Sucre, Bolivia
The Spanish lessons and accommodation in Sucre
The small school that we work withis located in an old, comfortable building and is a five minute walk away from the centre of Sucre. The school only offers private lessons. In the standard package we offer a three hour day, but it is possible to study more hours, or less, as you wish. An hour of lessons here lasts 45 minutes with a 15 minute break. You can also take yoga lessons here. The school regularly organizes excursions and trips to concerts in the weekend. They can also arrange cooking and dancing lessons for those interested.
The host family
The families with whom you will stay offer bed and breakfast. For lunch, you can eat together with fellow students in the cafeteria at the school for about US$ 5. For dinner, Sucre has a large selection of cheap and lively restaurants.
How to get to Sucre
Sucre is 600 kilometres from La Paz.). Mostly, there are no direct connections to Sucre, so you will probably have to spend the first night in La Paz. Flights from La Paz to Sucre cost about US$ 75. A simple hotel in La Paz will cost you around US$ 10. You can get a taxi for a few dollars from the airport to the hotel.
The transfer
A transfer from the airport of Sucre to the accommodation is included.
The standard package prices in Sucre includes:
- 4 hours of private lessons per day, five days a week.
- Accommodation in a private room with a local host family with breakfast included or a private room in school, during the study period from Sunday to Saturday.
- Registration fee.
- Study material.
- Transfer from the airport of Sucre to the family.
| Bolivia | Classes | hpd | 1 wk | 2 wks | 3 wks | 4 wks | extra week | extra night | transfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sucre | private | 4 | $ 260 | $460 | $ 685 | $ 885 | $ 235 | $ 10 | $ 75 |
Sucre
Sucre is 600 kilometres from La Paz. This city has the relatively low altitude of 2790 meters and has a very pleasant climate. Sucre is a beautiful old colonial city with about 100.000 inhabitants. Nevertheless, you imagine your-self to be in a small quaint town with its white painted houses and cosy squares. The administrative capital of Bolivia is La Paz, while the legislative and judicial (also known as constitutional) capital is Sucre. Because Sucre is a university city, there is a lot happening both socially and culturally. The many old colonial buildings, churches, cathedrals and monuments reflect the prosperous times this city has had. When the Spaniards conquered Bolivia in the sixteenth century they noticed its rich supply of natural resources, mainly in the Southwest where huge silver deposits were found. In 1538 Sucre was founded as a trade center and became the capital. The economical interests of Sucre mainly concerned Potosi, where very rich silver and tin mines were found.
Bolivia
Bolivia is the country with the most indigenous people; over 60% of its population descends directly from the Inca's. Because Bolivia does not have a proper infrastructure and does not border on the sea, it has kept its traditional values and customs. Women wear wide, colorful dresses and bowler hats which were introduced from Europe. In 1776, a businessman from England came to La Paz with a suitcase full of bowler hats and had a huge success with them!Bolivia is a special place because of its amazing nature, the old Inca culture, the traditional way of life it has maintained and because mass tourism has not (yet) made it here. Its curious but KLM still does not fly directly to La Paz. A nice bonus is the fact that Bolivia is by far the safest Latin country; there is very little crime and it is absolutely safe for women to travel alone. The nature is very diverse, ranging from mountain tops rising over 5000 meters, to the jungle of the Amazon in the north. On the altiplano (highlands) of the Andes, one can still see many small Indian villages and lots of Llama's. The salt lakes, with its giant cactuses in the southwest near Uyuni, are a special natural phenomenon. Nearby are the multicolored lakes Lago Colourado and Laguna Verde. You can take a Jeep trip of four days through desert area to these lakes. From Uyuni it will cost about $50, all included. If you like skiing you will love Chacaltaya at 5500 meters, which is famous in South America and is about a one hour bus trip away from La Paz. The lift system is over a century old and it is quite a ride! At this altitude it is impossible for a beginner to make the 300 meter, vertical, descend in one go. But even if you don't ski, you will love the trip to Chacaltaya via a very narrow and steep mountain road. Not recommended for people who are afraid of heights!
The highest lake in the world usable for boats, lake Titicaca, is 150 kilometres from La Paz. In the pilgrimage town of Copacabana next to the lake, richly decorated cars are blessed by the local priest to keep them from getting involved in accidents. People who can not afford a priest do it themselves, using beer, and the effect seems to be pretty much the same!
The mines of Potosí
Since silver was first discovered by the Spanish, millions of mineworkers have died in the mines. Even nowadays the circumstances in these mines remain horrendous. If you want you can take a look at this gruelling work, on Friday's, after lessons, you can take a bus to Potosi and join a guide that leads groups of tourists through the mine shafts It is a hazardous, but very worthwhile, experience. Tens of meters underground there are very small slippery tunnels, which are hard to get through. There is little oxygen, and the fact that Potosi itself is situated at over 4000 meters, does not help. The miners work every day of the week, usually more than 12 hours a day. Before they go down they start chewing coca leaves to suppress hunger and thirst and to get through the day. There is no entrance fee for tourists but it is customary to bring gifts: cigarettes, coca leaves or even dynamite(!) all of which are freely available on the streets of Potosi.
La Paz has more than 1 million people and lays in a deep valley at a height of 3800 meters. In the centre of the valley arises a metropolis of skyscrapers, shopping malls and heavy traffic. There is a huge contrast between the modern city life and the traditional way of life of most of the Indian population. The centre also contains an old colonial part where, on one of its many Indian markets one can see the strangest things. For example, a witches market where they sell real llama embryo's, which you are supposed to put in the foundation of your new house for a healthy prosperous life.
Bolivia is by far the cheapest country in Latin America. The flights, however, are usually more expensive then to neighbouring countries. One way to avoid this is to start with Spanish classes in Peru and travel over land to Sucre. You do need to allow for at least a week to travel between either Arequipa or Cusco and Sucre.
A combination with Peru is recommended!
Climate
The temperature really only depends on the altitude. The average temperature in Sucre during the day is 20 º C with a clear blue sky. From November to March it can cool down to just above zero at night. This is also when the rainy season is. The jungle of the north stays hot and humid the entire year.
Links Sucre and Bolivia
Lonely Planet Information Bolivia
Come with Adiós Travel to learn Spanish in Sucre, Bolivia.
