Surrounded by mountains, Cuenca, the city of the four rivers, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Its neighborhoods that date back to the first days of the Spanish conquest of the area, architecturally impressive buildings and churches and religious art museums showcasing some of Ecuador's most impressive artwork, make also Cuenca the Cultural Capital of the Americas in 2002.
This city has a national airport with flights available to most any point in Ecuador. Also are different adventure activities available for the adrenaline lovers.
FROM $92,00
Cultural Tour
Departure Daily
Duration 8 Hours
This is the perfect combination of a city tour with emphasis on the handcraft produced in the area. Since Cuenca is considered the main crafts center of the country, on this trip we concentrate on visiting the workshops where jewelry, paja toquilla (straw fiber), leather, different types of ceramics, iron, wood carvings, textiles, basketry, fireworks and other crafts are made. Cuenca is also home to several art and handcraft galleries, exhibiting work by famous artists, painters, and sculptors such as Eduardo Vega (ceramics), Manuel Pulla (various), Simon Cordero (jewelry), Homero Ortega (Panama hats).
This tour will give us the opportunity to enjoy everything that Cuenca has to offer, including lunch at one of Cuenca's traditional restaurants.
FROM $38,00
A walking tour of the old town will take us through magnificent churches, beautiful old buildings with wrought iron balconies and carved wooden doors, flower and handicrafts markets, art galleries, workshops and all the wonders that Cuenca, with its colonial style and pleasant atmosphere, offers its visitors. We will also ride along the Tomebamba river, while admiring the ancient houses perched on the river bank above. We will drive through some modern neighborhoods and enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the vantage point of Turi. We will also visit ceramic art gallery, a panama hats factory or an artist's workshop, depending on your personal preferences.
Regarding museums, we could choose among the Banco Central (archeology, ethnography, on-site ruins and Inca gardens), Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes (archeology and history of Ecuadorian cultures), Museo del Monasterio de las Conceptas (religious art and history of a cloister from the 1500s).
FROM $104,00
Cultural & Archaeological Tour
Duration 8 hours
Daily
After an hour and a half along the Pan-American Highway enjoying amazing countryside Andean landscapes, we reach the most important and well-preserved Inca complex in the country, Ingapirca, which was originally a worshipping temple for the sun. Here we do an easy walk around the complex and visit the site museum. Additionally, depending on the day of the week, we also visit a picturesque Cañari Indian market, other smaller ruins in the area, indigenous communities, local artisans and other highlights found on the way. Lunch is included in a local restaurant or box lunch.
FROM $121,00
Cultural & Hiking Tour
Departure Daily
10 hours
Cajas National park is a nature paradise for those interested in having an excursion or just enjoy a peaceful and isolated landscape. The park has an excellent interpretation centre, from this point we start a hike to the interior areas to enjoy one of more than 230 glacial lakes, Primary Forest of Quinoa and awesome rock formations. The hike level will depend on the participants requirements. Enjoy lunch at a typical restaurant or box lunch. The Cajas is part of the hart of Cuenca and Ecuador because of the extraordinary events take place at 1989 attributed to the Virgin Mary. Depending on passenger fitness and interest, we could do a longer or more difficult hike, or an easier and more flexible sightseeing journey.
Cajas National park is a nature paradise for those interested in having an excursion or just enjoy a peaceful and isolated landscape. The park has an excellent interpretation centre, from this point we start a hike to the interior areas to enjoy one of more than 230 glacial lakes, Primary Forest of Quinoa and awesome rock formations. The hike level will depend on the participants requirements. Enjoy lunch at a typical restaurant or box lunch.
The Cajas is part of the hart of Cuenca and Ecuador because of the extraordinary events take place at 1989 attributed to the Virgin Mary.
Depending on passenger fitness and interest, we could do a longer or more difficult hike, or an easier and more flexible sightseeing journey.
FROM $104,00
Craft-making villages:Gualaceo, Chordeleg & Sigsig
Cultural Tour
Departure Daily
Duration 8 Hours
Cuenca is surrounded by villages where skilled artisans work wonders. Among these are Gualaceo, with its markets that are especially crowded on Fridays & Sundays, you can admire hand-woven shawls, ponchos and lots of fruits and vegetables on sale. We also visit Bulcay for Ikat weaving and Chordeleg "chorro de oro" (waterfall of gold), a village specialized in jewelry - mainly gold and silver - with fine filigree work. Then we visit Sigsig (usually on Sundays), where we see craftsmen weaving straw hats and other items of toquilla. We return to Cuenca by a beautiful road in the countryside through San Bartolome, Santa Ana y el Valle. Lunch is included in a countryside hacienda.
FROM $104,00
Agrotourism
Departure Daily
Duration 9 hours
A day full of contrasts, we first stop at the historical site of the battle of Portete (1829), from where we also admire the wonderful view of the valley of Yunguilla. We then stop at the 104m high waterfall of Chorro de Girón, which is surrounded by cloud forest perfect for our short hike. We continue our descent, observing the dramatic changes in vegetation until we arrive at the desert flanked by the Jubones river at 800m above sea level, where we hike again. We will also visit the farming area of Yunguilla at 1500m for sugar cane, bananas, coffee, flowers, fruits and other crops. Lunch included at a local restaurant or private farm.
