Ecuador office (GMT-5:00): +59372833126
Follow us at:

Blog

ESTC15: Sharing With Saraguro Culture

By in Blog 2 Comments
The southern Andean province of Loja is enriched by the presence of the Saraguros and their ancestral culture.

SAargurosThe Saraguro people see in tourism a valuable way to bring back and preserve their traditions and culture in order to share it with visitors. They are very welcoming and willing to show us part of their daily life, turning this trip into one of the best experiences of rural, agro and community tourism. They are very proud of their indigenous roots so they wear their typical customs and practice ancestral rituals.

On this tour specially created for the participants of the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference Quito, 2015we will leave from the beautiful city of Cuenca through the vast Andes into the Loja Province to discover and learn their traditional ways of living.

The optional package including the flight from Quito to Cuenca will have a pick-up at Cuenca’s airport upon arrival and a panoramic city tour of Cuenca included at return from Loja and before drop off at Cuenca’s airport for the return flight to Quito.

Itinerary:

Day 1

We will visit several nearby villages were skilled artisans produce fine textiles (ponchos, skirts, belts, bed & table cover, etc), decorative and utilitarian ceramic, sheep wool hats and colorful jewelry mainly made of beads and silver. Also, we will visit their organic orchards were they grow many of the vegetables, fruits and herbs used in their diet. Lunch will be a very special one, as we will be introduced to their sharing rituals of the “PinshiMikuna” in company of a Saraguro family. In the afternoon we will do a hike up to their sacred waterfall where we will be part of a shamanic energizing ritual. The Yachags (shamans) invocate in conjunction with the participants to their sacred natural elements (wind, fire, water, earth, sun and moon) to regain positive energy. At night we will enjoy some folkloric music played by local musicians.

Day 2

We will drive down to the community of Gera where we will participate in the production of the Huajango, a fermented drink made from agave (same as used for tequila). We will also visit a small house-museum that shows how a Saraguro house looks like and what they use in their daily life. Afterwards we will leave Saraguro southwards for about an hour to the town of Susudel where we will visit the towns Organic Farm. Here we will enjoy a typical lunch made with the produce of the farm and then visit the agricultural grounds and the old colonial farm and church. At mid afternoon we continue our way back to Cuenca, making this trip a wonderful, unforgettable experience.

Included: Overnight at Saraguro, all meals, local guides, entrance fees, private transportation

Excluded: Personal expenses, tips

When: Private, Any Day (best on sat-sun)
Length of Tour:  2 Days / 1 Night
Cost: Departure from Cuenca $427;  Including Quito-Cuenca-Quito flights: $599

How to Book: Contact us or call 0993933087

Ready to book? click here

Want other alternatives in the Andes? Choose northern, central or southern regions check here

Learn more about the International Ecotourism Society.

Post navigation

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

2 comments on “ESTC15: Sharing With Saraguro Culture

  1. edson kapondo

    do you have any sponsorship trips? I am from Victoria Falls Zimbabwe and willing to be part of this meeting from a community based organization working on cultural Tourism.

    • Hello Edson, these tour options were created (on itinerary and price) for the participants of ESTC15 as an approved sponsor and provider for pre and post tours to the conference.
      On april 29th, we will be sponsoring a Birdwatching Fieldtrip to Jerusalem Protected Forest, a dry forest reserve north of Quito on Latitude 0. We will be publishing the itinerary to our page on the next couple days, and I’ll post the link in a new comment for you to check. This fieldtrip is sponsored by us and local institutions and free of charge to the Conference (I don’t know if they might request a “suggested donation” from the participants to improve their conservation activities). It will be great to have you sharing with us your experience of the ESTC15! If you have any other question, please send me an email: dulce@sltecuador.com.
      Dulce Pinto. Sales Manager.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *