a 16 th Century mining settlement, and the lake region of Juanacatlan. Then less than an hour away we arrive in Talpa de Allende. Today the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Talpa is a special religious museum, owing to a sighting of the Virgin Mary. It's one of the most visited sites in Mexico for religious pilgrimages. There are many cultural features, viewpoints, and natural features to take in. We'll spend two nights here, and a final night at San Sebastian before heading home to the coast.
Costs: 7 Nights Dec 7 14, 2008 and March 22 29, 2009 $550 or 500 (D)
3. Cultural, Historical and Nature Tour Tepic and Huichol Village to Laguna Santa Maria del Oro
This trip offers a variety of cultural, historical and natural features. We stay off the gringo path in the very old Mexican city of Tepic , surrounded by volcanic peaks, for 3 nights  . It's a vibrant small agricultural city of 250,000 people, true to it's name, Tepictl i land of corn. Each street corner offers something unique from street vendors to fruit stands, museums and historic sites, large and forested urban parks and plazas with entertainment.
• We'll take the town Tepi-bus for the historic town tour.
• The Huichol indigenous natives are commonly seen in their traditional dress at the central markets, at various cultural gatherings in the main plaza, and in their communities. We'll visit the Huichol community of Zitacua, shop their market and meet individual artists.
• We'll also do a walking tour of the plazas, the history and anthropology museum housed in an 18 th Century mansion, and the Museo de los Cuatro Pueblos (museum of the four natives the Cora, Huichol, Tepehuanos and Mexicas), and experience regional shops in the town centre.
Next we'll drive a half hour to the Laguna Santa Maria del Oro, a lake of clear turquoise waters in a deep volcanic crater. Here we'll stay in cabins, hike high along the crater's edge, swim, kayak, row boats and other outdoor pursuits (2 nights stay).
An hour northwest of Tepic on the coast is San Blas, our site for 3 nights. Once a military fort and port with 30,000 people, it was abandoned as a port in the late 1800s and now supports a lively community of 15,000 people. Located on a tongue of land between two estuaries, the southern edge on the Pacific Ocean , this area is renowned for its beaches, the wetlands and coastal plain and the natural wildlife it supports. Among the features to experience:
• Historic sites and views from Cerro de San Basilio, the original hill-top settlement, and the ruins of the 18 th Century Fort La Contaduría and the Temple of the Virgin of the Rosary. A great viewpoint of the geography of the area.
• The mile long fine sand beach, El Borrego, in town, dotted with many seafood restaurants and great swimming and surfing, and beaches to the south.
• Hiking, bird-watching and beach-combing the sandy Isla del Rey (King Island) across the strait where the Huichol leave offerings to the Sacred Godess of the Sea, Aramara, and often perform wedding, baptism and other ceremonies.
• Boat tour up theTovar River through the mangrove swamp edge where we'll see a host of exotic birds, crocodiles, turtles with even a chance of viewing a jaguar ending at the Crocodile nursery.
• A guided tour of the village of Singayta , an environmentally conscious community, 5 miles inland, and the adjacent forest and mangrove swamps. This is predominantly a native community of Huichol and Cora Indians who lost their livelihood of supplying palm fronds for palapa construction due to Hurricane Kenna. Instead of selling their forested lands to ranchers, they give ecotours, make indigenous handicrafts and grow and sell orchids. We'll take the coastal road following the lovely coastal beach communities, still unspoiled, on the way back.
Costs: 7 NIghts - Nov 30 Dec 7, 2008 and March 22 29, 2009 - $750 (700 D); Tepic alone available also as a weekend tour (see below.
Weekend Study Tours
1. San Sebastian del Oeste , Mexico
In a weekend, we'll drive the 70 km from Puerto Vallarta up the winding mountain road to San Sebastian del Oeste, a small village, with beautiful Spanish colonial architecture nestled in the green pine and oak hills. We'll spend 1 night and 2 days in the village and environs, with a possible day trip up to Real Alto, 3000 ft higher) or to Mascota, the regional centre one hour away.
Weekend $ 150 Includes Transport, 2 hrs Spanish Class and Conversational support, Accommodation (2 days/1 night)
2. Tuito and Las Juntas Y Los Veranos
Las Juntas y Los Veranos is 30 min south of Puerto Vallarta where the Rivers Orcones and Tomatlán join. Los Veranos Canopy Tours has a riverside restaurant, water slides and their canopy tour on zip lines or cables to which one is harnessed traversing many kilometers in the treetops. We'll visit the restaurant, exotic animal zoo and play in the crystal clear water and deep pools. The canopy tour is optional (1.5 hrs $70 p.p.). Five minutes south is the Botanical Gardens - a marvel of gardens by theme built along easy to hike trails, one of which also leads to river pools for swimming. At both locations, we can do a short nature hike and birding . We'll overnight in El Tuito , a small commercial centre, another 20 minutes south, and stroll the attractive central zocalo. We'll explore this distinct Mexican town with unique charms and experiences to be enjoyed.
The annual Guadalupe festival is Monday, January 12th , with fireworks (un castillo with synchronous wheels of fireworks set off on a 20-30 ft wooden ferris wheel structure), vendors, bands, and a parade. To participate in this fiesta, we'll start on Sunday morning, returning Monday night.
Weekend 2 days, 1 night $150 p.p. (2 per. minimum) Includes Transport, Accommodation (2 days/1 night).
3. Shopping off the Tourist Track in Puerto Vallarta Area.
We'll show you the shopping highlights. We'll briefly hit a few of the must see tourist destinations in old Vallarta , stop at tianguis or flea market for the curious, hit a few unique specialty shops, unique artisan shops and visit Pitillal , a traditional Mexican shopping area north of Vallarta.
Cost: One day -. $75; Overnight - Inquire
4. Las Palmas Hotsprings A short 45 minutes east of Vallarta are the hotsprings. We'll head there on a day trip and return by nightfall to Vallarta. We'll tour the corridor en route. Cost: $75 p.p . (Inquire re Weekend Tour options ).
5. Tepic 2 days, 1 night. Old traditional Mexican town, Huichol village, market, plaza, old haciendas, parks, laid back and traditional. Cost: $200 Includes transport and accommodation.
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