Annie & Aly’s Adventure in the Andes continues! If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, go back and read it here.
About a 2.5 hour drive north of Quito is San Miguel de Ibarra, the capital city of the Imbabura province, and the location of the birthday festivities, which brought 25 people from around the world together in celebration. Over 4 days, we learned about condors, saw Andean bears high up in a tree, ate delicious traditional food, shopped in the largest indigenous artisan market in South America, chased waterfalls, lakes and hot springs, ate more food, and danced.
I chose to do this post a little differently, so I hope you enjoy these “postcards” from Ibarra!
Postcards from Ibarra
The Imbabura Volcano stands at a height of 4,610m above sea level. Its last eruption was 14,000 years ago! Taita Imbabura, the mythical father of the Caranqui people, plays an intriguing role in stories of the Imbabura province. Read more about Ecuador’s volcano love stories here.
We stayed at Quinta San Miguel, an adorable inn overlooking Laguna de Yahuarcocha. Laguna de Yahuarcocha, meaning blood lake, was the site of the 1487 bloody Battle of Yahuarcocha between the Incas and a united front of indigenous peoples known as the Caranqui-Cayambe-Pasto confederation. The battle ended in a massacre, and the bodies of slain Caranqui men were thrown into the lake. Read more about the Lake of Blood here.
Hacienda Zuleta is a 4,000 acre working farm, home to the Andean Condor Huasi Project. The Condor Huasi project is a conservation initiative for the critically endangered Andean Condor, the world’s largest flying bird and Ecuador’s national bird.
We got a taste of indigenous hospitality in San Clemente with a three-course lunch. I still think about that choclo (corn)!
Otovalo Market is one of South America’s most famous artisan markets, offering a large variety of indigenous art, textiles and jewelry.
Peguche waterfall is 30m high and 6m wide! It’s a popular attraction with areas for camping, trails for hiking, and swimming pools. Apart from the beauty of the waterfall, Peguche is one of the sites for Inti Raymi, Festival of the Sun, which pays homage to Apu Inti (sun god) and Pacha Mama (mother earth).
The actual birthday celebration was an 80s-themed party full of neon, glitz and glam!
Laguna de Cuicocha, part of the Cotacachi-Cayapas Reserve, is a crater lake at the foot of the Cotacachi Volcano. The two islets in the middle of the lake – Teodoro Wolf and José María Yeroví – are off-limits to visitors, but you can take a boat tour around the lake.
That’s it for Ecuador! Peru is up next.