Cuenca Daily Tours

Cuenca City Tour

Duration: 3 hours (daily).

Cuenca, Ecuador’s third largest city, is known locally as "The Athens of Ecuador" in honor of its numerous poets.  The city’s cobblestone streets, colonial plazas and religious art treasures recall her distant past, while the flower market on the little Plaza del Carmen and the new and old Cathedrals on the main Plaza Calderón provide some spectacular color and impressive architecture.  A trip along the Tomebamba River takes you to the Inter-American Center of Popular Art, home to many regional handicrafts while a walk through the city center will give you a chance to visit the stores stocked with gold and silver filigree jewelry, ceramics and textiles.  On the city outskirts lie the remains of human settlements in the Todos Los Santos, evidencing pre-Inca civilizations.

Ingapirca Inca Ruins  

Duration: 1 day (daily).

Two hours north of Cuenca lies the Ingapirca fortress, a religious and administrative complex built by the Cañaris, then conquered and rebuilt by the Incas several hundred years before the Spanish arrived.  This is the most important archaeological site in Ecuador.  Your journey takes you through beautiful, rolling country scenery with panoramic vistas stretching away to the horizon.  The drive passes through the towns of Azogues and Cañar, with a visit to the Indian market included. 
Lunch included.

Gualaceo / Chordeleg  

Duration: 4 hours (daily).

A walk around the market of Gualaceo will give you a feel for its handicraft traditions, while Chordeleg’s numerous jewelry shops will prove irresistible.  This deceptively sleepy town thrives on its locally produced gold work.  Jewelry here is offered at a fraction of prices elsewhere.  The town also contains a museum where artisans and weavers are often at work.  Lunch is included.

Cajas Lakes   

Duration: 1 day (daily).

West of Cuenca is the lake district lying at 10,000ft/3,000m above sea level.  The region was formed by volcanic activity and has resulted in a breathtaking scenery containing over 200 lakes located 29 km west of Cuenca. This national park became very famous since the appearance of the Virgin (Virgen del Cajas). Many people like to go there to ask for miracles and pray. Approximately 125 species of birds have been found here. Among them, we can mention: The Condor, the Violet-tailed Metal tail, sword-billed, shining sunbeam, sparkling violet-ear and the viridian metal-tail. In the lakes, you can also find Andean gulls, yellow-billed pintails and the speckled teal. Additionally, this is an easily accessible plateau and high elevation forest park and is also the main source of drinking water in Cuenca.  An ideal location for hiking, trekking and observing flora, fauna and bird life.