Caminhos Talk – Portuguese Conversation Course

  To summarize: I loved it ALL there (even if I skipped the after school social events for reasons only related to me, not to the school and/or other students 😉... read more and I do very highly recommend Caminhos as I am so impressed as to where the whole team was able to bring me on the path of learning Portuguese in the time I spent at the school. Btw by learning Portuguese you will do yourself a great favor as locals in general speak Portuguese.... and Portuguese 😉

First I definitely agree with all the positive reviews and can confirm that starting from scratch you are able to survive in Brazil after completing the first 2 weeks of group course which will focus on the communication fundamentals (A1). Of course it depends on your own background and skills and will require motivation, personal dedication as well as enjoying the full immersion concept, which means pretty all will be taught in Portuguese with few exceptions only, i.e. when people really struggle to understand then teachers will use, in very last resort, focused quick explanations in English if that can help (mostly only providing a word translation).

Learning Portuguese in the Brazilian version (for me easier and more melodious than the version spoken nowadays in Portugal 😉 at Caminhos is not only fun and highly effective but it is, simply put, pretty much mandatory in Brazil as locals just do not speak a second international language, be it English or Spanish. Of course there are exceptions but those are extremely rare believe me. No matter where you are in Brazil, Rio or Sao Paulo being no exceptions. Hotels are actually no real exceptions either, so do yourself a favor and learn Portuguese if you can and if you happen to stay a week or more in Rio do it at the Caminhos for your own good.

I was lucky enough to be able to follow the group courses at Caminhos for 10 weeks straight and, very honestly, the result simply amazed me. Well beyond my expectations. Starting from scratch I completed the B1 level (intermediate) which, in my case, concretely means I can easily understand the TV news & debates, read Portuguese (web, newspapers,) as well as communicate (less easily when speaking but chats on WhatsApp are easy 😉 with people in all possible situations of the daily life. TV news is easier to understand as people usually do not wear a mask, tend to pronounce distinctly and express themselves in a more formal way. Informal language can be very colorful and if you add the carioca (Rio) accent it gets a bit more challenging (for me at least) but still manageable 😀

The school's location is per se a big plus. The teaching method too. Located in the arguably best part of Rio, the safe, nice and more relaxed Ipanema, the Caminhos school uses what is probably the most efficient approach to learning a language, i.e. full immersion, supported by truly amazing and dedicated teachers. The other staff is phenomenal too (administration, organization of numerous helpful activities, etc). Lais, Marcela, Brenda, Suzana, Damião, Jessica, Jennifer and the others are such dedicated and supportive teachers, also Yasmin and Natalia at the reception with whom I interacted so often are highly professional while so genuinely friendly and helpful. Of course Davi was incredible organizing group activities tirelessly. The same is true for Luciana who is keeping everything clean and organized as well as welcoming us in the morning and taking our temperature. Not enough space here to thanks all for contributing to make the school a fantastic place to learn the local language and understand, feel and enjoy the local culture.

Depending on your nature and the time you can dedicate to learning you will be able to enhance group lessons or, if you chose so, private lessons with additional activities. The school organizes cultural activities such as guided tours (city, favelas), more or less demanding hikes around, dance lessons as well as other activities. Most activities are free or, if not, the fees will be low. You may also join the daily late afternoon/evening events which are more spontaneous and not directly organized by the school but supported through a shared WhatsApp account. That part is obviously more centered on bars, restaurants or clubs but covers other activities as well and be sure there will be plenty of other students of all levels participating, a fun way to practice while enjoying your time in Rio. I was about to forget the very useful support hour that the school provides for free on a weekly basis and where you can get pain points easily clarified (Brenda is amazingly patient, clear & helpful) as well as the discussion hour about various topics that is fun to attend and helps a lot as well.

Lacking the social “genes” and having some medical conditions, I skipped most of the social “events” but participating would certainly have improved my ability to speak. On the other side I benefited immensely from the dedication of the teachers at Caminhos. The simple fact that they could cope with the constant flow of questions I had tells a lot about how good they are. I also very much loved that you usually get a new teacher each week when you take group lessons. As a side note each level (i.e. A1, A1+, A2, A2+, B1) is completed within 2 weeks when doing the standard group lessons, so getting a different teacher each week usefully enriches, in my view, the experience.

One last word, the teaching will definitely not be dry as it has a strong focus on local culture and history, local reality and Brazilian resp. worldwide challenges (think topics like education, Amazon forest as examples). Various media will be used and I also loved the “shopping/negotiating/bargaining” experience at the busy nearby market place (market only on Fridays).

Enjoy your stay in Brazil and be sure that the Caminhos Language Centre will greatly help making the experience way better 🙂

And for those who may think it is suspiciously laudatory I have no financial interest nor any other interest here than sharing, with (too) many details, my personal experience. On top I found the price of the group courses highly competitive (based on the 10 weeks rate at least). Further I was lucky (?) to attend classes with no more than 4 students which I found ideal. However I believe the maximum number could be 8...or maybe 10. Finally the diversity within the students was fun and motivating (ages, countries, background, etc...)

  My experience at Caminhos was incredible. I spent one month there, and I wish I could have stayed longer. There were students from all ages, but most of us were... read more between 25-35 years old, from Europe, USA, Latin America... It's like a big family, everybody was super friendly and respectful . The administrative team was so helpful during the booking process, and also during my stay in Rio. The teachers I had were amazing (especially Damian). During the classes, you will work on both oral and written communication skills. There are cultural and sport activities everyday. Location is excellent. Thank you Caminhos for this amazing experience!!

  Caminhos is an outstanding school! When my husband and I were researching for a language school for our son who was going to Rio to spend time with our... read more family, we looked at several schools, and Caminhos called our attention. Our son has now been a student at Caminhos for over a month and he absolutely loves it! The school has great teachers and a very friendly staff, and it’s located in Ipanema which is one of the best neighborhoods in Rio. The curriculum is fantastic, and the wide choices of after-class activities are super fun. The school is very accommodating and always looking to the wellbeing of the students. Our son was sick with a cold and had to miss some classes. Caminhos provided him online classes while he was home and granted him some private lessons when he returned so he could be up to date with the class.

Because of Covid, these are difficult times to navigate. We receive reports from our son about how diligent the staff is to ensure everyone’s health and wellbeing during in class sessions and after school activities. All across the board, Caminhos scores highest marks with us. We highly recommend it!

  We took a one-week private Portuguese course with Caminhos and had an excellent experience with the school. Within a week, we learned lots of useful words and expressions for our... read more 2-month bike trip in Brazil, both in and outside the classroom. Our teacher tailored the course very much to our needs, giving us for example an introduction of the Portuguese conjugation that went beyond the basics as well as an overview of the different regions in Brazil. We appreciated very much that she taught mostly in Portuguese and found her very dedicated and caring.
The afternoon activities were also a very good addition to the class. We also recommend the homestay option, which we enjoyed very much.

Thank you Caminhos for this great language and cultural experience and for your h

  Really enjoyed studying at Caminhos language school, the professionals were very attentive and within 2 weeks of practicing at home and during the lessons I was able to communicate and... read more understand the locals during my trip

I recommend this school if you want to get the basics of Brazilian Portug

  I traveled around Brazil for 3 weeks and Caminhos was definitely among the top 5 places I visited. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly I felt really comfortable since the... read more moment I arrived. The classes were great and I particularly liked the activities with Davi and talking to the reception staff: wonderful girls and always willing to help you! I'm definitely coming back

  I really enjoyed studying at Caminhos ,you can really feel the difference very fast and start to Speak Portuguese from the first 2 weeks.It is a professional course and... read more it mostly cover all the level you need to
become fluently in Portuguese.Other than that the school offer many activities and trip to do in Rio ,which make the whole experience more enjoyable and very memorable. I beleive Caminhos is the best school you can choose to stud

  I had the best experience with 2 teachers, Lennon and Marcela
It was always fun, learning by music and samba,
and i really improved my portuguese
I... read more love these 2 guys a lot.
Thanks to Luiza in the reception she gave me the best attending ever

  I had the best experience with 2 teachers, Lennon and Marcela
It was always fun, learning by music and samba,
and i really improved my portuguese
I... read more love these 2 guys a lot.
Thanks to Luiza in the reception she gave me the best atten

  I absolutely loved everything about studying at Caminhos! I studied with Lennon and Jean and learnt so much in the classes, they were really informative and fun. I now do... read more online classes with Fernando and am continuing to have an amazing experience and learn so much.

The location is great and the school is a lovely place to study and spend time, and the extra activities are so fun and a great chance to continue your experience and language learning!

All the staff are amazing and so accommodating and happy to help in anyway they can - I can't recommend Caminhos enough, it is definitely the best place to enjoy your experience in Rio and improve your Portuguese!