Cuenca is waiting for us to discover. We start the day strolling through the cobbled streets of this beautiful World Cultural Heritage, crossed by four rivers that add up to the splendor and give the city its complete name. Squares, balconies and churches will make perfect pictures. The “chola cuencana” traditional costumes will splash  [ Read More ]

A visit from the charming city of Cuenca, where we find pleasant squares, narrow streets full of beautiful mansions built during the colony and witnesses of the troubled Republican era. For the youngest we include a visit to the didactic and amusing “FORBIDDEN NOT TO TOUCH” Museum in Pumapungo.  Then we visit the hats weaving  [ Read More ]

  Only few minutes away from the city there are several cattle farms in which the family can perform a number of regular farming activities like milking, feeding the livestock and farm animals, horseback riding or simple walks around the Hacienda House while enjoying the magic of nature.  Typical lunch served at the ranch house.  [ Read More ]

  In the morning enjoy the so called “garden of Azuay”, for its rich and luscious markets and the Orchid farm. Known for the high quality jewelry, we’ll visit the town of Chordeleg and then reach the Uzhupud Hostería and Country Club where the family can take a good rest and use the facilities as  [ Read More ]

The Cajas National park is well known for being one of the best places to walk and enjoy the great variety of flora and fauna in Ecuador. Here we offer several types of hikes in the area, from the easiest to the most demanding, the later programmed for a number of days, according to the  [ Read More ]

Have a guided visit through the highlights of the historical area of this beautiful World Heritage. Visit the characteristic plazas, churches and streets. The pink marble Cathedral and the Tomebamba River make this an unforgettable city, considered to be the most beautiful one in Ecuador. Visit the factory/museum of the world famous but misnamed Panama  [ Read More ]

  In the heart of the southern Andes we have the Archaeological Complex of Ingapirca, the most important and best preserved Inca site in Ecuador. We’ll leave Cuenca northwards through the Pan-American Highway through the most interesting Andean landscapes. We’ll pass by the city of Azogues, the capital city of the province of Cañar towards  [ Read More ]

We will have a short drive towards the lower zone of the El Cajas National Park, world known for its over 300 lake system. RAMSAR recognized. Here you will do an easy hike on the Llaviuco Lake area while casually bird watching and landscaping. This area possesses a highly interesting mixture of habitats for bird-watching:  [ Read More ]

  Today we’ll head eastwards to enjoy the rural areas of Cuenca. We’ll visit the town of San Bartolo world know for the handcrafted production of guitars. We continue our way through the eastern slopes of the Andes to the town of Chordeleg, where we’ll have time to stroll its jewelry shops covered streets. Afterwards  [ Read More ]

  We will head southwards of Cuenca into the Yungilla Valley, an inter-Andean valley which marks a transition to the coastal plain, with different climatic zones and ecosystems: the western Andean foothills, the subtropical valley and the desert like zone. It is also the doorway to the Tumbesian region. Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Stripped Owl, the endemic  [ Read More ]

Early in the morning we’ll leave the city of Cuenca to head to the town of Alausí in the Chimborazo Province, where we’ll board the train that had started the day from Riobamba. We’ll have a chance to enjoy the most impressive part of this railway going into the “Devil’s Nose”, a geographical formation that  [ Read More ]

This is a perfect way to enjoy the country side. During the morning horseback riding along countryside trails through indigenous and private farming sites, areas of primary forest, the ancient Inca trail and small hidden villages. The old trails from the colonial era follow the top of the mountain ridge, providing amazing views from the  [ Read More ]

  Private, Any Day, Full Day Cuenca is strategically located near important ecosystems with an interesting diversity of birds: CAJAS NATIONAL PARK (35 Km) hosts some 150 upper Andean species; the most notable is the Violet-throated Metaltail, a humming bird which is practically endemic to this protected area. Other birds found in here are the  [ Read More ]

  (17 Km), only 20 min away from Cuenca, is the lower part of the Cajas NP. It possesses a highly interesting mixture of habitats for bird-watching: well preserved mountain forests, paramos, lakes and pastures. The Mountain Toucan, Andean Guan, Masked Trogon, Turquoise Jay, various colorful Tanagers and 12 species of Hummingbirds and aquatic birds  [ Read More ]

  (85 Km) the route takes us into an inter-Andean valley which marks a transition to the coastal plain, with different climatic zones and ecosystems: the western Andean foothills, the subtropical valley and the desert like zone. It is also the doorway to the Tumbesian region. Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Stripped Owl, the endemic Tumbesian Pacific Elania  [ Read More ]

  (90 Km) begins at 3.500 m and ends in the other side of the eastern Andean range at 1.220 m providing different ecosystems: paramo, bush covered paramo, mountain forest and pre-mountain humid forest. Here we would find Masked Mountain Tanager, Chestnut-bellied Cotinga, Emerald Toucanet, etc.   Overview: Moderate activities of  8 hours per day  [ Read More ]

    DAY 1  CAJAS NATIONAL PARK & TAMARINDO Certainly this is one of the best trips to observe birdlife in the area. In the morning we will visit the mountain rainforest area and paramos of the Cajas National Park, with a range of altitudes from 3200 m to 4000 m.  In this area we  [ Read More ]

This is a 5 days 4 nights itinerary that take us to the most important bird watching sites in Southern Ecuador, from high moorland (paramo), to cloud forest areas, subtropical valleys, dry forest and tropical zones, so it gathers a wide range of great ecosystems for an abundant diversity of birds, including some endemic species,  [ Read More ]

Private, Any Day, Full Day Shared Basis, Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun, Full Day After half an hour drive from Cuenca, we reach Totorillas, a charming farm in an amazing natural spot, located by the Tarqui Ridge. Horseback riding is definitely the specialty and little experience is required, on a trip aimed at passengers that would like to witness  [ Read More ]

  Private, Any Day, 2 Days / 1 Night Shared Basis, Thursdays, 2 Days / 1 Night The country side of Totorillas is only half an hour south of Cuenca and it offers some of the most beautiful southern Andean landscapes; exhibiting cloud forest patches, indigenous agricultural grounds, stockbreeding farms and rugged topography. The area  [ Read More ]

Private, Any Day, 3 Days / 2 Nights This trip aims to follow country trails connecting private haciendas around the Tarqui area, allowing visitors to witness and share the real rural life and its milieu. Each hacienda has its own particularity and beauty, some are colonial with lots of history, others are modern and charm  [ Read More ]

  Private, Any Day, 2 or more days The Incas had a highly developed road and communication system that connected important points and settlements along the Andean mountains. However, with the construction of modern roads, the Inca trail was not that important anymore, except for local people that still use it and follow many part  [ Read More ]

  Private, Any Day (best on sat-sun), 2 Days / 1 Night The Saraguro people see in tourism a valuable way to bring back and preserve their traditions and culture in order to share it with visitors. They are very welcoming and willing to show us part of their daily life, turning this trip into  [ Read More ]

Private, Any Day, 3 Days / 2 Nights The most southern province of the Ecuadorian Andean region, Loja, is full of interesting natural and cultural highlights. This trip combines those sites, starting with a visit to Saraguro, the center of a very special native group, where we will witness parts of their traditions and handicraft  [ Read More ]

  Private, Any Day, Full Day Early morning we drive up along the southern road into El Cajas National Park. This countryside road takes us into the mountains up to 4100 m where we get off and start descending. The trip is full of beautiful landscapes carved by the Yanuncay River running next to the  [ Read More ]

  Private, Any Day, Full Day It is absolutely the best way to visit the main Inca complex in the country. The rural trail to Ingapirca follow part of the old train tracks combining stunning landscapes, farming areas and Cañari Indian culture. The Cañar province it is known as one of the most diverse places  [ Read More ]

  Shared Basis, Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun, HALF Day Cuenca attracts visitors for its charming atmosphere, but most visitors only get to see the Old Historical downtown. However a lot of that charming is found in the new town too, since it has 4 rivers crossing the city, nice parks and natural sites as well as ancient buildings  [ Read More ]

  Private, Any Day, 2 Days / 1 Night In the southern part of Ecuador we find several small, seldom used secondary roads that connect isolated villages and farming areas, which offer no interest for regular or heavy traffic. The 100Km road that drops 2000m, from Saraguro down to the Jubones desert is a perfect  [ Read More ]

El Cajas National Park offers great trout fishing opportunities in several of the 235 glacier type lakes, an amazing environment of moorland vegetation and spectacular rock formations. We provide the assistance of an experienced fisherman during the trips. Alternatively we could organize several days of fishing with camping in El Cajas National Park or in  [ Read More ]

Private, Any Day, Full Day Paute, Cojitambo, Sayausi, El Cajas, Girón, Susudel are some of the best rock climbing sites in the country and they are located in the area surrounding Cuenca. These climbing spots offer walls from 10 to 150m high and rating 5 – 5.12d. The level of difficulty will depend on the  [ Read More ]

Private. Any Day, 2 Days / 1 Night. El Cajas is considered a paradise for hikers due to its ecological conservation and natural beauty. On our trip, we do a moderate hike for about 3 hours through some of its 230 glacier lakes, admiring the moorland vegetation (high Andean grassland, like moors at high altitude)  [ Read More ]

  The journey starts with a short 20 minutes ride Northwest of Cuenca, to the east flank of Cabogana Mountain. We then hike 40 minutes with an awesome view of the city, through farming fields and cloud forest until we get to the gorge of Rio Amarillo. The fun begins sliding through natural rock carved  [ Read More ]

  Private, Any Day, Full Day El Cajas is considered a paradise for hikers due to its ecological conservation and natural beauty. On our trip, we do a moderate hike for about 3 hours through some of its 230 glacier lakes, admiring the moorland vegetation (high Andean grassland, like moors at high altitude) with amazing  [ Read More ]

Private, Any Day, 3 Days / 2 Nights (ASK ALSO FOR Private, Any Day, 2 Days / 1 Night) The 3 days trekking in El Cajas National Park will allow us to see the inner and most remote parts of the park, taking us along the ancient Inca Trail (known as Ingañan) which used to  [ Read More ]

Private, Any Day, 3 Days /2 Nights The Inca empire was connected by a well maintained road system, most of which has disappeared with the passage of time. These roads were constructed with stones and in some places they were more than seven meters wide. It is still possible to hike along the best preserved  [ Read More ]

(Above photo belongs to: Carlos Adampol) Day one We’ll leave Guayaquil in the morning and start to climb through the Andes toward the Archaeological Complex of Ingapirca, the most important and best preserved Inca site in Ecuador. After the visit, lunch will be served at a traditional farm house restaurant in the area, where the  [ Read More ]

LOCATION The Kushiwaira Community Tourism project (wind of luck, in the Cañari language) includes the communities Chilcatotora and Parcoloma. The community of Chilcatotora belongs to the Tarqui sector, and is located in the Cuenca County approximately 17 kilometers from the city of Cuenca. The climate is cold, with an average temperature of 12 degrees Celsius.  [ Read More ]