Humidity, blasts of hot air, heavy traffic... Embark for Guayaquil, the largest city of Ecuador even though Quito is the capital. We're off for a visit of the "Pearl of the Pacific", from its landscaped river promenade (the Malecón 2000) to the cerro Santa Ana, not to mention the city centre!

Guayaquil, pearl of the Pacific

In this article you will find a presentation of Isla de la Plata, nicknamed "the poor-man's Galapagos", which can be reached from Puerto López.

Leaving Puerto López for the little Galapagos

Ecuadorian Amazonia possesses the densest biodiversity in the world. With its 6034 square kilometres, the reserve is an incredible mix of rivers and flooded forests (due to the large quantities of annual rainfall in the Amazon). The result? A part of the Amazon that is unique and which will not leave you unaffected...

Cuyabeno, the jewel of the Amazon in Ecuador

In this article we visit Otavalo, the best market in Ecuador and perhaps the best in the world.

Otavalo and its most wonderful markets

Quito

Otavalo

Amazonia

Riobamba

Peguche is an exceptional place to visit if you want to encounter and meet the local indigenous people.

South America

Ecuador

Peguche

Europe

Central America

Africa

North America

Asia

Middle East

Oceania

During my trip to Ecuador I left Otavalo and went to Peguche to have a magnificent country walk by the side of San Pablo lake, before going back to Otavalo. Ideally you should go there for the festival of the sun which takes place on the 21st June every year. The otherwise tranquil village becomes a centre of pilgrimage for all the Indians in the region who come to bathe in the waterfall. Outside of this season, although Peguche is quite calm and peaceful, there are always a few tourists so it's not quite lost to the world. The two of us left for a walk together but there were six of us when we got back. Altogether, I recommend you go to Peguche for its waterfall or for a walk in the countryside.

Peguche is a pretty country village 5 km from Otavalo in the north of Ecuador. It's the departure point for a really enjoyable walk.

The village of Peguche was all experiencing local arts and crafts and meeting the villagers themselves for us. Amongst its population, the village has its own weavers and Andean musicians. And because Peguche lies surrounded by countryside, you only need to take a short walk through its streets, past the houses and eucalyptus trees, to reach the rivers and Peguche Waterfall, where you can bathe and have fun playing and splashing around. Something I enjoyed in particular here was the traditional festival of Inti Raymi, at which the indigenous people celebrate the sun, the earth and the moon through the medium of music. Wearing ponchos and masks, the musicians wander through the streets of the village to the rhythm of the music they play on their quenas, charangos (traditional Andean flutes and lute-like instruments) and violins. They lead you on a dance around the traditional drink, "la chicha", and the power of the sun gets firmly anchored into the ground by the dancers performing back heel kicks in time with the music. The more hardy and intrepid amongst the indigenous people will head off to bathe in the river in order to "wash" away the impurities of the past year and benefit from the silvery rays of the moon, fully rejuvenating themselves ready for the year to come! As for the local craftspeople I met in the village, they can be observed making rugs, scarves, ponchos and gloves outside their workshops and on the buses. The material they use is alpaca wool, and they head off every Saturday to Otavalo to sell their merchandise. And the musicians, for their part, make wooden panpipes and flutes as lasting symbols of the special part Andean music plays in their lives.

My Ecuadorian trip was coming to an end and it was a bit of a marathon. Leaving from Otavalo, I had decided to explore Peguche, Cotacachi and Cuycocha lake in a single day. It took me a little while to get to Peguche because, of course, I got lost and didn't see anyone apart from a few dodgy wild dogs...I also had a detour to see "El Lechero ", a sacred tree at the top of a little hill from which there was a good view over the surrounding mountains and lakes. I finally arrived at Peguche and there were a lot of people at the waterfall! It is in a eucalyptus forest and is considered a sacred place, so it doesn't have little souvenir stalls everywhere. As I was leaving the forest to go back to the village I found an old monument dedicated to slaves. Peguche village is quite quiet. I walked past a football stadium where children were playing and finished my visit in a Museum cum workshop of Andean musical instruments. A good place to explore!

Accessible on foot from Otavalo. Peguche is a nice small village which can be proud of its beautiful waterfall in the middle of the forest.

Peguche Holidays

Peguche: How to get there?

Peguche: See when to go?

Peguche: For how long?

Peguche: What to see nearby?

Ecuador: our articles for your holidays