Day 5: Riobamba – Ingapirca – Cuenca
Visit to the Chimborazo Reserve and the ruins of Ingapirca.
The duration of the excursion day, with transfers, is 10-12 hours.
The duration of the transfer Riobamba-Chimborazo - 1 hour; Chimborazo-Ingapirca 4 hours; Ingapirca-Cuenca - 1.5 hours.
The height of the excursion is 3200-4800m. Overnight altitude - 2500m.
The average temperature during the tour is 0-+5C. Average overnight temperature - +15С
Located in the heart of Ecuador, this relatively small reserve preserves historical, cultural and biological riches, although the cold prevailing in it suggests otherwise. From the impressive view of the "grandfather" Chimborazo, more than six thousand meters high, is breathtaking when you look at him, no matter from what point: from the city of Riobamba, from the train car heading to Alausi, from the Ambato-Guaranda highway in the Cruz del area - Arenal or from a plane flying over the Andes. No wonder, when flying in the vicinity of the majestic volcano, pilots always announce this to their passengers. The Chimborazo Reserve was established in 1987 with the aim of implementing a program to manage the "Andean camels" (llamas, alpacas and vicuñas). These close relatives of famous camels are native to the riding paramo but disappeared from the wild many years ago. The creation of this reserve was intended to repopulate these areas with native species, in this case, they brought vicuñas from Peru and Chile, where they still live in natural conditions. Thus, the reserve has formed and manages wild populations, from which it will receive valuable wool in the future.
The reserve, despite the fact that its importance is obvious, no doubt attracts the attention of tourists thanks to the aforementioned volcano Chimborazo - the highest mountain of Ecuador, covered with eternal glaciers - and its neighbor, the Cariuairaso volcano. Both volcanoes are located in the center of the reserve. Numerous streams, formed during the melting of volcanic glaciers, flow into the Ambato, Chambo and Chimbo rivers, which in turn form the Pastasu River. Lunch Box included.
After visiting the reserve, we go to the ruins of Ingapirca. Ingapirca is the largest and best preserved archaeological site in Ecuador, is located 80 km from the city of Cuenca, in Cañar province. It was built with millions of hewn stone in the middle of the eighteenth century. In the complex you can see the different architectural units, among which stands the Temple of the Sun, which have an elliptical shape 37 feet long and 12 meters wide, was used to perform ceremonies and rituals Cañari-Inca culture. In addition, you can observed the oldest building Ingapirca Pilaloma which consists of a series of rectangular rooms.
After visiting the ruins we will go to Cuenca, here you can rest and enjoy your free time.
Accommodation: Hotel Santa Lucia 4+*
Breakfast/Box Lunch
