Hacienda Guachala

Guachalá is the oldest Hacienda in Ecuador. The oldest building dates from 1580. Each nook and cranny in Guachala has its own secrets and its own history. We invite you to return to the past and feel the strong presence of history in the Middle of The World Hacienda Guachala. Some of the historic areas of the Hacienda Guachalá include two churches, the colonial "patio", the old mill and others.

We are located on the Equatorial line, just one hour away from Quito and twenty minutes away from Otavalo.

Guachalá is more than a country inn; it is also a real farm. Here you can interact with nature, farm animals, and country life.  

Activities

Guachalá is located a few meters from the Equatorial line. From here you can visit places like: Cayambe Volcano, Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve, Quito Loma, Cochasquí, and the Otavalo Market. 

• Cayambe Volcano:  At an altitude of 5,790 meters above sea level, the Cayambe Volcano is the highest mountain on the Equatorial line. Just an hour and half away from the Hacienda , you can visit the mountain refuge. From there, you can enjoy a nice view of the Ecuadorian highlands and the many glaciers found there.
• Mojanda Lakes: Caricocha ("male lake" ), Huarmicocha ("female lake"), and Yanacocha ("black lake") are located an hour away from Guachalá.
• Quito Loma: The largest of the Pucarás ruins is Quito Loma. A forty-five minute car ride can take you to this magestic and historic relic. Once there, you can see the spectacular view of Quito, the capital of Ecuador.
• The Horses: We offer short horse-back rides aound the surroundings of Guachalá that last from thirty minutes, to long adventures in search of the Pucará ruins on the Ecuatorian Andes that last at least six hours. 
  Short Horse-back Rides: After choosing the right horse, you may enjoy a half hour to three hour ride around the Guachalá valley. 
  Long Horse-back Rides:  Get to know Campana Pucará on a four-hour ride. On a six-hour ride, you can visit other Pre-Incan archeological ruins. The Pucarás are found in the summit of the Pambamarca mountain, found very close to the Equatorial line.
• Hikes Around the Area: Being in the country, Guachalá offers many hiking opportunities in its vicinity. On the Hill of the Mill you can walk under the first and oldest eucaliptus trees planted in Ecuador (brought over from Australia by the ex-president of Ecuador, Gabriel García Moreno in 1860). You can climb the Catequilla Hill and enjoy the spectacular view of the whole Guachalá Valley as well. 

Facilities

Rooms

All of our 31 rooms have a private bath with hot water. We invite you to become part of history by sleeping in a house with walls that are more than three hundred years old.

Twenty-nine of the thirty-one rooms are warmed up by a fireplace, ideal for romantic nights. The other two are warmed up by an electric heater. 

The Hacienda Guachalá has the following room configurations available:  

Single (1 twin bed)
Matrimonial (1 queen bed) 
Double (1 queen bed and 1 twin bed)
Triple (1 queen bed and 2 twin beds) 
Quadruple (1 queen bed and 3 twin beds)

Each of our rooms have their own unique ambience. Because of the way the house was built, the rooms are located in four different areas of the hacienda:

Colonial Patio rooms 

All of the rooms on this area, are located in one of the halls of this beautiful colonial patio. 

Blue Hallway  rooms

The rooms in this hallway have two ways to access them. One way is through the hallway and the other is through the pool area. 

The Loft  

This area has two floors. The three rooms on the top floor share a cozy living room. This area of the Hacienda is were the owners used to live.

The Arches  

There are ten rooms found on The Arches. They are all double rooms and are close to the conference and seminar area. They are ideal for those who are there for conferences or to simply relax. 

Services

• Restaurant: We have three dinning rooms with different environments. The first one is located on the colonial patio. The inner dining room is warmed by a fire place. The last one is located inside the tropical environment of our swimming pool. No matter where you choose to eat, you can enjoy our delicious menu. 
• Though you are immersed in nature and history, you can still keep in touch with your family and friends through our Internet cafe. We offer a high-speed Internet service, and the computers with the powerful and virus-free GNU/Linux operating system. 
• The pool at Guachalá is characterized for having a tropical micro climate. On sunny days the air temperature is sometimes above 100F.
  We have taken advantage of the high temperature inside the pool area to create a mini tropical ecosystem so you can enjoy it without leaving the Ecuatorian highlands. In there you can find banana, lemon and coffee trees, exotic flowers, and other tropical vegetation. 
• The Green Areas: Listen to the birds sing as you walk around the gardens, the woods and the lakes. 
• The Museum:  The Hacienda Church is one of the newest buildings on the Hacienda, which dates from 1938, has been turned into photography museum for your enjoyment. 
• Chapel, 1580:  built over an old Incan temple. The chapel is the oldest building of the Hacienda. Inside this chapel, you can find a mural that dates from the year 1757. 
• The Colonial Patio: This patio has remained almost the same since the 16th century. In the middle of the patio there is a fountain that in the old times was used as a type of sun dial. In the center of the fountain you can find a historic Indian idol. This patio is an example of the cultural diversity that you find in Guachalá and Ecuador. 
• The Guábulo Farm and its Agapanthus: The area of Cayambe, by being located in the equator, is internationally recognized for having the perfect condition for producing the best quality flowers for exportation. Our flower plantation, Guábulo, is located near the Hacienda Guachalá. If you want to visit this ecological flower plantation, you can easily get there by horse, by walking, or by car from Guachalá.  
• On the farm we have a large group of alpacas, llamas and guarisos (a mix between llama and alpaca). Besides these Andean animals, we also have two donkeys and three sheep.  
• Conferences and Seminars: Conference Room for Sixty People, Auditorium for Thirty People, Meeting Room