The 5 best winter courses in the Southern Hemisphere
Friday, 28th October 2011
For those who can't bear the thought of several months of cold and darkness, there is one simple option: go south. As winter draws closer, making plans to fly to the other side of the world, where summer is only just starting, can suddenly seem a very attractive option.
It might be a long flight, but a price worth paying if you want Christmas in the sunshine or New Year on a beach, or quite simply a trip to make your friends envious when all the fun and festivities are over in January…
Here is our pick of the top places to head to in the Southern Hemisphere.
1. Buenos Aires
If there’s one place sure to lift your winter mood it’s Buenos Aires. You just can’t help but be swept up in the colour and vibrance of this thrilling capital city of Argentina. Whether it’s the food (think thick, succulent steaks like you’ve never tasted), wine (Argentina is the world’s fifth largest producer), dance (from impromptu tango in the streets to extravagant evening shows), shopping (boutiques, galleries, antique shops and more), nightlife (don’t even think of going out before midnight, and be prepared for daylight when you emerge) or architecture (old-world cafes alongside magnificent colonial buildings), there is something here for everyone. Add to this the summer sunshine between December and February and the relative good value of the Argentine peso, compared to western currencies, and you’re in for a real treat at little expense. Choose a regular Spanish course or up the ante by adding some dancing, painting, polo, football or volunteering to your adventure.
Spanish courses in Buenos Aires
2. Cape Town
If you want to get away for more than the usual week or two, or are even considering a job or lifestyle change, then head to South Africa for a TEFL course. A fantastic destination from mid-October to mid-February, when it basks in temperatures in the high twenties, this is the ideal place to spend four weeks learning how to teach English as a foreign language. When your head isn’t buried in a textbook, the treats that await you make it all worthwhile; the fascinating cultural melting pot that is Cape Town, delicious African and international cuisine, world-class locally-produced wines, pristine coastline, magnificent countryside and diverse flora and fauna. And once this is all over you have a passport to travel the world with your prestigious CELTA qualification – no need, therefore, to ever winter in the cold again.
3. Ushuaia
This spectacular town at the ‘end of the world’, located on Argentina’s southern-most tip, is gateway to both the icy waters of Antarctica and the stunning Tierra del Fuego National Park. Right at the bottom of the Southern Hemisphere, you don’t come here for sunshine*, but December to March is the best time to visit, the temperature having risen enough to make the vast range of outdoor pursuits on offer more feasible. Whether you want to enjoy forest, lakes, glaciers, mountains or marine life, the geography of ‘el fin del mundo’, as they call it, is laid out right before you for one exhilarating, memorable adventure. Cosy up at the end of the day in a local bar to discuss the day’s pursuits and re-fuel for another; this is a place unlike no other, where a slight nip in the air will do nothing to dampen your spirits.
* That said, you should still wear sunscreen due to the depleted ozone levels in the region.
Top 10 things to do in Ushuaia
4. Whitsundays
Idyllic sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and lush green hills…if you want to winter in paradise, then look no further than the Whitsundays. Consisting of 74 tropical islands off Australia’s eastern Queensland coast, in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays are one of the best destinations in the Southern Hemisphere for sailing and diving. Now imagine gaining a qualification on the shores of these stunning islands, and you can see the disbelief on your friends’ faces already…yet that’s exactly what you can do with a 4-week TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course on Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays. Learn how to teach English and you’ll leave paradise with a qualification that will enable you to travel the world and get paid for it – a great way to spend the winter if ever there was one.
TEFL course in the Whitsundays
5. Rio de Janeiro
With verdant rainforests on one side, stunning mountains on the other and endless stretches of white sand beaches, Rio boasts one of the most spectacular urban settings in the world. There’s more to this spectacular city than Carnival, although if you can catch this week-long haze of samba, fiesta and hedonism it’s probably quite an appropriate introduction. And if you visit in winter this is exactly what you can do, as Carnival takes place on February 17th-22nd 2012 – the perfect antidote to winter back home and a great excuse to let your hair down. Solve the problem of finding accommodation at this popular time by staying with a local family whilst taking a language course – you don’t get better immersion in the language and culture than this!
Portuguese courses in Rio de Janeiro
Cactus offers language courses in more than 30 languages, in 60 countries and 500 destinations worldwide. We also run our own language courses in the UK and in the US/Canada, which are the ideal way to learn the basics or brush up on previous language knowledge in advance of a holiday or business trip abroad.
Tags: whitsundays, ushuaia, cape town, rio de janeiro, celta, buenos aires, portuguese, australia, south africa, brazil, argentina, tefl
Posted by Sarah Watkins 2011-10 under Destinations for you, Types of Courses,
Permalink
