Private tour: Daily

Small-Group tour: Tuesday to Saturday

Highlights:

• Explore the UNESCO world heritage city of Cuenca

• Walk among the colorful Flower and Food Market.

• Enjoy panoramic city views from the Turi lookout

• Visit the Panama Hat Factory and learn about the most important Ecuadorian handicraft.

Description:

The tour begins in San Sebastian, a traditional neighborhood of Cuenca which constitutes the western colonial border of the city. It houses the Modern Art Museum where the famous international Biennial painting contest takes place.

We also visit the San Francisco market, the flower market, Abdon Calderon Park, the cathedral “El Sagrario”, known as the “Old Cathedral”, and lastly, we will tour the “New Cathedral” which is considered one of the biggest churches in Latin America.  The famous gold leaf altar is found here.

We continue our tour to a Panama hat factory.  Here we’ll observe the fabrication of hats from a fiber called “Paja toquilla.”  These hats range from classic simple ones to colorful, elegantly designed and costly ones.  Afterward, we will go to the “Barranco”, an area of terraced houses which is located next to the Tomebamba River.  Finally, we will go to the “mirador de Turi” (scenic viewpoint) to enjoy the beautiful vista of the Cuenca landscape.