Luxury Leisure

Cuenca

Andean colonial grandeur, Inca ruins & pristine nature · 3 Days / 2 Nights

Signature journey

Andean colonial grandeur

Cuenca is arguably Ecuador's most beautiful city, a UNESCO World Heritage treasure where cobblestone streets, soaring cathedral domes, and four rivers converging at the city's heart create a setting of effortless, timeless elegance. Three days here feel like a journey through centuries.

The journey

Day by day

  1. Day01

    Cuenca & the Gualaceo Valley

    The city reveals itself at its own gracious pace: Calderón Park, the pink marble New Cathedral, the intimate Old Cathedral, and the Monastery of El Carmen. A visit to the Straw Hat Factory Museum traces the story of the Panama hat, whose weaving tradition UNESCO declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. The afternoon opens into the Gualaceo Valley, where the villages of Gualaceo and Chordeleg offer fine gold and silver jewelry, ceramics, and textiles woven using pre-Columbian techniques.

  2. Day02

    Ingapirca

    Ecuador's most important Inca archaeological site, set in the province of Cañar. The complex is an architectural marvel, its stonework so precisely fitted it has endured for centuries without mortar. A guided walk through the chambers and ceremonial spaces is one of the most moving cultural experiences the southern Andes has to offer.

  3. Day03

    El Cajas National Park

    One hour from Cuenca, El Cajas is the most lake-rich national park in the entire Andes, with over 230 lakes scattered across a dramatic páramo landscape of cloud forest and sweeping moorland. A morning hike through this ancient, mist-draped wilderness is humbling in the best possible way, before transfers to the airport for the return flight to Quito.

Where you stay

Hotel Santa Lucía

A beautifully restored colonial mansion in the heart of Cuenca's historic center.

Mansión Alcázar

One of Cuenca's most celebrated boutique hotels, set in a lovingly preserved 19th-century mansion with exquisite gardens and refined interiors.

The details

What is included

Included

  • Double accommodation
  • All meals as described
  • Certified bilingual guides
  • Private van transportation throughout

Not included

  • Round-trip flights Quito to Cuenca
  • Beverages
  • Tips
  • Personal expenses

A glimpse

Colonial grandeur & Inca stone

Cuenca and its blue domes
Ingapirca, the great Inca ruin
A lake in El Cajas National Park

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