Skip to content
Photo: The lifted lorax (Wikipedia en inglés) · Dominio público · Wikimedia Commons

Vilcabamba and Podocarpus National Park

Cloud forest, highland coffee and the mild Vilcabamba valley in a two-day getaway.

  • 2 days / 1 night
  • Easy.
  • El Cardenal Hotel, Loja
Ask for availability and price View photos (5)

A short getaway south of Loja. The morning starts in Podocarpus National Park, among the dwarf forest and páramo of the Cajanuma sector, and continues in Malacatos with a visit to a coffee estate and the story of its harvest.

The afternoon belongs to the Vilcabamba valley, famous since the 1970s for the longevity of its people, with its quiet square, Yamburara park and the outline of Cerro Mandango. You return to Loja with a keepsake from the coffee harvest.

View of the Vilcabamba valley with the town on the valley floor, surrounded by green mountains
View of the Vilcabamba valley with the town on the valley floor, surrounded by green mountains
Photo: The lifted lorax (Wikipedia en inglés) · Dominio público · Wikimedia Commons
Clouds over the mountains around Vilcabamba; the town peeks out on the valley floor
Clouds over the mountains around Vilcabamba; the town peeks out on the valley floor
Photo: Burkhard Mücke · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Vilcabamba's central square framed by trees, with the white church and its clock tower behind
Vilcabamba's central square framed by trees, with the white church and its clock tower behind
Photo: Arabsalam · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The ridge of Mandango hill above green slopes, under a blue sky with a few clouds
The ridge of Mandango hill above green slopes, under a blue sky with a few clouds
Photo: Burkhard Mücke · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Viewpoint in Podocarpus National Park: Andean valleys and forest-covered mountains under a blue sky
Viewpoint in Podocarpus National Park: Andean valleys and forest-covered mountains under a blue sky
Photo: Arabsalam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Itinerary

  1. 08:00 · Breakfast

    Breakfast of local food at La Campiña restaurant.

  2. 09:00 · Podocarpus National Park

    Drive to the Cajanuma sector of Podocarpus National Park: arrival at the ranger station and a walk along one of its cloud-forest trails.

  3. 11:00 · Coffee in Malacatos

    In the parish of Malacatos, visit to a coffee estate with a presentation of its highland coffee.

  4. 13:00 · Traditional lunch

    Lunch of traditional local food.

  5. 14:30 · Vilcabamba valley

    A tour of Vilcabamba, Yamburara recreational park and the municipal senior centre, where we talk about life and customs in the valley, beneath Cerro Mandango.

  6. 17:00 · Snack and conversation

    A snack and a chat before heading back to Loja; arrival at the hotel around 19:00.

  7. Day 2 · Breakfast and farewell

    Breakfast at the hotel and check-out.

Includes

  • Accommodation at El Cardenal Hotel (1 night)
  • Executive transport throughout
  • Breakfast and lunch
  • Evening tour of Loja’s historic centre
  • Tour guide and paramedic with first-aid kit
  • Visit to a coffee estate in Malacatos
  • Coffee-harvest keepsake

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

Vilcabamba and Podocarpus National Park

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.

Tours

More tours

naturaleza Photo: Ministerio de Turismo Ecuador · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons 5 photos

4 days / 3 nights · Easy to moderate: short walks in the highlands and in humid forest.

Zamora, El Cisne and Vilcabamba

Four days from the Amazon to the Andes: Zamora and the Bombuscaro river, the Basilica of El Cisne and the Vilcabamba valley.

Ask for availability and price See the tour

See all tours →