Schools' Extra Curricular Program | Social & Cultural Activities

• Hiking, Trekking, Caving, Wildlife & Botanical Expeditions: to the famous Quetzals Trail Path, the Baru Volcano Hike, Sendero El Pianista, La Artilleria, La Novia de la Montaña, Island Paths, Jungle Hikes and Caves in Bastimentos and Isla Colon plus more secret trails full of views, waterfalls and wildlife.
• Zip Line Canopy Tour in Palo Alto's cloud forest near Boquete and in Isla Bastimentos near Red Frog Beach.
• Whitewater River Rafting in Chiriqui's world class rivers - Panama's rafting capital.
• Rock Climbing & Rappelling at Los Ladrillos in Bajo Mono, Boquete.
• Surfing in Bocas del Toro (Paunch, Dumpers, Bluff, Wizard, Carenero, Black Rock, Old Mans, Silverbacks, Long Beach, La Curva, Tiger Tail, Tuna, Waikiki) and in the Chiriqui Gulf (La Barqueta, Morro Negrito, Puerto Armuelles).
• Horseback Riding along the beaches of Isla Colon or in the valleys of Caldera.
• Bike Tours in and around Boquete and Bocas del Toro.
• Scuba Diving & Snorkeling in Bocas del Toro at Crawl Cay, Hospital Point, Cayo Zapatillas, Tiger Rock and other dive sites Panama's Caribbean, and in the Chiriqui Gulf National Marine Park and Coiba Island in the Pacific.

• Farming Tours to visit Boquete's coffee plantations and processing mills in Alto Quiel, Jaramillo and Palmira, and to the Cacao (Chocolate) Farms in Bocas del Toro.
• Indigenous Villages visit local communities such as Soloy in Chiriqui and Salt Creek in Bocas del Toro to learn more about the local culture and way of life.
• Hot Springs & Petroglyphs Tour in the wild region of Caldera.
• Beach Trips, Boat Tours, Catamaran Sailing, Sea Kayaking and Island Expeditions to Gamez, Paridas, Paridita, Bolaños, Las Lajas, Santa Catalina, Secas and Ladrones in the Pacific and to Dolphin Bay, Crawl Cay, Bird Island, Hospital Point, Red Frog Beach, Playa Larga, Solarte, Escudo de Veraguas, Starfish Beach (Bocas del Drago), Bluff and many more islands and beaches in Bocas del Toro in Panama's Caribbean.
• Panama City Tours: the Panama Canal (partial and full transits or by train), Casco Viejo, Amador Causeway, The Biomuseo, Cinta Costera, Shopping, Embera Indigenous Community Tour, San Blas Islands, Monkey Island and Gamboa Cableway Tour, Anton Valley & Hot Springs, Beach Tours near Panama City...

Every day of the week Habla Ya Spanish students can take part of Ashtanga, Hatha, Vinyasa, Anusara or Restorative Yoga sessions. When you choose to travel to Central America to study Spanish and want to continue or intensify your yoga practice, look for a school where there is an active yoga community.

Daily yoga classes are organized by different members of our communities in Bocas del Toro, Panama City and Boquete, and you'll even be able to practice your Spanish at the same time as some yoga lessons are held in Spanish. Do you know how to say "downward dog" in Spanish? Here is your chance to learn!

Boquete's daily yoga classes take part in the same plaza where our school is located at the Yia Yoga Studio as well at other superb locations only a 10 - 15 minute walk from Habla Ya Campus Boquete, mainly at the Haven Spa or at Isla Verde, both of which have stunning setups for practicing yoga surrounded by nature.

Yoga classes in the Bocas del Toro archipelago happen at the Bocas Yoga Studio with Laura Kay, at the Rancho Bull on Carenero Island with Heather Rose and at the Energy Club next to the Main Park. All of these options are within a 15 minute walk to our Bocas school (the Carenero option includes a 3 minute boat ride for $1).

Yoga classes in Panama City are arranged at It's Yoga Panama. This modern yoga studio is about a 10 minute walk from our Spanish School in the city, easily accessible from Via España.

Learn the Spanish language and lead a healthy lifestyle with daily yoga classes, meditation and relaxation sessions. Different types of yoga classes are offered throughout the week. You can practice yoga in the morning or in the afternoon to fit around your Spanish class schedule and eco-adventure tours. There is something for all yoga levels! And besides our daily yoga classes, we also organize Yoga Retreats that take place in different parts of Panama such as Cerro Punta, Azuero, Bocas del Toro or in the Chiriqui Gulf National Marine Park (for Bikram Yoga).

Yoga classes in Boquete cost $6 - $10 USD per person. Yoga classes in Bocas del Toro cost $5 - $10 USD per class. Yoga classes in Panama City cost from $10 - $15 USD per class and they also have monthly packages of unlimited classes. Specific cost per class depends on instructor and length of class. Mats can be rented at $1 per session or you can bring your own. Certain Yoga classes are 60 minute long sessions, others are 1 hour and 15 minutes, and yet others are 1.5 hours. Private yoga classes can also be arranged upon arrival (please contact us).

Have you ever wondered how some traditional Panamanian dishes like "Sancocho", "Patacones", "Arroz con Pollo" or "Tamales" are made? Or would you simply just like to eat some yummy traditional Panamanian dishes?

Well, why not put those culinary curiosities to the test by participating in our Traditional Panamanian Dinners! You'll not only learn how to make these yummy dishes first hand and take back home a couple of delicious recipes but we also guarantee a night full of laughter, sharing and loads of fun as you interact with your Spanish teachers, our host families, your friends and fellow classmates from all around the world.

And once in a while a change is nice... so when there's a great chef in town, be it one of our Spanish students or just a friend visiting us from Panama City, we organize International Dinner Parties! In the past we've had Sushi, Thai, Indian, Italian and Middle Eastern Dinner Nights... so if you're a great chef and you're heading our way, just let us know!

Watching movies is an incredible way to practice Spanish. Try it out! You do not have anything to lose and at least you'll enjoy yourself because we only select movies that are pure art and that by themselves are extremely entertaining. Depending on the viewers' Spanish level we sometimes watch movies in Spanish with English subtitles and sometimes we watch movies in Spanish with Spanish subtitles.

Watching a movie will help you gain more vocabulary. By listening to other accents you'll become more accustomed to them and your listening abilities will also improve. Listening to slang from different parts of Latin America within a movie will help you understand them as they'll be placed in specific contexts. Some of the movies that we watch are: Amores Perros, Habana Blues, El Mariachi, Romero, Bajo La Misma Luna, Pretendiendo, Volver, Maria llena eres de Gracia, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Como Agua para Chocolate and many others.

What do we do each weekend? Simple: we GET-TOGETHER! If you were studying Spanish abroad, what would you like to do during your weekends? Starting on Thursdays we:

• Enjoy the nightlife: go out to Boquete's, Panama City's and Bocas del Toro's restaurants and bars
• Go on a hike, to the beach or any type of excursion together
• Party at somebody's house or go to a festival on an open field or at the beach
• Play poker
• Drink some wine
• Play some soccer, volleyball or ultimate frisbee, and then have a couple of beers
• Watch a soccer game
• Go swimming to the river, or surfing
• Go out dancing
• Hit the beach: in Boquete and Panama City we are only one hour from beaches in the Pacific, and in Bocas del Toro we have loads of beaches to choose from!
• Give some of our time to help others and volunteer

How do we know what you would like to do? Simple: we are just like you! We love to enjoy life because we only have one life to live!

The idea is to show you the basic steps involved in dancing Salsa and Merengue. Once you get your feet moving as they should, we help you out with your hips and the rest of your body. At the beginning it can be a bit difficult but it's nice to share a few laughs and get our bodies moving.

It is a really fun way to get to know your teachers and classmates in a different way and if you plan to go clubbing during the weekend you should definitely consider learning some moves if you're the average foreigner who has never danced to the Latin rhythm before.

One of our first Academic Directors, Irma Changmarín, had a Salsa & Merengue Dancing School and that is how the tradition of Latin Dancing lessons began at Habla Ya. Classes are held every week on Saturdays.

We cannot guarantee that you'll be able to move your body as smoothly as Erica or Janeth (two of our Spanish teachers that really know how to move it!) but we will make sure that you're not mistaken for a typical gringo that does not have an idea about how to dance latin music.

Our teachers will tell you to practice, practice and practice, and that is exactly what you'll be able to do in our conversational sessions. Each Saturday we invite all our students to get together and simply talk. We make small groups of 4 to 6 people with a local speaker in each one of them and start talking about our Spanish lessons, sharing learning tips, telling each other what we have done in Boquete, Panama City or Bocas del Toro and what we plan to do for the rest of our vacation or we just talk about anything that we feel like talking about.

Even if there is no reason to be shy when speaking the language that we are just starting to learn, the truth is that many people are shy and we have to help our students lose that shyness as soon as possible because it does make a huge difference if you feel confident and comfortable when speaking Spanish. Sometimes we are shy when it comes to talking, we are afraid of making mistakes, so the best way to beat that feeling without getting uncomfortable is to get together with people who feel the same, and that also want to practice, and that will probably be making the same mistakes.

There are so many different amazing places in Panama... so to help our students travel around our fascinating country we organize group trips once or twice a month to different parts of our country. During high season we sometimes do it every weekend!

Some of the places that we have recently visited are:

• Isla Gámez, Bolaños, San José or Isla Palenque in the Chiriqui Gulf National Marine Park
• Santa Fé de Veraguas
• Pedasí and the Azuero Península
• Isla Paridita in the Chiriqui Gulf
• Las Lajas Beach
• Bocas del Toro

Come and join us: we love touring Panama as much as you do!