Rumbling volcanoes, wildlife wonderlands, Amazonian jungle how can youcram in everything Ecuador has to offer? Simple just follow our guide.
Our final instructions at Sacha Lodge were, “Leave your bags outside the door of your cabin before breakfast”. After 48 magical hours exploring forest trails, canopy walkways and creeks, we paddled off across the lodge’s serene lake at first light. Taking a launch up the Río Napo, we continued our journey by bus through remnants of jungle and land cleared for agriculture and oil extraction to reach Lago Agrio Airport. From there, our plane climbed from green lowlands to Andean heights, hardly descending at all to touch down at Quito’s brand new airport.
Reaching the outskirts of Otavalo, we drove around Lago de San Pablo beneath Imbabura volcano to Hacienda Cusín in time for dinner. This 17th-century hacienda, with its own chapel set in gardens with ancient trees and cobbled paths, has religious-themed bedrooms and huge beds to lie back on.
The next morning we headed to Otavalo’s livestock market, where traders sell everything from cattle to guinea pigs. We, though, were saving our cash for the textiles in the Plaza de Ponchos, renowned as the best market in Ecuador. Wandering among its stalls, the handicrafts portrayed the culture and history here – a vast and wild land steeped in legends and folklore that we grew to love through our travels.
This story is from the November 2018 edition of Wanderlust Travel Magazine.
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This story is from the November 2018 edition of Wanderlust Travel Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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