Chile is a popular place to study Spanish.  Its diverse landscape allows students to actively travel during their studies, and Chileans’ friendly attitude toward foreigners makes it a great place to not only learn but also practice the language.   Chilean Spanish is known for its speed and slang, infused with idioms that even South Americans struggle to understand.  For practical reasons, many travelers end up studying at a language school in order to better communicate during their stay.  There are lots of options out there to suit travelers’ time schedules, interests and levels of proficiency.
Santiago undoubtedly has the most schooling options.  The modern city gives students loads of opportunities to practice their Spanish without having to sacrifice basic comforts from home, and its central location makes it easy to plan side trips to the north or south.  Amerispan (www.amerispan.com) has one-on-one and group courses in Santiago, including customized courses for business executives.  Spanish Abroad (www.spanishabroad.com) offers individual, group, or combined courses, and can tailor courses for medical and business professionals.  Active students can sign up for the Spanish & Ski Program, offered from June to September.  This program combines language study with twice-weekly outings to the Andes (transportation included).  Escuela Bellavista (www.escuelabellavista.com) hosts a variety of combined culture-and-language programs, including Spanish and Wine, Spanish and Ski, and weekend hiking and biking excursions. Other Santiago-based schools include BridgeChile (www.bridgechile.com) and TANDEM International (www.tandem-schools.com).
Those preferring to study outside of Santiago can check out Contact Chile (www.contactchile.cl), which offers a variety of courses in schools scattered throughout the country, including Valparaíso, Iquique, Puerto Varas, Talca and Puerto Montt.  Languages in Action (www.languagesinaction.com) offers courses in Pucon and Viña del Mar, and Escuela Bellavista (listed above) offers combined studies in Santiago and Viña del Mar.