Communities of Chimborazo

Website: www.cordtuch.org.ec
E-mail: corporacion@cordtuch.org.ec
Phone: +593 (0)3 260 6774 (Miguel Guamán or Patricia Tierra)

Communities

The communities of Chimborazo that CORDTUCH works with are:
1. Guarguallá
2. Pulinguí San Pablo
3. Pulinguí Centro
4. San Francisco de Cunuguachay
5. Nizag
6. Chuquipogio
7. San Juan
8. Palacio Real
9. Balda Lupaxi
10. Calshi

Who they are

The communities are actively involved in the development of community tourism. When visitors arrive, they share with them their daily activities, including agriculture, dairy farming, artisan production and local development projects.

Each community is unique, with different specialisations. Some work with medicinal plants, other cultivate organic crops, while others have small microenterprises. All these activities are offered to visitors, combined with visits to its various attractions, such as lakes, mountains, volcanoes, high altitude flora and fauna and indigenous festivals.

All the communities are Puruwa Kichwa, and speak both Kichwa and Spanish.
The Puruwa communities considers nature as their Pachamama (mother earth), who is the source of life, and must therefore be looked after and protected. Their view on life has made them revalue, and work hard to strengthen, their cultural identity, reflected in their clothing, language, food, oral traditions, music and dance.

Through community tourism, they want to share, demonstrate and teach the richness of their culture through intercultural relationships based on mutual respect and appreciation.

What they offer

- Trekking, horse riding and biking between the communities
- Climbing mountains and volcanoes
- Cultural exchange
- Ecotourism
- Mountain biking

Location

Chimborazo is a central province in Ecuador. Its capital, Riobamba, is located 4 hours (by bus) south of Quito, or 4.5 hours northeast of Guayaquil. The communities that CORDTUCH works with are scattered across Chimborazo. Most are easily accessed by local transportation from Riobamba.

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What you need

- Personal documents for registration in communities
- Sun protection
- Sunglasses
- Warm clothes
- Comfortable shoes for walking
- Hat and gloves
- If you prefer, you can bring your own sleeping bag.
Note: You need to speak some Spanish in order to make the most of your visit to these communities.

Accommodation & Amenities

The communities have guesthouses or lodges which have bedrooms and shared bathrooms. The bedrooms have single and bunk beds, and mattresses, pillows, sheets and blankets are provided.
All bedrooms have shared bathrooms, which are sometimes located inside the guesthouse, and sometimes outside. The bathrooms have showers with both hot and cold water.
All communities have electricity
Local food is prepared with products from the surrounding area. There are qualified people providing this service in the guesthouses and lodges. Vegetarian food can be prepared, please inform the program coordinator.
There are many packages ranging from 1 day to 3 nights/4 days. Prices for these packages depend on the size of the group (the larger the cheaper!) ranging from as little as US$20.00 per person to US$327.00.