Hostal Paquiestancia

Ok

I had a blissful time in Paquiestancia - it was one of my favourite parts of my trip to Ecuador. It was a chance to get a glimpse of rural life (it's primarily a dairy farming community) away from the tourist trail. I went primarily for the hiking in the hills surrounding the village. One day we hiked up to 4,000m passing through the fields where the farmers keep their cattle and some amazing cloud forest. The views over Cayambe and the surrounding volcanoes were spectacular. I arranged a guide, Oscar, for the day. He was really informative about the plants and animals in the local area and he was very reasonable ($15USD for 6 hours). You can also milk some of the cows in the village for $2, apparently it's very hard work! I stayed in the community lodge for 2 nights. The rooms have high ceilings and very comfortable beds. The food was great too, cooked by a woman from the village. Try the sambor de dulce for breakfast (spiced pumpkin with pancakes) - delicious!

Paquiestancia Hostel is part of the community. Outside it is seen with large and equipped infrastructure. However, we were away from the hostel for a long time, we called the contact phone number, we even went to another address to contact the administrator and nobody ever gave us information. Likewise, the entrance to the waterfalls and the Paquiestancia Forests are managed by the same person, we could never go. How does Community Tourism work if there is no information or availability on the weekend?

Beautiful landscapes

Good alternative for hiking, good food, cozy and good treatment