Canoa, Cuenca, Loja & Vilcabamba

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In between my Spanish courses, I had foreseen one week for traveling. I used this time to go to Canoa, Cuenca, Loja & Vilcabamba.
Quite an full schedule ! In total, I have spent 48h in the bus in one week.

My trip to Canoa was the second time I went to the coast in Ecuador, very different from Atacames. Canoa is a small fishers village that is rather difficult to reach. In order to get there from Quito, you need to take a bus, a boat and again a bus. The result is a very nice large beach, with only very few people and with almost no pollution. There are a lot of bars next to the beach and nightlife is more friendly than in many other places in Ecuador. In Canoa, you can still walk on the beach at night without worrying about safety. The weather could have been better while I was there, but nevertheless I had a very good time here !

Next stop of my "speed trip" was Cuenca. The reason I went to Cuenca was mainly for the National park of Cajas and it was more than worth it ! Most people visit the park with a tour, because it is quite a hassle to get there (especially now because the road is partially blocked due to roadworks) and because it is a little bit dangerous to walk alone in the park. The park is located at an altitude and the weather is therefore unpredictable. In the south of the park, many people get lost and die because of exposure. I went up to 5100m and visited only the north of the park, but the signs were not very clear either. Without having the intention, I went of the trails. I spent the full day hiking in the park without meeting anyone ! It was a little bit scary sometimes, but nevertheless a great experience. When I wanted to get back to the city, one of the protectors of the park drove me back home and dropped me of at my hostel. He also invited me to go in the park together, but I probably will not have the time for this. A pity, because I am sure this would be a great experience ! He told me that the park has many lakes, about 200 big ones and 800 including the smaller ones. Thanks to these lakes, Cuenca is the only city in Ecuador were you can drink water from the tab.

Next, I went to Vilcabamba, which is further down south. I wanted to go horse riding here, but unfortunately my back was hurting from the long bus trips. Therefore, I decided to go hiking instead in the Reserve Natural RumiWilco. The reserve is beautiful with easy hikes and the city is perfect to relax. Before going back to Quito, I spent half a day in Loja. I would have loved to spend some more time in this nice city with beautiful parks and cosy streets. While I was in Vilcabamba and Loja, I heard that the volcano in Baños had become more active, with noise and a red gloom at night. Less than a week ago, I was there myself as well ! A pity that I missed this, because I heard from other travelers that this was a great experience.

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