Cañar

Travelling in Ecuador...Ingapirca and El Tambo.

Ingapirca

Ingapirca means "Inca wall", therefore you can find a lot of archaeological sites in the Andes called that way. But there's just one really famous Ingapirca in Ecuador: the one that is located in the province of Cañar, due to the preservation and the original design of the building.

The Temple

The tour starts at the museum, where you can appreciate different samples of pieces, in ceramic, bone, stone, etc. Then the tour though the ruis starts. First, you find the collcas, that the Incas used to store cereals, like silos. Then, there's a place called Pilaloma, where the Incas built rooms for their army, around a square. You can see the site where waterways were built, probable for ceremonial use. The Hatun Kancha (Big Field), was a place where the people used to participate in the religious ceremonies.

Blocks of andesite, taken from the buildings

The main structure is called the "Elipse", "Temple" or "Castle"; it was oriented to west and east by the Inca astronomers and it was the only temple in Tahuantinsuyo (the former Inca nation). It was built in  rusticated blocks of green andesite. This building is unique as is the only structure of Inca construction that had those characteristics. Behind the "Temple", you can see the Ingañawi, a face carved into the rock.

An entrance

You can visit this place every day of the week, from 9h00 to 17h00, with a guide from the community. It's about a 1-hour tour through the ruins. You have to walk on marked trails, and don't step on the walls, as they are very fragile. Please, listen to the guide. You can have lunch at the little restaurants in the community, or buy snacks too, if you want to.

One of the ancient houses

El Tambo

El Tambo is another archaeological site in the province of CAñar, more specifically, in the community of Coyoctor , and is not far from Ingapirca. El Tambo comes from the quichua word "Tampu", that means "rest zone". It was the place where the travelers, the chasquis (Inca messengers) stopped and rested. 

The colonial house

You can have a tour by autoferro, that will take you to Coyoctor, where you will have a guided tour and you can take nice photographs, too.

"Los Baños del Inca" (The Inca baths) is an archaeological place where you can see the Inca Chair, the Cañari Altar, the Inca Baths, a colonial house where now is the Museum.

The "baths"

The Cañari Altar is a carved stone, used for ceremonies, to have good harvests.  You can see carved canals into the stone, a tribute to the Moon and the Stars. Once the Inca Empire conquered the Cañari people, they used this place as a ceremonial and astronomical site.

A llama

Travelling in Ecuador...Chobshi

This is a place I love, why? Well, it is a very important piece of our past, as the Ecuadorian austral zone is more Cañari than Inca. People don't appreciate this archaeological zone as much as they should. And it is really beautiful, too. Let's go back in time.

The fortress of Cacique Duma

Inside the fortress

Chobshi surroundings and Santa Barbara River

People used to think that Chobshi meant "house of the star" but, actually, it means "house of the moon", because it come from two cañari words: "cho" (house) and "shi" (moon). This place is located in Sigsig and it has great historical importance in our country, because it is the second oldest archaeological site with evidence of human presence in Ecuador, Chobshi Black Cave. We can also find here Shabalula, cañari settlement, and "The fortress of the Great Cacique Dumapara", the largest and best preserved cañari building in the country. There's a museum where you can see different types of tools of the Paleoindio period, and potsherds of Regional Development and Integration periods.

Tacalshapa zoomorphic vessel, Chobshi Museum

Cañari potsherds, Chobshi Museum

Archaelogical sites with evidence of human presence in Ecuador, the oldest is El Inga, followed by Chobshi, Cubilán and Las Vegas. The main difference between Chobshi and these other places is that the "Black Cave" was the only place that could function as natural shelter from the inclemency of the weather and many other dangers that the groups of people (called bands) of the Preceramic period had to face. They were hunters and gatherers, and nomads and it is estimated that the cave could hold up to sixty people, although it is believed that the bands of that time didn't have more than thirty members.

Black Cave

Down the path, you can find the "Fortress or Castle of the Great Cacique Dumapara". It was built with volcano stones around the year 1450, the year which the Cacique Duma comes to power, therefore belongs to the Integration period, and cultural phase, Cashaloma. The measures of the castle are 115 meters long by 22 meters wide by 2.8 at maximum height. The width of the walls at its lower part is about 1 meter wide, and at its higher part, 1 meter wide, as it was built in a pyramidal form. The legend says that about 500 to 1000 people worked on this project, and it was built within a night.

At first, this place was used for protection, and subsequently it was as accommodation for Túpac Yupanqui and his troops. Cacique Duma arranged a marriage between Túpac Yupanqui and his daughter, and they become Huayna Cápac's (the first Ecuadorian Inca) parents. The fortress is divided in three zones: the first and biggest was used to accommodate the troops; the second one, to accommodate the generals; the last one, was used by Cacique Duma, his family and servants. The walls were constructed really wavy, and it's believed is for these reasons:

• It was a pretty rudimentary work, so each person who was working in the construction, didn't think about the details, and everyone of them placed the stones as they wanted.
• Another theory says that the walls represented the Snake, one of their goddess. 
• It's believed that it was a construction technique, due to the waviness of the walls, they were more resistant.

The fortress' walls

At the end of the tour we hit a cañari road called "El Camino Real Andino" (Royal Andean Road). This road linked the northern towns with Chobshi and was also used to monitor what happened around. The castle was strategically built, proctected by two natural formations, the "dry creek bridge" and the nowadays known as the "Canyon of Santa Barbara River". Probably the river was called Sangurima, but with the Spanish conquering, the name was changed to Santa Barbara, as Saint Barbara is the saint of the miners, and in that time the river had a lot of gold. Beside the road you can find cairns called Apachitas, which served as a book or a record for each family; when something important happened (a birth, a death, a good or a bad harvest, etc.) a stone was placed. Each apachita belonged to one family and its construction took a long time. After that, you can see a Cañari house, which probably was used for the guardian to rest or spent the night. There are also mysterious stones, each one with different purpose. The Cañaris used "moon mirrors" to study the night sky; they used to pour water into holes in stones, so the sky would reflect in the water.

Cult stone

Royal Andean Road

Apachita

On our tour we got to "El Pailón", a place of great energy that the Cañaris surely used for rituals and ceremonies. To get to this place you must go through the Chobshi Lagoon (now it's dry and filled with cattails). Following the line of the lagoon, some steones are arrenged in a crescent shape.

Pailón

We reach Shabalula (meaning "shining house") at the end of the tour. Cacique Duma used this place to rest. Here you can find a stone carved in the shape of a snake's head. We can also appreciate the "lying Cañari face".

Lower Shabalula

Apachita

Lying Cañari face

Huaca (Cañari burial)

Recommendations: bring a cap and sun block, bring your own food (if you call before you go, the people on the community can prepare lunch for you), listen to the guide.

Travelling in Ecuador...Baños de Agua Santa

Baños de Agua Santa

Baños de Agua Santa, night view

Basílica de la Virgen, built from 1904 to 1944

Baños de Agua Santa is a city located 45 minutes from Ambato, on the way Ambato - Puyo, at the slopes of the Tungurahua. The weather is pleasant, most of the year is warm but humid. This is  a very important touristic city since it's the entrance to the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. Here you can find a lot of things to do. The activities,  if you have an adventurous spirit,  include:

Canopy: your age doesn't matter, because children and adults can enjoy canopying across ravines or rivers, from 250 meters to 1000 meters. There are a lot of different places alongside the road that offer this activity, where you can see the beautiful nature around you.

Rafting: if you like to practice this extreme sport, there are two different  routes, both of them in the Pastaza River, departing from San Francisco or from La Penal area (Río Negro). No experience needed in the III level route, but for the IV and V level route, you must be skilled in this practice.

Canyoning: you can practice this activity in the waterfalls, such as Chamana, Río Blanco, Cashaurco and San Jorge. The equipment is fully provided by the touristic agency of your choice. They'll send you with an experienced guide, too.

Bungee jumping: you can practice this in the San Francisco bridge and the Río Blanco bridge. When I did bungee jumping (totally amazing), it was a holiday and we just approached to the jumping spot; the people in charge told me that you can do that (just approach to the jumping spot), on holidays and weekends. If you want to go during the weekday, you need to contact an touristic agency in the city.

Mountain biking: you can rent bikes in the city and some people like to ride their bikes in the road, but I don't recommend it because the road is really narrow and it could be dangerous. I you want to practice downhill, there are bike trails, some of them for skilled bikers and some that are way easier, for people with little experience.

But if you just want to relax, don't worry, you can do it too. You can go to spas and resorts and swim in the thermal pools, whose waters have healing properties, according to the legends (that's why the city is called "Holy Water Baths").

You can visit the waterfalls, in the city are tons of touristic agencies that organize tours to visit almost every one of them.

El Agoyán waterfall

Path to one of the waterfalls

Pailón del Diablo, waterfall, Río Verde.

Manto de la Novia (The Bride's veil) waterfall

The waterfall that we enjoyed the most is Pailón del Diablo. To get there, you have to go to a town called Río Verde, 30 minutes from Baños, on the way to Puyo. In this town you can find a river and a park with an artificial lagoon where you can rent pedal boats. Well, to get to the waterfall, you have to walk about 1 km, from the town; don't worry, there's a guide and marked paths. One of the most fun parts is La Grieta al Cielo (Crack to the sky), a crack in the mountain where you have to go crouching and, in some parts, almost on your knees. More information clicking here.

You can climb the volcano; people say it's pretty easy, in comparison with other mountains. You should know that the Tungurahua has been an active volcano since October 1999. Sometimes there are little earthquakes, but occasionally, it erupts and the city needs to be evacuated. If you want to check out the volcano activity,  please click here.

While we were here, we stayed at La Carolina Hostel. Again, a non-expensive, comfortable, clean hostel with good service and it's own little restaurant. If you want information about the hostel, call this number (593) (3) 2740592.

There are resorts too, but we haven't been able to stay there. Luna Runtún, Adventure Spa is really popular and luxurious, with a restaurant called "Cafe del Cielo", where you can enjoy the view of the city, and a spa, the Volcanic SPA (for information here). Another one is Samari Spa Hotel (information here).

If you want to visit Baños de Agua Santa and you want more information about tours and hotels, click here.

Tungurahua

The province is named after the Tungurahua (Tangur: throat and Rauray: sore; "sore throat") volcano, wich is an active volcano. It's capital is Ambato, but Baños de Agua Santa is more famous. This province is located in the Andes, in the central zone of the country. The land of flowers and fruits.

Click in the image to know more about each place.

El Oro

El Oro is the province of Ecuador where is located Machala, the "banana capital of the world". Although it is located in the coast, it has just one beach, Jambelí, but you can visit another amazing places.

Travelling in Ecuador...Puyango Petrified Forest

Puyango Petrified Forest

In this trip we had the opportunity to visit the Puyango Petrified Forest, between two provinces: El Oro and Loja, right next to the Puyango River. Here you can find the biggest collection of petrified wood in the world, with 100-million-year-fossilized trees, coexisting with an alive forest. It's like the Petrified Forest in Arizona. You can even see a 2-meter-diameter and 15-meter-long fossilized tree.  There are petrified terrestrial and marine life, such as trees, animals (mollusks) and ferns. There's also a collection of ammonites and fossilized leaves. The entrance ticket is just $1 and you get a guided tour to the forest and the little museum! It's about a 1 hour tour, and it's quite hot during the dry season (from May to December), due to the fact that is a dry forest.

There are two ways to get to the forest. The first one is departing from Machala: Machala - Arenillas - Petrified Forest (111 km); and the other one is departing from Loja: Loja - Catamayo - Catacocha - Celica - Alamor - Petrified Forest (255 km).

It just takes you back in time, to the Mesozoic Era. Where now is the forest, it used to be sea, but the sea just dried and the forest and some animals inhabited the zone, got buried underground, under silts, due to some earthquakes. Finally they surfaced. The organisms fossilized due to the lack of oxygen.

Some petrified logs

Giant petrified tree

Giant petrified tree

The animals that live in this ecosystem are armadillos, deers, squirrels, sparrow hawks, hawks, partridge, and many others.

You can't go by yourself, you need a guide. Please, listen to the guide and do as he/she tells you to do. Not so long ago, people used to go by themselves and they didn't respect the forest; they littered, destroyed the trees and did a lot of damage to that delicate ecosystem. Fortunately, now the forest is an organized place that you can visit and enjoy completely.

I almost forgot, you can camp right next to the river in a beautiful esplanade!

Araucarias

Want more information about the forest? Click here.

Chimborazo

Chimborazo is the province of the highest volcano in Ecuador, Chimborazo Volcano. It is located in the central part of the country and you can find other important and high mountains, such as Carihuayrazo, Altar, Sangay, Igualata, and others. The capital city of the province is Riobamba.

Click in the picture to know more about each place.

Travelling in Ecuador: Alausí

Alausí

Alausí is located in the province of Chimborazo. San Pedro de Alausí is a lovely, delightful city; some of the architecture has been preserved over time. The fog in the city at night makes it look like an enchanted town. The main touristic attraction is the Nariz del Diablo (Devil's Nose) tour by train. Once it was called "the most difficult railroad in the world!" due to it's zigzag shape and the difficult access for it's construction. Originally, the train used to go all the way up to Durán, in the province of Guayas, but the railroad track has suffered a lot of damage: floods, landslides due to the rain, etc. Still, you can enjoy the little trip by train.

My stepson, waiting for the tour to start.

It's a three-hour tour, but the time spent in the train is one and half hour (45 minutes going and 45 minutes returning). The railroad track goes alongside the Chanchán River. You can take beautiful photos of the Nariz del Diablo mountain  from the gazebo in the Sibambe Train Station, where you will have a little meal (included in the price ticket). There you can visit the Cóndor Puñuna (the Condor Nest) Interpretation Centre; it's a guided visit. After that, is time to return to the city.

Chanchán river, photo taken from the train

In the train

Alausí, a foggy night

For more information about the tour by train and if you want to buy tickets online, please click here.

We like to travel in an inexpensive way, that's why we always stay in cheap hotels, but don't take this the wrong way, cheap as not expensive nor luxurious, but affordable, clean, comfortable and with an excellent service. So while we're in Alausí we stay at Ventura Hostel. If you want more information about the hostel, you can call these numbers (calling from Ecuador): 032930367 -  09800138223.

Travelling in Ecuador...The Stream

El Chorro (The Stream)

Actually, there are two waterfalls. You can reach the first one easily, because there are marked trails (please, don't go across them, you might get lost) that lead you to it. To the second one, there are only narrow paths and you will have to walk a lot uphill, so be prepared with a good physical condition.

The Stream

River that come from The Stream

Rocks in the first waterfall

The Stream's natural pool

The Stream's natural pool

Let's talk about the first waterfall. You'll have to walk the marked trails about 10 minutes and the you get to the natural pool where you can swim if you want to, but the water is very, very cold. People say that the water is medicinal. And be careful because in winter time there's a lot of water and the trails become slippery and you get wet. It's an excellent place to take photos.

There's a cottage where you can stay the night or camp, have lunch or just rest and get warm at the foot of  a fireplace. If you are planning to stay, bring warm clothes, it's really cold at night, sometimes it rains and there's a low fog that makes the environment even colder.

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