Once an isolated village, Vilcabamba is becoming increasingly popular with Lojanos and foreign visitors as well. Enjoy a layover in the middle of Ecuador and Peru in this gorgeous area where habitancy come to relax. The village is tranquil and is surrounded by stunning mountains where there are perfect trails for hiking. Treat yourself to a massage or facial, a trend that was started by the resident population. There are many places to stay and several tasty restaurants. Be sure to try Natural Yogurt, a small bistro with homemade yogurt, savory crepes, coffee, and drinks. Someone else yummy spot is Café Sambuca which has amazing Mexican food. Vegetarians can rest easy knowing they will be able to find food in this small Ecuadorian town. El Otro Lado has mainly vegetarian dishes and Vegetariano is a small vegetarian bistro in a nice garden.
When you arrive in town, stop at the tourist office on the main plaza with any questions. You may be approached in the Loja bus concluding by habitancy advertizing hotels in Vilcabamba. However, there are many perfect accommodations so you are best off choosing your own. Ask to be taken to the hotel of your option or to the main plaza where you can safely and as a matter of fact browse around.
Vilcabamba is an perfect place for excursions. Many visitors end up staying forever and open up cafés, horseback riding tours, and rustic hotels contribution a place to kick back. Most horseback riding tours take riders to private reserves in the foothills east of town. Hikers can continue on foot straight through cloud forests to the high cold páramos of Podocarpus National Park where there are gorgeous orchids growing wild.
The town is known among travelers for its locally-produced hallucinogenic cactus juice called San Pedrillo. It is illegal and can cause flashbacks or months after use. The resulting healing condition can sway sufferers for the rest of their lives and is named the "Vilcabamba Syndrome." The town is also supreme as the "valley of longevity" as inhabitants supposedly live to be over 100. This may be attributed to their simple, hard-working lifestyle, a healthy diet, and perfect climate. However, scientific evidence has been unable to substantiate these beliefs, but the legend lives on.
Past quaint Vilcabamba, a dirt road continues south to Yangana, Valladolid, Palanda, and Zumba. All of these towns have very basic room and straightforward places to eat. There are many buses along this route which takes passengers straight through wild and gorgeous scenery.
Vilcabamba voyage