Are you looking for - top-rated one-on-one immersion Spanish language classes; accommodation in a stunning eco-hotel, rustic cabin or homestay; volunteer work whilst learning Spanish; organic meals; activities and excursions included in the Spanish program; edu/tourism with lessons varying from the history of Nicaragua to dancing and cooking.

La Mariposa is a small, friendly non-profit Spanish school and eco-hotel, just outside the pueblo of La Concepcion, Nicaragua (Central America). We are an hour from Nicaragua's major attractions – including the beautiful colonial city of Granada, wonderful expanses of still unspoilt beaches on the Pacific Coast, the warm swimming water in the crater lake Laguna de Apoyo, the Masaya volcano, a live volcano - but just 45 minutes from Managua airport.

La Mariposa is surrounded by organic coffee, banana trees and flower gardens. Our climate is cool, green but sunny - we are 500 meters above sea level, which makes a real difference to the temperature. It is the ideal place for studying Spanish, learning about Nicaragua, exploring our local community, discussing environmental and development issues, doing volunteer work and going out and about on our activity schedule! You can be as busy as you like or just chill in a hammock and play with the dogs!


The Mariposa is where you can be a part of….learning, relaxing, having fun, living simply and healthily, close to animals and nature, and knowing that every dollar you spend is used to help the community and the environment.

Intensive Spanish classes in our purpose built school, which has rapidly gained the reputation as the best in Nicaragua. All our teachers are from La Concepcion - trained by us, highly experienced in teaching and well-equipped to introduce you to the local community and wider Nicaraguan culture, politics, history. Classes are mostly one on one (max 2 or 3) and we cater for all levels from absolute beginner to advanced, including specially designed children’s classes. It is led by Bergman who has 20 years of experience teaching (and also happens to be our resident vet!).We have our own learning materials with a Nicaraguan flavor. You study in delightful classrooms, filled with natural daylight, some in the gardens and on the terrace. We have an extensive library of Spanish study materials and a selection of books in English on Nicaraguan history, development issues, novels etc (we have over 1000 books available for you to borrow!).The climate up here is perfect for studying.

I took Spanish classes everyday which were one-on-one lessons of both grammar and speaking. I have never walked away with more Spanish and felt confident in speaking! It was hard, but paid off!     Tripadvisor Jan 2013 Neither of us had formally studied Spanish before, so we weren't sure how much we were going to learn in two weeks. We were pleasantly surprised. The teachers are patient, funny, and knowledgeable. While it can be challenging for a complete beginner, they really do try to ease you into the language and encourage you to relax and enjoy yourself.    Tripadvisor Jan 2013 One of the reasons I chose La Mariposa is because they would take a four year old, so my husband and I could take classes and know that she was being looked after. Her teachers were great with her and would go for walks and do puzzles and pictures with her.    Tripadvisor Jan 2013

Spanish class with Verania

A unique and genuine eco-hotel The hotel rooms have ensuite bathrooms with hot showers. The furnishings are simple but comfortable, all locally made out of sustainable wood. Power for fans and reading lights above your bed is solar and water is also heated by the sun for showers and kitchen use. We recycle waste, including grey water from showers, collect rainwater during the rainy season, use as few large electric machines as possible. We constantly explore new ways of being more environmentally friendly. The rooms have lovely views of the gardens and there are always hummingbirds to catch your interest or a guardabarranco catching insects. We ask for your help by consciously saving water, switching off lights and fans etc.

I stayed in the hotel and was comfortable with mosquito nets, warm water, my own bathroom.     Tripadvisor Jan 2013

3 meals a day served buffet style. The food is freshly cooked, mostly vegetarian and much of it harvested on our organic farm. What we don’t grow we buy in local markets, avoiding supermarkets. We eat plenty of salads. The menu offers a mixture of Nicaraguan food (always rice and beans) with foreign recipes - Paulette’s Mum’s pancakes, with locally produced honey and limes - popular with kids and adults alike. Breakfast, for example, is fresh fruit, homemade granola and bread, jams from a nearby organic fruit farm and a cooked dish. And of course locally sourced organic coffee and a range of teas. Filtered water is always available to fill up your water bottles (the filters are made by Potters for Peace).

The meals were out of this world! I am not a vegetarian, but considered becoming one after my stay!    Tripadvisor Jan 2013

Our ties with the community have developed and intensified over the years. We buy our supplies as locally as possible, everything from bamboo for our eco builds to oranges and coffee. Homestays are with families who are open and friendly and always happy to help with Spanish homework or chat about Nicaraguan politics! Several of our activities are in the local community, such as the cookery class. Walks to visit local artisan workers are also popular, and the trip to the Panama school offers not only a chance to experience how the Nicaraguan education system functions but also see some of the Mariposa community projects in action. Then there is our shop, selling locally made jewelry, small paintings, products made from recycled paper.

Our homestay was such an amazing experience. There is no better way to really get to know and understand a culture in my opinion.    Tripadvisor Feb 2013

An outstanding program of activities take Mariposa students further afield. We organize a full week (including weekends) of activities. On 3 afternoons and Saturdays we offer trips out to places of interest such as the Masaya volcano by night, the Masaya markets and artesanias, Granada, Leon, the Laguna de Apoyo, the Pacific beach, Managua, Catarina, the Pueblos Blancos and more! There are also salsa classes, discussions on the history of Nicaragua and a weekly Nicaraguan news update ( in Spanish with English translation if necessary). The trips are rotated on a monthly schedule, except for horse riding which is every Sunday. Or you can opt to do a guided hike along a ridge with stunning views of lakes and volcanoes.

I'm 13 and I stayed at la Mariposa for 3 weeks over Christmas. I really enjoyed myself. It was so much fun, there was always something to do. Ranging from going in a trip to the lake (which was beautiful) or climbing volcanoes.    Tripadvisor Feb 2013

An evening program of discussions, films and night time walks is being developed. This includes a moonlit walk, weather permitting! There is always the option of a Friday trip to a local bar.

Other activities that are offered at the hotel for example history lessons, salsa lessons,documentary screenings, evening discussion are an asset to the school in my opinion as it helps people understand the culture and history of Nicaragua which is very important.     Tripadvisor Nov 2012

Volunteer and intern opportunities within the Mariposa projects, are well organized and supported and there are different options. We place each student individually alongside a worker, encouraging Spanish practice, and also guaranteeing that volunteering does not replace a local workers’ job! Working with children in one of our reading projects is always popular (though a time commitment of a month is preferable for this kind of work) as is helping on the organic farm or the community gardens. Projects, such as working on an eco build construction, are sometimes available. You can also help to care for our rescued animals or help us to improve wildlife.

My goals for my trip were to live in a homestay, practice my Spanish in the real world, and volunteer with a local organization. The Mariposa was great at facilitating this. As a 16-yr-old traveling alone, I couldn't do most volunteer-type programs that care about age. Paulette was excited to have me and helped me set up my volunteer work.     Tripadvisor Sept 2012

Volunteers with Gabriel building a slide out of straw!!

An exceptionally good service provided by a group of workers who are hardworking, welcoming and willing to help with anything from climbing on a horse to practicing Spanish! Through our determination to offer as much local, sustainable employment as possible, we now employ over 50 people, including the teachers, drivers and maintenance staff who are known and much liked by Mariposa guests. There are also many employees who work behind the scenes looking after horses, on the farm or at the study centre. We put $3 to $5000 a week into the local economy through wages, homestays and purchases. We also ensure constant on the job training in eco friendly ways of hotel management. An exciting development is that we are exploring the possibility of transforming the Mariposa into a worker owned and run co-operative

The staff was so accommodating and worked around the clock to cater to our needs, requests, and ideas. It started to feel like a small family. I will definitely be returning and highly recommend this place.     Tripadvisor Jan 2013

Our gardens and woodland, though only a couple of acres are open for easy going strolls (almost certainly accompanied by one or more dogs!) and even some serious bird watching. Our efforts in planting trees (including Cedros, Guanacaste, Cenizero and the Marango, also known as the miracle tree) and extending the woodland garden have encouraged wildlife. We have built feeding and watering stations for the butterflies, birds, iguana, squirrels and possums who also live at the Mariposa. We still produce some of our own organic coffee though less and less as we give the land back to nature.

I really enjoyed my lessons outside the cabin on the upstairs verandah, because I spent time looking for birds and squirrels with my teacher Jenny, who was quite a wildlife expert. Several guardabarrancos.    Tripadvisor Aug 2012

Our farm and community garden project which produce much of the fruit and vegetables we consume in the Mariposa and, increasingly, for homestays. We use tried and tested sustainable methods, some of them originating in indigenous times, such as mixes of nime tree leaves and mixed planting to control pests, watering by hand to minimize wastage, production of our own compost from worms and oxen manure. Our chickens and turkeys provide free range organic eggs, as well as additional compost for the Mariposa garden.

Our meals were delicious at the school and at our homestay. Very fresh and healthy ingredients. Many of our lunches were prepared with vegetables from the schools organic garden.     Tripadvisor Feb 2013

An eco-built study centre with dormitory sleeping space for groups of up to 16 plus a small house with 3 rooms (homestays are also available). There is a large meeting/eating room, an onsite kitchen where we provide Mariposa meals and several small teaching areas. The study centre has amazing views over Volcan Masaya and Lake Xolotan and was built using sustainable materials – straw, recycled tires, bamboo. The bathrooms consist of 2 latrines and showers with solar heated water. We design individual programs for each group which can include Spanish classes, classes on environmental issues, Nicaraguan history, politics and culture, activities and trips.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much all of us appreciate everything you did for us. This was my seventh school trip to Central America, and all of them have been great, but our stay at the mariposa study centre was something else altogether, orders of magnitude beyond.    Personal email

The eco-built comedor at the study centre

Our community and environmental projects are all community led and offer Mariposa students an excellent chance to learn more about the challenges facing Nicaraguans, particularly in rural areas, and how they are responding to them. Students can also volunteer on many of these projects. Examples of what we do:

Volunteer with kids in the reading corner

Renovation of a community centre building which was severely storm damaged. Together with community leaders we are developing small employment projects e.g. a bakery and a women’s sewing cooperative, computer classes for teenagers and folklore dancing classes for children. Construction of a children’s playground in the school of Panama which includes a slide made out of straw and recycled tires. Work together with the national park of Volcan Masaya to set up an eco tourism project. One idea is to offer young people, who make their living extracting firewood from the park, paid work protecting the park. This park is home to one of the last surviving colonies of white-faced monkeys in Nicaragua.

Our rescued animals and wildlife habitat, is another important aspect of our work. We have rescued around 50 dogs from the streets, some live at the Mariposa but many dogs and cats live happily with members of our staff! Our rescued horses work just once a week offering Sunday morning rides. We work hard to improve the small amount of land we have – planting trees and flowers to attract wildlife, building nesting, feeding and watering places for birds, bats, small mammals, iguana and our wonderful tree frogs!

If you love animals, you will be deeply touched by the work Paulette and her staff have done to save some of the local wildlife and domestic ones.    Tripadvisor Feb 2013

We welcome people who can feel marginalised in more mainstream hotels - including families, older people, disabled people, black people and people of colour, gay and lesbian people, and we do not charge a single person supplement.

Whilst we welcome children at the Mariposa and do our best to create a safe, educative and fun environment, we must make it clear that children remain the responsibility of their parents at all times. Please read more here