Creature Comforts

Quito

You are met on arrival at Quito airport and driven for a 2 night stay at an upper-range hotel in a beautifully restored grand house in Quito’s historic quarter.

Today you are taken on a guided tour of historic Quito. On sunny days the whitewashed buildings sparkle like sugar in the clear mountain air as you wander atmospheric cobbled streets lined with monasteries, convents and mansions, many with ornate façades and richly decorated interiors. Street vendors offer sticky meringues, bunches of roses, ice creams, party balloons and piñatas (brightly painted paper sacks chock-full of sweets for children to burst). Little shops display corn, quinoa, beans, cinnamon, annatto, cumin and much more. A religious procession may pass, the faithful throwing rose petals in its path. Ornate churches, such as the magnificent baroque La Compañía de Jesús with its impressive carved and gilded altars, showcase the the ‘Quito School’. Take a moment watch the world go by in Plaza de la Independencia, overlooked by the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral–a favourite spot for the city’s well-to-do to congregate. You might choose to stop at the Casa del Alabado museum, with a fine collection of Pre-Hispanic ceramic artefacts beautifully displayed in a restored colonial mansion. The Maria Augusta Urrutia Museum is not to be missed, a mansion that offers a fascinating insight into high society life in 19th century Quito. Lunch is included at a restaurant overlooking one of the main squares. Hacienda Zuleta

Hacienda Zuleta

Today you are collected from your hotel for the drive north through a region where craft traditions take centre stage. You visit weaving workshops in the village of Peguche just outside Otavalo, and may call on a family of pan-pipe players and see where the pipes are made–with enthusiastic demonstrations. You also visit the beautiful crater lake of Laguna Cuicocha and Cotacachi an entire town dedicated to leather. Dozens of shops and smart boutiques offer everything from skilfully made handbags, wallets and jackets to tack for hard working horses. Stopping for a fine lunch at ‘La Mirage’ (a Relais & Chateaux member) you continue to the prestigious Hacienda Zuleta, your base for the next 3 nights– a very large working hacienda of pasture, forest and protected primary forest owned by your hosts the Plaza-Lasso family, whose illustrious ancestors include 2 presidents of Ecuador.

Today you can explore the trails at Hacienda Zuleta, walking or riding. Out and about over these 2 days you should have a good chance to see Spectacled Bear. You’ll also be taken to their Condor Huasi rehabilitation project, where wild condors fly high in the hills over their temporarily captive cousins. If you enjoy riding, and have the skills, the hacienda’s stables are among the most renowned in Ecuador with nearly 100 horses, 20 of which are ‘Zuleteño’, the hacienda’s own cross of Spanish, Andalusian, English and Quarters. When we were last at the hacienda we watched a horse-whisperer at work in the corral, gently bringing a nervy young stallion to accept saddle, bridle and rider.

Second full day at the hacienda for further hikes, rides and wildlife. The farm’s 300 Holstein-Friesian cows produce organic milk for 11 varieties of semi-aged cheeses, cream, yoghurt and cream cheese made on the premises. Guests can see the little cheese factory at work through a large observation window. There is an extensively and attractive planted kitchen garden.

Otavalo, rose farms and the Equator

A visit to Otavalo’s justly famous crafts market, followed by lunch at a local hacienda. At a rose plantation you’ll see how Ecuador’s long-stemmed roses are grown. You travel to the Equator, passing the monument to the 1736 French line, to the true line 200m away. The small Inti-Ñan museum (rickety but fun) presents an eclectic mix of folk exhibits and ‘scientific’ demonstrations straddling the true line. Stay the night at a modernist hotel on the rim of an extinct volcano, with panoramic views in both directions.

Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve

Driving down the western slopes of the Andes you call at the El Pahuma Orchid Reserve, then continue to Mashpi Biodiversity Lodge (see opposite)–a stylish new cloudforest lodge & spa, where you stay for 2 nights. The Mashpi reserve is set in a prime location for keen birders, the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena region–a biodiversity hotspot. Less avid birders are sure to enjoy the jewelled hummingbirds, flocks of parrots, colourful toucans plus the orchids and bromeliads, iridescent morpho butterflies and amphibians of the cloud forest trails.

A day at Mashpi. Resident guides will accompany you on the trails. Make sure you try the lovely spa.

Hacienda Rumiloma

A leisurely start then visit the astonishing Tulipe archeological site, whose importance is only beginning to be appreciated, en route back to Quito. Your final night is at the delightful Hacienda Rumiloma perched high on the flank of the Pichincha volcano with a commanding view over the city. The rest of the day is free for you to enjoy the hacienda’s facilities.

When the time comes, you are collected and driven to the airport for your onward flight to Galapagos or home.