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Photo: Ministerio de Turismo Ecuador · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

San Pedro de la Bendita – El Cisne Route

The route of Loja’s faith: mass at the Basilica of El Cisne and an afternoon in San Pedro de la Bendita, birthplace of the “El Cardenal” story.

  • 1 day
  • Easy.
  • El Cardenal Hotel, Loja
Ask for availability and price View photos (3)

El Cisne —“the swan”, after the image of the Virgin— is the great sanctuary of southern Ecuador: every August thousands of pilgrims walk with the Virgin to Loja. We attend mass at the basilica and visit the handicraft market and the museum with the Virgin’s robes.

Then we go down to San Pedro de la Bendita, the village of traditional sweets where in 1917 Ramón Agustín Ojeda, “El Cardenal”, began his life as a merchant, musician and choirmaster, and where he and his partners built the first electric power plant in the south of the country.

Pale blue and white Gothic façade of the El Cisne Basilica and its tower, among the village rooftops and the mountains
Pale blue and white Gothic façade of the El Cisne Basilica and its tower, among the village rooftops and the mountains
Photo: Ministerio de Turismo Ecuador · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Tower of the El Cisne shrine beside the Campo Mariano, the large pilgrims' esplanade, under a cloudy sky
Tower of the El Cisne shrine beside the Campo Mariano, the large pilgrims' esplanade, under a cloudy sky
Photo: Arabsalam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inside the El Cisne Basilica: golden main altarpiece with the image of the Virgin, columns and stained glass
Inside the El Cisne Basilica: golden main altarpiece with the image of the Virgin, columns and stained glass
Photo: TriiipleThreat · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Itinerary

  1. Breakfast at the hotel

    Breakfast at La Campiña restaurant: American style or à la carte with Loja specialities (humitas, tamales, green-plantain bolones).

  2. 08:30 · Basilica of El Cisne

    Transfer to the sanctuary of the Virgin of El Cisne, about 75 km from Loja.

  3. 10:00 · Mass and handicrafts

    Mass at the basilica and a walk through the parish handicraft market.

  4. 12:00 · Museum of the Virgin

    Visit to the sanctuary museum.

  5. 13:30 · Lunch in San Pedro de la Bendita

    Transfer and traditional lunch.

  6. 15:00 · The village of “El Cardenal”

    A walk through San Pedro de la Bendita, its church, its old houses and its roscones and bizcochuelos.

  7. Back at the hotel

    Arrival at El Cardenal, where a cup of Loja coffee and a snack await you.

Includes

  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Transport from and to the hotel
  • Guide
  • Traditional lunch
  • Loja coffee and a snack on return

Not included

  • Drinks
  • Dinners
  • Entrance fees to museums, zoos and other sites
  • Handicraft purchases
  • Anything not listed in the programme

What to bring

  • Layered clothing and a warm jacket
  • Rain jacket or poncho
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Sunscreen and a cap
  • Water bottle
  • ID document
  • Cash for handicrafts

San Pedro de la Bendita – El Cisne Route

Ask for availability and price

We quote it according to the date and the size of the group. Tell us when and how many are travelling and we will reply with availability and price.

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