The One Where We Learn to Make Cheese Empanadas and Ride a Horse: A Magical Night at El Porvenir
Instead of immediately returning to Quito, we decided to spend the night at a hacienda up in the mountains. If you have a day or two to spare around Quito, I highly recommend El Porvenir. Set in the middle of farmlands and mountains, this lodge is an oasis for all things.
Hacienda El Porvenir (Helen Thomson)
When we arrived, we were greeted with warm cheese empanadas and a warm cocktail made with naranjillas. Little did we know we would be making another round of these for ourselves in the cooking class they had arranged for us. The cooking class was an unexpected fun experience! It was just my mom, me and the chef Segundo. Segundo spoke little to no English but somehow managed to teach my mom and me how to form the edges of the empanadas, make the hot chili sauce and the cocktail we became very fond of. Another unexpected delight at El Porvenir was the spa. They have hot tubs and a cool plunge pool, an herbal steam house and massages available. This was a perfect way to end our day of volcano trekking!
Cooking Class at El Porvenir (Helen Thomson)
The next morning, we were dressed in traditional Chagra garb and each given a horse. We got to ride up with mountainside, through fields of grass and cows milling about. The views from the ride were incredible and we even spotted the top of Cotopaxi while drinking a traditional hot tea in the rushing wind.
Horseback riding at El Porvenir (Helen Thomson)Dressing as the Chagras Do (Helen Thomson)
The horseback riding in this beautiful landscape, the hospitality of the staff, the candlelit dinner made by chef Segundo and our cozy room with our own fireplace made me want to stay in this unique and special place for much longer.
Working with Mary was a pleasure. She was attentive, knowledgeable, and persistent in getting my clients the best deal.
Susan Hommel
1 month ago
Staff on ship (Alya), food, rooms, excursions and naturalist (Alex) were all top notch!
Suzanne
1 month ago
We loved our time aboard the Angel. Beautiful boat and crew. Naturalist Jose Luis was incredible-very knowledgeable and thoughtful. He adapted tours to our group and we all had an amazing trip. Love staying a the quaint hacienda and the recommended activities.
Christine
1 month ago
Amazing assistance! Kevin and his team were so helpful and really gave us great advice. They quickly understood exactly what we were looking for and within a matter of days we had booked our holiday of a lifetime. I would definitely recommend to others.
Kathryn
2 months ago
The pre-planning and execution of the plan was excellent. They were even able to help get glasses returned when a member or our party left them in a hotel.