Ecuador – Amazon and Cloud Forest

Quito

Sitting high in the Andes at 2850 metres above sea level and hemmed-in by snow-capped volcanoes is Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Quito was founded by the Spanish in 1534 on the ruins of an Inca city and it possesses one of the best-preserved and most extensive historic centres in Latin America. The monasteries of Santo Domingo and San Francisco, and the Church and Jesuit College of La Compañia are remarkable examples of the blending of indigenous and European artistic traditions in this part of the world.

The city has a population of more than 2.5 million people and the centre of the city is divided into two parts. The ‘centro histórico’ is a real highlight with its church-lined cobbled plazas, narrow streets, monasteries, mansions, and vibrant balconied houses. This historical centre is awash with some of the most beautiful Spanish colonial architecture in South America and its streets are alive with throngs of energetic mestizos and indígenas. Neighbouring the old town is the new town, which in contrast, is home to numerous shops, hotels, restaurants, banks, bars, and beautiful parks.

Otavalo

Situated at 2325m above sea level between the peaks of Cotacachi and Imbabura, is the town of Otavalo. The town is world-renowned for its huge

Saturday market – the largest and most colourful on the continent – which has seen indígenas from surrounding villages travel down the hills and flock to the town to sell their crafts and produce for hundreds of years.

Otavaleños have been accomplished weavers since pre-colonial times and used to trade textiles for cotton and a red dye called achiote with peoples from the Oriente. When the Incas took control of the region in 1945, they brought alpacas and llamas with them and the wool was much easier to weave with than cotton. They also brought silk, the spinning wheel and treadle loom so the Otavaleños could start producing larger quantities and supplying Spanish aristocrats all over the colonies. However, they exploited the skills of the Otavalaños, introducing forced-labour sweatshops and this went on for around 500 years.

When the industrial revolution in Europe developed mass production of textiles, the sweatshops went into decline and weavers began working on a small scale again to satisfy local demand but under an oppressive system called the ‘huasipungo’ and with little change in living conditions. In 1917 with the adaptation of new techniques, the Otavaleños started to make Scottish tweeds and new fabrics, which rekindled their industry. When the law was reformed in 1964, the huasipungo system was outlawed and they could finally profit from their talents and own land too.

The locals adopted Inca clothing throughout the time of Inca rule and this can still be seen in the traditional dress of native women in the region today. The clothing that the ladies wear resembles Inca dress more closely than that of any other indigenous people in the Andes.

The Otavalo market is most famous today for its colourful weavings found mainly at the Plaza de Ponchos and you can find everything from carvings, clothing and craftwork, to ceramics, musical instruments, vegetables, grain and even live animals on sale. Tourism really benefits the Otavalo valley and has opened it up to the outside world. A once oppressed group of peoples are now one of the most well-travelled and prosperous groups in South America thanks to the success of the weaving industry. They’ve also become a political and cultural voice for other groups in the country who are under-represented.

Chimborazo

Volcán Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador. At 6268m, the upper reaches of the volcano are permanently covered in snow and ice and the summit was once imagined to be the highest in the world. The base of the volcano spans approximately 20km and although not the tallest in the world from base to summit, the summit of Chimborazo is the furthest point from the centre of the earth and the closest to the sun.

The volcano is situated in the Reserva Faunística Chimborazo, along with Carihuairazo, a volcanic caldera with a height of 5020m. The reserve – created in 1987 – covers 58,560 hectares and is a haven for llamas, alpacas and wild vicuñas. Around the time of the conquest, vicuñas disappeared from the wild but after a very successful reintroduction programme, there now more than 2500 in the Chimborazo Reserve.

There are two mountain refuges on the slopes of Chimborazo volcano, the lower Refugio Hermanos Carrel which can be reached on foot or by car and the second Refugio Whymper which sits at 5000m and can only be reached on foot. The refuge was named after the British climber Edward Whymper, who made the first recorded ascent of Chimborazo in 1880.

Guamote

Located in the Chimborazo province of Ecuador’s central highlands, is the attractive, yet down-at-heel and rather sleepy town of Guamote. Situated at 3050m, the town sports handsome timber buildings from the railway era of the twentieth century, with wooden pillars and characteristic balconies. Guamote is a town where Kichwa-speaking elders gather in the main square to pass their afternoons and share tales.

The town comes alive on a Thursday morning with its rather large market and if you head for the field behind the Iglesia de San Vicente, you’ll find the chaotic animal market where ducks, chicken, piglets, sheep and guinea pigs that are ranked among the most delicious in the country change hands.

Inti Sisa

Inti Sisa, meaning sunflower in Kichwa, is a community project located in Guamote, one of the most traditional regions in Ecuador. 95% of the people in Guamote are indigenous (the original population) and in 1999, the Inti Sisa foundation opened the doors of its educational centre, offering educational support to the underprivileged local people in Guamote, especially women and young girls.

The project was founded by two Belgian volunteers who started out with just a handful of motorbikes, which were used to travel into the local mountain communities to help the local teachers, but now the project has grown into a thriving educational centre in Guamote village.

A variety of workshops are available at Inti Sisa, including computer classes, sewing, music and English lessons. Every day 40 toddlers are cared for at the kindergarten and children from around the neighbourhood are helped with their homework. Inti Sisa also has a guesthouse which funds the majority of the activities and lessons offered at the centre. Through the project, more jobs have been created in a village that has few job opportunities on offer and today, 15 people work for the Inti Sisa Art Guesthouse and Inti Sisa Foundation, including cooks, guides and teachers, who all get paid an honest wage, now have social security, and see Inti Sisa as a second home for themselves and their families.

Ingapirca

Located between the central sierra town of Alausí and Cuenca, the main city of the Southern Sierra, is Ingapirca, an impressive Inca ruin displaying extraordinary mortar-less stonework for which the Incas are renowned. The site was built towards the end of the fifteenth century during the Inca expansion into Ecuador, on a site that had been occupied by the Cañari people for over five hundred years. The Incas destroyed most of the Cañari structures, apart from one burial site that still remains, and replaced them with their own elaborate complex which is believed to have functioned as a fortress, place of worship and ‘tambo’ or way-station on the Inca Royal Road that connected Cusco in Peru, to Quito.

Although many of the buildings were later dismantled by the Spanish colonists, who hauled away the stones, the main structure in the centre of the complex – the Temple of the Sun – is still intact and dominates the whole site. The rest of the site consists of low foundation walls which are possibly the remains of stone houses, a great plaza and other curiosities such as ‘Cara del Inca’ or Inca’s Face, a hook-nosed, human profile hewn into a huge rock face, and the ‘Casa del Sol’ with its circular, supposedly astronomical carvings.

Cuenca and Cajas National Park

Built upon the ruins of an Inca city once said to have rivalled Cusco with its splendour, the Renaissance town of Cuenca is one of Ecuador’s most beautiful colonial cities and its ‘centro histórico is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With a laidback and serene feel, much different to the pollution and overbearing crowds of Quito, the city does however share many architectural features with Quito’s old town, including balconied houses with interior courtyards, gleaming white churches and narrow, cobbled streets.

Cuenca is also known for its Panama hats. The hats, contrary to belief and what the name suggests, are produced in Ecuador. Made from Paja Toquilla palm leaves and depending on the quality and size, it can take weeks or even months to produce a handmade Panama hat.

About 35km northwest of Cuenca, lies Parque Nacional El Cajas, a wild, primeval landscape spread over 290km of high paramo with varying altitudes of 3000-4500m. Characterised by craggy hills and glacial valleys and studded with 235 lakes, the park offers a real sense of solitude and sees few visitors due to the fog and rain that frequently occur.

However inhospitable the environment may seem, the park harbours more flora and fauna than one might think. It is home to pumas, deer, wildcats, spectacled bears and a variety of birds including mountain toucans, Andean condors, hummingbirds and woodpeckers. More commonly sighted though, are llamas, rabbits and ducks. The gnarled and twisted branches of native quinoa trees flank the rivers that wind through the park and many species of flowers and shrubs – such as the orange-flowered chuquiragua – survive on the moorland, having also adapted to the harsh climates.

The tract of dense and humid cloud forest within the park is scattered with bromeliads and orchids, and there are also human relics present, including pre-Hispanic ruins believed to be former shelters for those travelling between sierra and coast, and a 4km section of the Ingañán, an old Inca road which has been remarkably well-preserved.

Guayaquil

Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, has a population of more than 2.3 million people and was once considered as one of Ecuador’s most dangerous cities. Thanks to a complete reform, with major regeneration programmes, an overhaul of public transport and public safety campaigns, the city has improved dramatically and is now a likeable and unthreatening place with a great natural energy.

The most charming district in the city is the historic Las Peñas, and the once-dangerous slum that is Cerro Santa Ana, with brightly its painted homes dotted on the hillsides, has been reinvented as a beacon of urban renewal and is linked to the Malećon 2000, a gleaming riverside development. Guayaquil also has several upmarket, gated residential suburbs that reflect its status at the country’s wealthiest city. This is due to its massive port that handles major national exports including coffee, cacao and shrimp. And although Guayaquil is richer in money terms, it has nowhere near as many historical attractions as Quito, with most of its colonial buildings having been destroyed in the 1942 earthquake.

Out of the centre you’ll find another waterside development, a historical park that provides an enjoyable exploration of the city’s regional environment and past, and a botanical garden with a collection of orchids. There is also a new cycle route around the forested wetlands of Isla Santay in the Guayas estuary and further afield, the mangroves of La Reserva Ecológica Manglares Churute.

Manglares Churute

Attached to the Guayas estuary is the 500sqkm Reserva Ecológica Manglares Churute. The reserve protects the mangrove swamps from being cleared for shrimp farming and also harbours a great variety of other wildlife including Chilean Flamingos, sighted from Jan-Feb and bottlenose dolphins sighted from June to November.

The best way to explore the tangled mangroves is to take a boat ride along the labyrinthine channels that thread through them. These channels are part of a unique ecosystem that provides a vital nursery for many crustaceans and fish. There are also four different walking trails that wind through the humid and dry tropical forest ranging from a short walk to a 3-4 hour hike. Highlights of the trails include a cascading waterfall, lake and estuary views, and the chance to spot howler monkeys.