Cuenca and Surroundings

Rates include: 1 night Swissotel or LeParc in Quito and 2 nights at local hacienda or hotel

4 star accommodations: $866 per person (min 2 guests)
5 star accommodations: $908 per person (min 2 guests)

Departure Days: Every day

Program Description

Day 1: Cuenca: A UNESCO colonial city
We will board a 30 minute flight to Cuenca, ideal for those looking to blend into the relaxed setting of a truly romantic colonial city. Walking along its cobblestone streets or watching the people go by in its town square before the great cathedral is both peaceful and inspiring. Declared a Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, it is considered the most beautiful city in the country due its architecture, surroundings and small town ambiance. The city is crossed by four rivers and surrounded by green valleys. Its inhabitants create some of the finest crafts in the country. Sights to be visited include the blue-domed Cathedral, the flower market, and the Cañari and Inca ruins of Pumapungo. We also recommend the Ethnographic and Conceptas Museums, the latter with its fine collection of religious art. Dinner is on your own.(breakfast and lunch included)
Overnight at Santa Lucia (4 stars) or Mansion Alcazar (5 stars).

Day 2: Inca Ruins of Ingapirca
One-and-a-half hours north of Cuenca, passing by small Andean towns and indigenous villages, surrounded by rich agricultural fields is the Inca astronomical observatory and fortress of Ingapirca. This is the most important Inca site in Ecuador, where the Inga and his entourage would rest during trips to this northern part of the Inca Empire. The structure of the Central Temple offers classic Inca architecture: walls formed by square or polygonal blocks, trapezoidal doorways, niches and windows, rectangular rooms, and the typical circular highland fortress of that period. We return to Cuenca by mid-afternoon. Dinner is on your own.(breakfast and lunch included)
Overnight at Santa Lucia (4 stars) or Mansion Alcazar (5 stars).

Day 3: El Cajas National Park
About 1 hour out of Cuenca is the rugged and beautiful El Cajas National Park, with over 200 lakes and ponds of ancient glacial origin, it has a total extension of 28,800 hectares with altitudes going from 2500 to 4,500m / 7500 to 14,700 ft above sea level, although most of it is over 3,000m/9,843 ft above sea level. It is home to hummingbirds, partridges, condors, hawks, spectacle bears, white tail deer, tapir, and many other Andean species, surrounded by the typical tundra-like environment of the paramo among amazing geological formations. We return to Cuenca after lunch, in time to board our flight back to Quito and transfer to the hotel. (breakfast and lunch included)
Overnight at Swissotel or LeParc