Day 1 – Transfer in / Pick up – Cooking class + Cuenca city tour half day

This incredible experience begins with a visit to the main local market in the historical center of Cuenca. Here you will be able to buy some of the ingredients you will use later. It is a great opportunity to experience the local culture and daily life. You will learn about Andean products and how to order products in the market. Then we will take a short walk through the old town to our chef’s kitchen, where we will learn how to cook the menu of our choice. After the class you will sit down and enjoy the food you have prepared. The tour lasts approximately 5 hours.

After enjoying a delicious lunch, we will get ready to visit the beautiful city of Cuenca in an afternoon tour, this visit includes places like the picturesque and traditional Barrio de San Sebastian, the Museum of Modern Art, Calderon Park (central park), Plaza de las Flores, La Catedral del Sagrario (Old Cathedral), Catedral Inmaculada Concepcion (New Cathedral) considered the largest in Latin America.

Also included is a visit to a famous Toquilla Straw Hat Factory, where you can see the making of the finest hats.

In addition, we travel through the majesty and charm of the Barranco where the architecture meets the natural environment.

Finally, we arrive at the “Mirador de Turi” where the landscape of a valley full of red roofs and blue domes is framed by imposing mountains.

Return to the hotel

AVAILABLE EVERY DAY EXCEPT SUNDAY

Day 2: Full Day Gualaceo & Chordeleg Handicraft Villages

Pick up at the hotel around 08h00 am. The tour begins with a trip to the picturesque village of San Bartolomé, famous for its guitar making. There are several workshops along the main road. We visit one of the workshops, as well as the central park and its church.

On the way you will see women, the famous Cholas Cuencanas, weaving the toquilla straw hats while walking or waiting for the bus. We arrive at the Chordeleg canton, where gold, silver, filigree, wood, ceramics and handicrafts, among others, are worked. We visit the central park, its church and have free time for shopping.

Next, we visit the typical food market of the Gualaceo canton, where you can optionally try the delicious Chancho Hornado. A dish made from baked pork accompanied by llapingachos (potatoes) and salad. In addition, we will have the opportunity to taste the typical drink of this place, the rosero accompanied by a quesadilla.

We have lunch in a local restaurant.

Finally, we arrive at a workshop of “Chales” or “Macanas” typical dress of our “Chola Cuencana. The artisans explain the process of elaboration of these famous and unique fabrics.

Day 3: Pottery Class – Basketwork in San Joaquin – Industrial Fátima, Cocoa Processor

08:00 AM Pick up at the hotel.

We will visit the Rotary Plaza, famous for its different handicrafts such as basketry, wooden furniture and ceramics (the famous pottery made with the ancestral technique of Jatumpamba). This is a place where interaction and conversation mark the human rhythm; where haggling, more than price reduction, seeks dialogue, complicity and friendship.

To learn the secrets of pottery we attended the workshop of Mr. Ivan Encalada, who is a well-known Cuenca potter who welcomes us in his colonial style house full of patios, backyards and gardens. For one hour he will teach us basic techniques for shaping clay and making decorative pieces that vary depending on your individual tastes and interests.

Afterwards we will go to San Joaquin, one of the rural parishes of Cuenca where we will be able to appreciate the art of basket making, but before that we will stop for lunch at a local restaurant, where we will taste a delicious menu. We head towards the area where we find the artisans. Most of them are dedicated to this activity full time. Through which they can elaborate different types of objects; from ornaments to baskets to make the purchases in the market, which are friendly with the environment. They will explain us the whole process of elaboration, from the moment they get the raw material to the final product.

Finally, on the way back to the city center we will visit Industrial Fátima, Cocoa Processing Plant, where upon arrival they will provide us with all the information needed for the elaboration of the chocolate, then we will tour their facilities and we will be able to see the whole process through which the cocoa passes to finally become chocolate. At the end we will have a tasting of the final product, this tour will take about 45 minutes.

Return to the hotel.

It includes:

Transfer Airport-Hotel-Airport

Professional bilingual tour guide

Private Transport

02 nights accommodation (hotel category to be chosen)

Breakfast for each night of accommodation

City tour half day in Cuenca.

Cooking class

Full day excursion to Gualaceo & Chordeleg

Includes lunch

Tickets

Ceramic class

Visit to San Joaquin – Basketwork

Includes lunch

Visit to Industrial Fátima, Cocoa Processor

Tickets

Prices do not include:

Dinners

Drinks during the tours

Personal expenses

Tips

VAT 12% (for Ecuadorian pax)

For further information and availability please.

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