Traditional Cultures and Snow-Capped Volcanoes
Hacienda Zuleta and Otavalo Extension
Overview
A stunning boutique hotel and working farm, Hacienda Zuleta is in an exquisite setting at 9,000 feet in the Ecuadorian Andes. The 19-room estate has 11 private rooms available to guests, each with hand-embroidered linens and beautiful garden views. With its wonderfully remote ambiance, famous hospitality, and beautiful rural surroundings, Zuleta offers an authentic experience of the Ecuadorian highlands. Today the working farm produces a wide range of products including milk, cheese, quinoa, potatoes, and organic vegetables. Of special interest to many guests are the hand-embroidery workshop (optional tour at extra cost), condor rehabilitation project, trout farm, and cheese factory. Outside Magazine named Zuleta one of the world's “Top Ten Finds.” After your stay at the hacienda, enjoy a tour of the famous market in the village of Otavalo, visit the workshop of a master weaver in Agato, and, time permitting, visit the colonial town of Cotacachi, famous for its leatherwork and views of deep-blue Cuicocha lagoon, a sacred crater lake.
Arrive: Quito, Ecuador
Depart: Quito, Ecuador
Highlights
- Experience Zuleta, both a boutique hotel and working farm in a stunning highland location
- Explore Otavalo's indigenous market and a master weaver's workshop
Itinerary
You will be met upon arrival at the Quito airport and transferred to the Wyndham Quito Airport Hotel for overnight...Meals on your own
If you'd like to add additional nights in Quito to explore the historic center, we suggest the Hotel Patio Andaluz or an upgrade to the Hotel Mama Cuchara.
Morning pickup from your Quito hotel and drive north along the Pan-American Highway into the green and beautiful Ecuadorian highlands. Arrive in time for lunch and optional afternoon activities at beautiful Hacienda Zuleta, owned by the Galo Plaza-Lasso family, who have provided two of Ecuador's presidents. Virtually everything gracing the table at Zuleta comes fresh from Zuleta's rich earth and is carefully prepared by hand...BLD
You may wish to walk some of the beautiful trails at the hacienda, or join your bilingual guide on your choice of the many tours available at Hacienda Zuleta. Tours included on your stay include a visit to the organic gardens, chapel, cheese museum, milking sheds, calf stables, embroidery shop, and Cananqui pyramids. Other activities, such as mountain biking and horseback riding, are available at an additional cost...BLD
In the morning, visit the village of Otavalo at the foot of the majestic Mt. Imbabura, with its famed market offering the best selection of Ecuadorian woven tapestries, alpaca clothing, and pottery. Otavalo's daily market is a wonderful opportunity to meet the indigenous peoples of Ecuador who come from nearby Quichua mountain villages to buy and sell their wares. After your market visit, enjoy lunch at a local hacienda and a visit the workshop of Master weaver Miguel Andrango in the village of Agato. His workshop walls are lined with weavings; designs are based on Inca patterns and the traditions of Miguel and his family. The workshop uses only pure wool and Alpaca; the weavers card and spin it themselves and then dye it with natural inks made from mosses and seeds.
If time permits, your afternoon concludes with a visit to the picturesque colonial town of Cotacachi, famous for its leatherwork and views of sacred Cuicocha lagoon, a deep-blue crater lake on the lower southern flanks of Mount Cotacachi, before returning to Quito in the late afternoon...BL
If time permits, your afternoon concludes with a visit to the picturesque colonial town of Cotacachi, famous for its leatherwork and views of sacred Cuicocha lagoon, a deep-blue crater lake on the lower southern flanks of Mount Cotacachi, before returning to Quito in the late afternoon...BL
For Pre-Trip Extensions
Galápagos Adventure and Ultimate Galápagos: On the final day of your extension (Day 4), you will arrive in Quito and be transferred to our Quito hotel for overnight. Day 4 of the extension is Day 1 of your Galápagos group trip.
Galápagos Private Journey: On the final day of your extension (Day 4), you will arrive in Quito and be transferred to our Quito hotel for overnight. This is an additional overnight in Quito (an "on your own" expense) before your flight to the Galápagos the following day, which is Day 1 of your Private Journey.
For Post-Trip Extensions
Galápagos Adventure, Ultimate Galápagos and Galápagos Private Journey: On the final day of your extension (Day 4), you can connect out to a homeward-bound flight departing Quito, or if needed, add an extra night(s) in Quito.
Galápagos Adventure and Ultimate Galápagos: On the final day of your extension (Day 4), you will arrive in Quito and be transferred to our Quito hotel for overnight. Day 4 of the extension is Day 1 of your Galápagos group trip.
Galápagos Private Journey: On the final day of your extension (Day 4), you will arrive in Quito and be transferred to our Quito hotel for overnight. This is an additional overnight in Quito (an "on your own" expense) before your flight to the Galápagos the following day, which is Day 1 of your Private Journey.
For Post-Trip Extensions
Galápagos Adventure, Ultimate Galápagos and Galápagos Private Journey: On the final day of your extension (Day 4), you can connect out to a homeward-bound flight departing Quito, or if needed, add an extra night(s) in Quito.
A visa is not required for U.S. citizens visting Ecuador. A tourist card will be issued to you on the flight to Quito.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
Book your trip today
Our Area Specialists know every detail about our tours. They will be happy to answer any questions and help you choose the journey that’s right for you. Contact us to learn more or book your trip today!
Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Level 1 – Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Level 2 – Easy to Moderate
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Level 3 – Moderate
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
- Tuscany & the Cinque Terre
- Argentina: Hikes and Estancias of Patagonia
- Palau Snorkeling & Sea Kayaking
- Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin, are Trip Level 3.
Level 4 – Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Level 5 – Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Level 6 – Very Strenuous
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.