Hotel, Vilcabamba, Loja, Ecuador
Relax, kick back, take off your watch and go back in time at Cabañas Rio Yambala.
In the rugged mountains of Southern Ecuador, a few kilometers up the "Valley of Longevity" from the Pueblo of Vilcabamba, sit the Cabañas Rio Yambala.
Whatever your needs Charlie and Sarah can probably help or point the way. They have your laundry done in a day or two, arrange for horses, guides, trip food, maps and information on the area. They provide wholesome meals (a variety of meat and vegetarian dishes) and even deliver them to your cabaña should the need arise.
There is a streamside restaurant and gathering place with a bar and shop for tobaccos, chocolate bars, cookies, etc.
If you immerse yourself in the languid flow of Campesino time, you will come to know how the local people live to be among the oldest of anywhere on earth.
After your immersion in languid time or the far from languid Rio Yambala, you may feel the need to do something. Three hours up valley, by foot or horse over trails worn deep over centuries, will bring you Charlie’s and Sarah’s Nature Reserve with lodging facilities. This lovely ridge and meadow in dead center of a spectacular mountain bowl in the early morning shadow of the Continental Divide, over which is the Amazon basin. The reserve adjoins and forms the "backdoor" of the Podocarpus National Park and is the easiest access to the Park’s Lake Region. Walks in the Reserve and Park lead through Pigmy Cloud Forests and virgin Rainforest, where giant Podocarpus and Secropia trees are festooned with many species of orchids and bromeliads. To the skilled or lucky hiker awaits glimpse of Spectacled Bear, Tapir and Puma.
The local people are friendly and curious and Pueblo festivities have an energy and gravity long lost in most Firstworld public events. I came for a week and stayed for a month! My business, like most of Charlie and Sarah’s business, was word of mouth. So I offered to write this little blurb for them. Happy Trails,
Jon. 1991
PS And remember, wherever you go - there you are.
Welcome to Paradise!
Relax in a hammock and indulge your senses. Feast your eyes on the surrounding mountains and enjoy lush tropical gardens. Hear the rushing river and songs of countless birds. Pamper your taste buds with delicious meals, hike, ride horses, bikes, have a sauna, a swim or RELAX, RELAX, RELAX.
Sharon Lazare - Canada 2004
Excerpts from trip reports
"The highlight of Vilcabamba, apart from it's amazing beauty, is the sacred lakes region of Vilcabamba which now is part of the Podocarpus National Park. ..tree ferns, epiphytes and many species of flowering orchids. Flocks of parrots flying overhead! A splendid show of nature! A yet undiscovered gem of Vilcabamba that few tourists have been to. The magic of being there is a privilege for anybody."
"Fantastic guide...excellent cook...delicious food...Cozy and comfortable cabin...New canopies & flying fox were brilliant, safe and great fun."
"The locally born guide, Sergio, was a font of knowledge on flora, fauna and local farming and cultural attitudes in general."
"Our guide, Gricerio, was excellent - friendly, knowledgeable & helpful but gave us enough space to enjoy the environs. He was more than happy to travel at our pace and had a sense of humour. He also prepared delicious meals."
"We are travelling since 3 month in Ecuador and for us it was honestly one of the highlights."
Tel: 091062762
(Best to call betweem 11a.m. and 4p.m.)
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