Over the years and through our encounters, we have forged strong links with some communities. They put their trust in us and have worked with us to build the holidays we now offer to travellers.
These are villages that are not usually visited by tourists. It would be difficult for them to get there on their own and organise their stay. Most tourists to Ecuador pass by these villages without ever entering them.
We offer travellers exclusive and safe immersive experiences in these communities.
The Saraguro kichwa of Kiskinchir
Saraguro is located around 150km south-west of Cuenca, in the Andes mountain range, at an altitude of 2800m, in a legendary and traditional region. They are one of Ecuador’s 14 indigenous nations. Unlike other ethnic groups, the Saraguro people are still very attached to their traditional black-and-white dress, and according to some accounts still wear the mourning of the last Inca king. They speak the language of the indigenous people of the Andes, kIchwa (a variant of the Quechua spoken in Peru).
Legend has it that this people originated in the Lake Titicaca region and were placed in this strategic location by the Inca emperor himself, in order to protect the empire from a rebellion from the north of the kingdom. The Saraguro are also a very noble and cultured people, who are constantly modernising and developing their economic and cultural activities, even beyond the country’s borders.
Since the early 2000s, the indigenous community of Kiskinchir has been fighting and implementing projects to gain access to irrigation water. In fact, they used to grow only maize, which they harvest only once a year. The community irrigation system has enabled these people to regain both their sovereignty (reducing their dependence) and their food security (diversifying their diet). They are also carrying out a reforestation project to combat the drying up of the water sources that supply the irrigation network.
The Kañari kichwa of Caguanapamba
The inhabitants of the community of Caguanapamba belong to the Kañãri people, one of Ecuador’s 14 indigenous nations. Like the other indigenous ethnic groups in the Ecuadorian Andes, they speak Kichwa (a language derived from Peruvian Quechua) with words borrowed from the ancient Kañari dialect. They wear colourful traditional clothing made from sheep and alpaca wool. Their main source of income is agriculture.
Traces of pre-Columbian times can still be seen in their territory, with the remains of the Kapak Ñan Inca trail and the Ingapirca temple.
Each family cultivates its own vegetable garden, providing not only vegetables but also medicinal plants. They also keep cows and alpacas, which are allowed to graze on community land at high altitude. Cañar is the province that produces the most milk in the country. The inhabitants of the communities are united and develop group projects to strengthen their productive activities. They organise their work as a community and share it in the form of “mingas”, community work days owed to the community.
Legend has it that they never succumbed to the Inca Empire against other native peoples, so much so that the Incas had to establish a specific regime of cohabitation. They also stationed sentries further south, from the Lake Titicaca region, to prevent any invasion by the Kañaris. They call themselves “bravos”, which in Spanish means “angry”. In the collective imagination, they are often depicted with a stern look on their faces.
The Kichwa of Bacpancel
Bacpancel, 55 km north-east of Cuenca, is one of the 18 communities in the San Juan canton and is located on the eastern slopes of the Andes mountain range, at an altitude of 2,500 m, in a legendary and traditional region of the Kañari people. Although the Kañari culture is still present, the people have undergone a certain amount of miscegenation and, as a result, their customs have changed. The inhabitants still speak Kichwa, but unfortunately it is no longer the main language. At the same time, the local people are fighting hard against the influences of migration. The economic crisis of the 90s, dollarisation and the sharp decline in the profitability of farming and craft activities, the main sources of income, led the inhabitants – mainly the men – to emigrate to urban centres and even to the United States or Europe.
The women, who are now heads of household, combine agricultural and craft activities with the education of their children or those of their relatives and friends living outside the country. In this community, around twenty women colour and weave “paja toquilla”, a plant fibre from the Pacific coast, to make baskets, boxes and the famous Panama hats. Made entirely from natural fibres and handmade, they come in all colours, but the most traditional is the ivory-white with its black band. Through this craft activity, the women are saving part of their cultural heritage, as the techniques used to weave the Panama hat have been listed as a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage Site since 2012. They are also an example of solidarity and resilience in the face of difficulties.
The Amazonian Kichwa of Sarayaku
The Sarayaku are one of Ecuador’s 14 indigenous nations, part of the Amazonian Kichwa. Their language differs slightly from the Kichwa spoken by the peoples of the Andes, and they have their own cosmovision inspired by the culture of the Amazonian peoples.
They are world-renowned for their fight against the international oil companies that have caused irreversible damage to the Ecuadorian Amazon. Often wrongly labelled as terrorists, they fight using completely peaceful and legal methods. They have symbolically marked out their territory by sowing flowers, calling it the “camino de flores”, the path of flowers. They have also won an international lawsuit against the Ecuadorian government for allowing an oil company to enter their territory without consulting them first. The compensation received has been used to invest in development projects, such as the creation of their own airline. The airline is mainly used for emergency evacuation of people in need of medical care.
At national level, their leaders are very active within CONAIE, the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador.) But they are also active at international level. Every year, they take part in the COPs (Conferences of the Parties). To make their mark, they arrived by pirogue at COP21 in Paris. They donated it to the Musée de l’Homme, where it has been on display ever since.
Based on the concept of “sumak kawsay”, which means “living well” or “living in harmony”, enshrined in the Ecuadorian constitution of 2008, they have gone further and are the authors of a proposal for the management of natural areas by the original peoples, “Kawsak Sacha” (the living jungle), which recognises the rights of the forest as a living being. They have become an example of environmental protection for indigenous peoples the world over.
The inhabitants of El Progreso on San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos archipelago is located 1,000 km off the coast of South America, and at first sight was a very hostile environment for human settlement. After sporadic visits by pirates and whalers, the archipelago was officially colonised by Ecuadorians from various parts of the continent in the 19th century.
Today, agricultural activity is closely linked to preserving the integrity of the archipelago’s ecosystems, taking into account its borders with the protected natural areas of the national park. Good management of land used for agriculture and better control of invasive species are therefore fundamental to sustainable development in the Galapagos.
Economic development (mainly due to luxury tourism in the port areas) and population growth have led to a sharp increase in imported animal and plant species.
The profitability of local agriculture in the Galapagos has declined, but it still generates additional income and ensures food security for the farmers.
Against this backdrop, 11 families decided to organise themselves by creating the “Asociacion de Produccion Santa Monica de Galápagos”. They are dedicated to organic farming and livestock production: on the one hand, to help reduce imports and, on the other, to promote environmentally-friendly farming techniques. Through farming, these families are combating invasive plants by reintroducing native species, but they are also growing coffee. On 28 September 2015, Ecuador’s Institute of Intellectual Property (IEPI) declared Galapagos coffee a Denomination of Origin for its unique and differentiated characteristics, due to its geographical, natural, biological and human environment. As well as growing systems, the harvesting and processing processes are key to producing top-quality coffee for the Denomination of Origin markets. They therefore offer a productive alternative that enhances the value of agriculture and the people of the archipelago.
Travellers generally focus on the beaches and maritime activities, and many are unaware of the presence of inland inhabitants. Our trips give you the chance to meet the real protectors of the archipelago and to practise alternative tourism.