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Wonderful Indigenous Homestay 20 mins from Otavalo

Recommended homestay in indigenous village 20mins from Otavalo

I stayed with a family in Iluman just outside Otavalo, and would like tor ecommend it to anyone who is interested in mountains/ hiking/ fresh air /a very relaxing traditional village/indigenous culures and shamanism (There is a shamans association because there are so many there, see the Yachac signs on the walls of their houses). Almost everyone in the village is in traditional dress (give or take the odd hip hop/emo teenager)

They have a big house with an amazing room up on the roof, with uninterrupted views of Cotacachi (about4600m), and Iluman(about 4100m).

To Get There>
Take a bus from Otavalo Bus Station to Iluman (every 20 mins until abut 8pm), and get off at the Barrio Rancho Chico sign, or ask someone to tell you when you are at Barrio Rancho Chico (even thought the village is tiny, there are 3 or 4 Barrios within it). The house with the wooden Barrio Rancho Chicho sign outside it , and the shop on the ground floor. It is called El Rancho (no sign yet!).

Alejandro and Esthella welcome visitors for short or long terms stays. Esthela is a great cook, using produce from her family's fields, which are really near.

They dont check their email or use the internet much, so I advise calling them unless you have a couple of months to make arrangements. Check out their website for more details. there are lots of pictures in the gallery section of the site to get an idea of the area too.

www.elrancho.edicypages.com

I hope you like it as much as I did!

By the1andonly on Mar 17, 2009, 08:46 in Ecuador forum.