A clapped out old bus with rattling windows, faded velour seats and a never ending soundtrack of Andean pan pipes dropped us off in the small settlement of Quilatoa. The indigenous farming village didn’t look like much, just a cluster of basic brick and tin roof homes, but we’d learnt that this was the access point to one of Ecuador’s most spectacular sights – the unbelievably beautiful volcanic crater lake, Quilatoa.
Tag Archives: Latacunga
Mama Negra festival
25 Jan
A man, dressed as a woman, with a blacked up face and riding a horse sauntered past us. A group of traditional Ecuadorian dancers span around with perfect rhythm and exuded seemingly endless energy. Staggering to make ten steps forward, a strong guy collapsed onto a stool to take a breather from carrying a whole roasted pig on his back which was decorated with cooked guinea pigs, large bottles of strong spirits and packets of cigarettes! We were stunned, enthralled and thoroughly entertained – this could only be the Mama Negra festival, one of Ecuador’s biggest and most loved festivals, which combines traditional culture and folklore in a two-day long fiesta.
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Torres del Paine – the ‘W’ trek
Visitors from all walks of life converge on the small hamlet of Puerto Natales to visit Chile’s and perhaps the Continent’s number one national park – Torres del Paine. Located in the Southern Patagonian ice fields at the end of the Andes, the park offers diverse wildlife and incredible mountain scenery, glaciers, lakes, rivers and […]
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