Oyacachi – Two hours off the beaten path from Cayambe, Ecuador

Oyacachi is a small village located in the Cayambe Coca Ecological Refuge at about 3200 meters (10,500 feet) altitude. It is a village that has been populated since the 1500’s. The population is primarily descended from two families. Oyacachi lies on what used to be a common mountain pass route. It is situated in a valley through which runs the Oyacachi River. It is not a large tourist destination, but it does have a couple of attractions.

The termales are set of volcanic water fed pools with different temperatures determined by the percentage of water fed from the volcanic sources versus the river. They claim to have health benefits and they just might. (No pictures)

There is an exhibition of how villagers used to live; as recently as 40 years ago. It is a 2km walk from the village. My guess is that there are still some villages that still live this way. Oyacachi happened to be on a mountain pass road. It is reasonable to believe that other villages not on a such a road would continue to live much as they have a 100 or more years ago.

There is also hiking. I did not hike, but you get the idea that if you were to cross any of the ridges you would be in a true wilderness setting.

I got there by bus. On Sundays, there is a go and return bus from Cayambe that allows you to visit for about 4 hours. Otherwise, if you take the bus, you have to spend the night. There are some lodging options, but I would guess they are a little rough with no running water.


On the way up, I got this pic. It is difficult to get pictures when you are riding in a bus:

Pictures of the area:

A trout farm. They route some of the water from the river through the trout farm so that it always has fresh water:

On the day I visited, there was also a mountain bike competition that ended in Oyacachi. This would have been a tough bike; 30 km all uphill on rough road.