USA Today Logo New York Times Logo Outside Magazine Logo Conde Nast Traveler Logo National Geographic Traveler
Create your Trip Journal [click here]

Ecuadorian Highlands and Beaches

By : Colin Sorenson
Trip Begins July 30, 2006
Trip Ends August 6, 2006

Cuenca is a beautiful city and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With tranquil rivers, beautiful architecture, and surrounded by mountains in a cool and comfortable climate, we instantly adored this place.
See my photos : Ecuadorian Highlands and Beaches

I went to: Ecuador, Cuenca, Ingapirca
[enlarge map]
[reduce map]
July 30, 2006
Top

Arrive Quito

Quito, Ecuador

After leaving home at 4:30 AM, I finally made it to Quito just before 11 PM tonight. What a long trip! Note to self: bring socks and long sleeves for plane trips, even if it's 100 degrees in the place you are leaving. Being cold all day on an airplane can be annoying.

Betty and Marcelo were there to get me when I arrived, and it only took a few minutes to get my luggage and be on the road to my hotel and much anticipated night of sleep.

July 31, 2006
Top

Quito to Cuenca

Cuenca, Ecuador

This morning we got up at 6:00 AM and had a nice breakfast before Betty and Marcelo picked us up at 7:30 to transfer us to the airport for our flight to Cuenca. Once in Cuenca, we checked into Hotel Crespo and immediately crashed for a while before our city tour. Our guide, Carmen, and driver, Gypsy, picked us up for a tour of the city at around 2 PM. Cuenca is a beautiful city and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With tranquil rivers, beautiful architecture, and surrounded by mountains in a cool and comfortable climate, we instantly adored this place.

August 1, 2006
Top

Cajas National Park

Cuenca, Ecuador

Betty took it easy on us by scheduling a rather late pickup time for today's tour -- 8:30 AM. This allowed us time to get up and have a nice breakfast at Hotel Crespo and then enjoy a walk by the river just behind the hotel before meeting our guide, Arturo, for the day's excursion to Cajas National Park. I was impressed with the active locals that were well into their morning workouts by the time we hit the river trail. We could definitely see ourselves fitting in with the lifestyle here.

Cajas is about a 45-minute drive from Cuenca, mostly uphill. We elected to do a fairly long hike of about 3.5 hours and saw many beautiful views of lakes, wetlands, and mountains shrouded in clouds. My favorite part of the park was probably the Quinoa Forest. To me it seemed like something you might see in Lord of the Rings. Old, gnarled, and dense trees with a soft forest floor -- an amazing natural playground.

After concluding the hike, we went to a restaurant just outside the park and dined on the local specialty of fried trout, or trucha frita. We arrived back at the hotel in Cuenca by about 3 PM and in time to enjoy a siesta. Later, we took and walk from the hotel and found a nice cafe to enjoy a cup of coffee and a piece of pie before dinner at Cafe Austria. Luckily, we arrived during happy hour -- beers for a buck! We returned to the hotel after dinner to get some rest before and early day tomorrow.

August 2, 2006
Top

Ingapirca Ruins and Devil's Nose Train Ride

Ingapirca, Ecuador

Today was another early start. Carlos, our guide for the day, arrived at 6 AM for our excursion to Ingapirca and the Devil's Nose Train Ride. It was about a 2-hour drive from Cuenca to Ingapirca, and another 2 hours or so to Alausa, where we boarded the train. Apparently we were the first visitors of the day to arrive at Ingapirca, as we had to wait a few minutes before anyone was there to collect our $7.50/person entry fee. Ingapirca was obviously an important site during the time of the Inca Empire, and we enjoyed learning of the site's uses and the methods that runners would use to communicate messages between Machu Picchu and Ingapirca along the extensive network of Inca trails. It was a chilly morning at Ingapirca, and I wished I had brought a jacket. The day would soon warm up as the clouds burned up and the sun came out.

Next, we headed to Alausa­, for the Devil's Nose Train Ride. What a thrill! We rented seat cushions for a dollar before climbing on to the roof and staking out a spot for the best views of the mountainous terrain. Of course, I think everyone there had a great view. At first I was a little uneasy about sitting on top of the old train, but I soon soon relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Patricia and I both napped a little in the car on the way back to Cuenca after a long and enjoyable day of sightseeing.

August 3, 2006
Top

Back to Quito

Quito, Ecuador

Today we fly back to Quito, the travel hub of the country, before make our way to the beach. The flight over the Andes Mountains was a little bumby for our taste, but I suppose that is pretty common for this route. In Quito, we went to Hotel Eugenia and relaxed for a while before going out for dinner and some dancing at a nearby nightclub. We elected to take taxis to and from the bar even though it is only a few blocks. It's safer that way, and with taxis only costing a few dollars, it's a good idea.

August 4, 2006
Top

To Esmeraldas

Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Today we descended about 9,000 ft as we headed west from Quito, to the northern coastal province of Esmeraldas, adjacent to Colombia. We joined Betty and Marcelo for a favorite weekend getaway of theirs to Atacames. I'm glad we took a private car, as Marcelo's little BMW got us there much faster than if we had taken a public bus from Quito that makes several stops along the way.

As Marcelo accurately stated, Atacames is like a "moving party" on the weekends. As we drove along the malecon, there were people flooding the streets, with music blasting from each direction and people of all ages dancing and preparing to party late into the night.

August 5, 2006
Top

Atacames, Isla Bonita

Esmeraldas, Ecuador

This morning we slept in late, which around here means anything after 8 AM. We had a nice breakfast at the Hotel Marimba and then headed south to Muisne and Playa Bonita. When looking for a safe place to park the car, Marcelo quickly noticed that one of the muchachos that was directing us to the parking space had been a guide for him and a group of his students from Quito a few months earlier. It's always nice when you run into someone you've worked with before and you feel that you can trust. Marcelo is a good judge of who to trust and who not to. Once we parked and grabbed our daypacks, we went to Isla Bonita by motorboat. We immediately bought some coconuts and drank the juice from and straw and then relaxed on the beach, read a book, and played in the ocean. Just what we had in mind for the day.

August 6, 2006
Top

Back to Quito and Fly Home

Today we drove back to Quito after great trip to Ecuador, one of my favorite countries. We hit the sack early at the Swissotel in order to catch a 6 AM international flight in the morning. Thanks to our awesome Ecuadorian hosts, this was an excellent trip!

My Photo Album: Ecuadorian Highlands and Beaches
Cajas National ParkCajas National ParkCajas National ParkCajas National ParkCajas National ParkCajas National ParkCajas National ParkCajas National Park