More than postcard views and disconnecting from everyday life, Ecuador’s Andean region offers an intimate doorway into the past, where culture lives through different flavors, textures, and ancestral traditions. From the northern to southern provinces, this land of towering volcanoes and vibrant highland communities invites your clients to get immersed in its ancestral wisdom and cultural heritage.
Northern Andes
A true hub of Andean culture loved by all and sundry awaits you in the Imbabura province, just a two-hour drive from Quito. The warmth of communities, the delicious food, and the breathtaking panoramic views steeped with mountains and lakes will welcome you with open arms. Continue reading to find a little bit of what this charming region has to offer.
Kawsaymi: Ancestral Cuisine & Community Experiences
This initiative, led by Claudia and Patricio with their family from the Kichwa Otavaleño community, brings to life the ancestral gastronomy.
During a visit to this community, you can join interactive cooking classes that honor Andean food heritage while highlighting traditional flavors and fresh ingredients. Among the options you can choose are basic levels, where you can prepare pastries, potato tortillas with Andean chorizo, or advanced levels that include a 3-course traditional menu. Also, you can visit the organic garden and learn about the local products that help to balance the diet and preserve ancestral wisdom.
Moreover, you can take a day trip to get into the community’s history, culture, and traditions. Enjoy a picturesque tour through the mountainous scenery, and later visit the Kichwa de Yambiro community to learn about its traditional agricultural projects and the conservation of native plants. Also, be part of a Pambamesa (a communal meal and ritual of sharing food), and finally visit the farm of guinea pig of the Panecillo community.
Casa Matico – Huarmi Maqui: Ancestral Weaving
Casa Matico is part of the Huarmi Maqui collective, a powerful initiative led by Kichwa Otavalo women. They share and preserve their ancestral techniques of weaving and healing. Here, guests can be part of an experience that is both cultural and therapeutic, rooted in the worldview of the Andes. The highlight activity is joining textile workshops to learn the art of natural dyeing and backstrap loom weaving. During the activity, visitors can participate in everything from spinning wool to creating small woven items.
San Vicente: Cultural Exchange & Nature
This community is strongly focused on preserving its traditions and environment by educating its children and young people on eco-friendly practices while promoting sustainable tourism.
Due to that, guests can engage in meaningful cultural exchange with locals and connect with nature, such as the following options:
- Overnight stays with the Karankis host families in rural accommodations provide insights about the unique lifestyle of the indigenous communities, combining the experience with guided tours according to the traveler’s interest and an organic garden visit.
- Tour the community trails to observe medicinal plants and collect Andean berries. Then, visit artisan workshops and become fascinated by the community’s myths and legends.
- The community offers many complementary activities such as horseback riding, bike tours, trekking, camping, and climbing the Imbabura volcano or the Cubilche lagoon.
Iluman: Home of the Yachaks & Spirituality
Embark on an off-the-beaten-path journey to Iluman, a village imbued with spirituality, famous for its lineage of Yachacks (Andean healers). Once there, travelers can have a glimpse into Kichwa cosmovision about ancestral healing, natural treatments, and traditional medicine.
Travelers can experience limpias (energy cleansing rituals) led by local healers using different traditional methods, including volcanic stones, medicinal plants, and ancestral music.
It is an opportunity for reflection and spiritual awakening to find equilibrium in your inner self.
Central Andes
Continue your journey through the highlands, you will be amazed by the incredible Avenue of Volcanoes until you are impressed by the iconic Chimborazo volcano, you know that you have arrived at the next stop, the Chimborazo province. There, you can join the initiatives of Puruha Razurcu.
Puruha Razurcu: Cultural & Outdoor Adventures
This collective englobes eleven indigenous communities in Chimborazo that encourage activities focused on nature, ancestral culture, and sustainable development while preserving the environment and traditions. Highlight activities include:
- Trekking and hiking through the Andean moor, exploring snow-capped mountains, volcanoes, and national parks led by local guides from the communities who give you insights about the flora, fauna, and worldview.
- Llama trekking: During this experience, travelers will join local farmers in their daily routines, caring for alpacas and llamas.
- Follow the traditional Route of Los Hieleros del Chimborazo. This trek allows visitors to discover the job of the last Ecuadorian iceman, Baltazar Ushca, an ancient tradition of harvesting ice from the volcano’s slopes to sell it in Riobamba markets.
- There are cycling routes and adventure activities such as horseback riding, camping, or climbing that are designed for different difficulty levels, always integrating the natural environment and community participation.
- The community promotes their handicrafts made from cabuya fiber, straw, and alpaca wool. Also, visitors can participate in workshops and purchase products directly from local producers.
Southern Andes
Finally, your route through the highlands led you to the southernmost region of Ecuador in the Loja province.
Saraguro Culinary & Cultural Experiences
Saraguro people welcome visitors to connect with their deep-rooted ancestral traditions and vibrant culture through various activities and experiences based on community-based tourism:
- Travelers can join ancestral ceremonies, including rituals to honor the land, and experience traditional festivals with music and dances.
- Visit local artisan workshops and learn about the textiles, decorative ceramics, and colorful jewelry made from beads and silver. Additionally, engage in weaving, basketry, and goldsmith workshops, gaining insight into centuries-old artisan techniques.
- Participate in farming activities to explore organic orchids and take tours to explore the nearest mountains, caves, or waterfalls, such as Gera Waterfall.
One unmissable gastronomic experience is at Shamuico Espai Gastronòmic, where Chef Samuel Ortega merges traditional Andean flavors with innovative techniques, offering a signature Andean cuisine. Besides, the restaurant features an open kitchen and a menu that changes daily based on fresh, local ingredients sourced from Saraguro’s community gardens and farms to preserve local agriculture and native products such as melloco, mashua, and sambo, among others. Additionally, you can take a gastronomic tour that includes a visit to the museum, learn about cheese production in La Purita farm, and a traditional meal tasting according to the season.
Continue enjoying the Ecuadorian Andes
All these experiences are the perfect complement to the traditional Andean highlights, such as visiting Otavalo, the Cotopaxi National Park, and the Quilotoa Crater, offering solo travelers, families, couples, or groups a balanced itinerary that blends natural wonders, historical landmarks, and authentic cultural encounters. Some options you can include to extend your visit in this region are:
- Highland treks and nature escapes, such as the Imbabura Volcano, Mojanda Lake, Quilotoa Loop, or Chimborazo Reserve.
- Visit traditional markets in Otavalo, Guamote, or Riobamba for a deeper cultural connection.
- Stay at a Hacienda, including Zuleta, El Porvenir, or La Alegría, offering horseback riding, cheesemaking, and artisanal workshops.
- Spiritual and wellness experiences, including thermal baths in Papallacta, or guided rituals in sacred natural settings.
Continue inspiring your clients with these community-led experiences that offer more than activities, they are gateways into centuries-old traditions that still thrive today. Contact us to include them in your next itinerary to create more meaningful journeys that your clients will never forget.
Published in April 2025
