Many Central America–bound travelers are spending at least part of their time at one of the many Nicaraguan Spanish language schools, and with good reason. $150–200 per week gets you 4-6 hours per day of personal Spanish instruction—plus room and board in a Nicaraguan family's home, as well as field trips to local sites in the afternoons and weekends. Not only is this an incredible deal, but it's the best way to go deep and get the most out of your interaction with Nicaraguans during your stay here.

But which school is right for you? In addition to breaking it down in both our books (both of which contain extensive listings by region of the many Spanish schools throughout the country), Randy and I offer an online "Escuela Scoop" covering many of the country's best programs, including links to each school's website. In addition, there is a constant stream of Spanish school suppliers rising to meet the enormous demand. The newest of these is Spanish School Matagalpa, the first of its kind in Nicaragua's coffee country, and one which has not yet made it to the pages of Moon Handbooks Nicaragua.

In addition to top-rate Spanish instruction (you'll learn all the regional Nicaraguanismos, as seen in the photo above), Spanish School Matagalpa offers "a holistic vision of cultural immersion, enabling students to build friendships in the local community." Not only that, they are connected to Matagalpa Tours, which offers a huge range of day-trips and overnight backcountry hiking expeditions in the surrounding mountains. These are good people, and highly recommended by this author.

We've also heard about new schools on La Isla de Ometepe and one in Carazo: The Mariposa Spanish School. If anyone out there has attended these schools, please let us know about your experience by participating in the ongoing discussion on Spanish schools in the GoToNicaragua.com forum.  If you know of any more schools that are not in our books, please announce them on the forum.