Your Travel Experience with Galapagos PRO
Visit of remote communities in the Andes
The canton of Guamote is the most traditional region in Ecuador with 95% of the population being purely indigenous (while in the rest of the country it is only 25%). Guamote village has about 5,000 inhabitants, but in the surrounding mountains another 40,000 people live in small communities. On this trip, you will visit some of these little villages and community projects held in the mountains.
You will start the day with a visit to the educational center Inti Sisa in Guamote where they teach sewing, computer science and English. Every Sunday they also have a traditional Andean music course.
Afterwards, you will take a jeep tour through to the mountains where you can enjoy the beautiful sceneries of the Andes. The local guide will explain to you about the history of this region and the Indigenous culture and traditions.
The first stop is at the primary school where volunteers teach English. The kids will be very happy about your visit.
The next stop is at a traditional weaver´s house who will show you how they make their typical ponchos from the sheep and alpaca wool.
Have you ever hold a "cuy" (guinea pig)? In the next stop, you can do so as you will visit an Indigenous family who will greet you at their home. Here you can see their authentic housing (choza) typical of life in the Andean mountains and learn about the Andean lifestyle.