Blogs from Vilcabamba, South, Ecuador, South America - page 4

Dec 18 - Ecuador - Vilcabamba - Horse Riding / Raining - So we went horse riding from the Hostel today from 9.30am till like 2.30pm. We rode all the way up into the Andes overlooking the valley of Vilcabamba which was incredible. - We went to a Cascada (waterfall) which is part of the fountain of youth mysteries, which was really fun being that it was raining and there was loads of mud and really steep cliffs. - Horse riding shall we say is not one of Dani´s favourite things in the world. She has confessed to having a very sore ass and vowing to never ride on horses again. - Alice and myself where clearly very capable horse riders mastering the tall cliffs and slippery slopes on the Andes with ease. High ho silver. ... read more

We're back in Ecuador now after spending a few days at the beach and a really nice week in the highlands of Peru. After a grueling 30 hours of bus travel (cramped, sweaty, yelling Peruvians, and a broken bridge), we arrived in Huaraz in the Cordillera Blanca ('White Mountain Range', Andes) at around 3am. From Huaraz, we did a day hike 'almost' to Laguna Churup ... the altitude (around 14,000 feet) really got to us (me, Emily) and we ended up just walking around the mountainside, which had some spectacular and satisfying views anyway. Next we went to Caraz, a smaller and more pleasant town about 2 hours north of Huaraz. We checked into a nice hostal (Hostal Chavin) where we were pleasantly surprised with an extremely friendly and helpful dueño (owner). He helped us with ... read more

23.10.2009 17:55 Corazón... ... ist ein huebscher Brauner, den so leicht nichts aus der Ruhe bringen laesst, gehorsam auf die Befehle seines Besitzers hinter ihm reagiert und die zaghaften Steuerungsversuche seiner unerfahrenen Reiterin konsequent ignoriert. Hoch zu Ross und eher kartoffelsackaehnlich als stolz gehts von Vilcabamba aus in Richtung Podocarpus-Nationalpark. Fuer die ersten 15 Minuten ist der Sattelknauf mein bester Freund, nach 30 Minuten bin ich entspannt und geniesse die Panoramen der Landschaft ringsum, nach 5 Stunden weiss ich, warum die Anbieter von Reitausfluegen in Vilcabamba in der Regel auch Massagen im Angebot haben. Insgesamt sechs Stunden waren wir unterwegs, der einheimische Fuehrer und ich, und ueberwanden dabei etwa 900 Hoehenmeter bis ca 2800m ueber NN. Ringsum atemberaubende Aussichten auf die Berge, die jetzt zum Ende der Trock... read more

Zumba es la cabecera cantonal de Chinchipe, la tierra de la chonta y la guayusa. El río Mayo Chinchipe atraviesa el cantón de norte a sur. En este lugar se descubrio la cultura MAYO - CHINCHIPE DE HACE 5000 AÑOS ... read more

We are staying in Hostal Izchayluma just outside the small town of Vilcabamba (pop only around 5000). The hostal has its dining area overlooking the valley and the town. It is an amazing sight and one we will not forget, there are nice garden areas around the hostal and we have a lovely lodge with the biggest bed we have had yet in South America. The food at the hostal has been delicious and massive portions, along with the view has made for a lovely relaxing stay here. Our first day I went for one of the self guided walks that the hostal provides, it was a brilliant walk. It followed a dirt path through a small community and then it led on to a fabulous ridge walk. On the ridge I was able to see ... read more