A weekend in Vilcabamba

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Vilcabamba properties for sale starting at $35,000 CLICK HERE 

Vilcabamba is a village in the southern region of Ecuador, in the Loja province, about 45 km from the city of Loja.  The valley of Vilcabamba is overlooked by a mountain called Mandango, the Sleeping Inca, whose presence is said to protect the area from earthquakes and other natural disasters.

The destination is a common one for tourists, in part because it is widely believed that its inhabitants grow to a very old age.  Locals assert that it is not uncommon to see a person reach 100 years of age and it is claimed that many have gotten to the ripe old age of 120.  That is why it is often called “The Valley of Longevity”.

For more information you can check it out at Wikipedia.

A few weeks ago we decided to take a few days off and drive to Vilcabamba because we had not been there yet and wanted to look at a couple of properties. John started writing to two guys in Vilcabamba more than 12 years ago. That is how he first started to learn about this great country. The great thing about Ecuador is that we mostly do not have to stop and think about finances. We can just up and do it because the price of travelling, accommodation and food is so inexpensive.

The valley of Vilcabamba has been reputed for its ideal climate and as a place of longevity.  Vilcabamba is one of the few reputed longevity centers of the world.  We saw some old people but certainly did not know their ages.  Different scientists have said that the longevity is attributable to the ionization in the air and the mineralized water that the people drink. But it could also be that the people tend to be more relaxed than in the larger cities. The land and vegetation is lush so no-one goes hungry.

We hired a friend’s Hyundai Tuscon and off we went early on Friday morning.  It is still a beautiful site to drive through the many mountains we have here in Ecuador.  The asphalt roads along most of the way have now been replaced with concrete.  Some parts are still under construction and sometimes you have to wait for up to 30 minutes to let traffic come through from the other side of the road. The concrete should be completely completed within the next 12-18 months. The drive from Cuenca to Loja will then be much faster.

At these road stops there are always vendors who have made makeshift stores on the side of the road.  From little gas burners they send family members to sell cooked corn on the cob and other food and drinks to the travelers.  I said to John what would be fantastic was if they had a good coffee machine and come around and sell coffee to us. John’s reply was that it would only be me who was after the coffee.  There are few places in the smaller towns where you can buy a good coffee.

Whilst at one stop I was watching an older indigenous person with his donkey.  The donkey was laden with bricks and the old man was unloading onto a verandah.  He was continually talking to the donkey and it seemed at times he was growling.  I wound down the window to take a photo.  After he had finished unloading the very strong little old man turned around and gave me “the finger”.  Shock, horror………………I don’t know if he was angry that I took his photo or annoyed with the large traffic hold up and probably many people watching him.  Quite funny really.  I certainly had no intention of upsetting him.

As we drove up to the top of the mountain I noticed the different dress of the indigenous people.  Most are dressed in black and the men wear three quarter pants.  I was later told that these are people that many years ago fled from Bolivia and settled in this particular area.

The people here seem very happy……………oh with exception to the old man and donkey.  There are crops in the fields and on the side of mountains where you and I probably would feel that we are going to fall down.  I saw women milking cows and then strapping big milk containers to their backs and walking up to their homes along the side of these mountains, talking and laughing.

John let me drive for awhile while he had a sleep. I have not driven for months so I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It takes a little bit of getting used to because I am not familiar with driving on the “wrong side of the road”.  But it did give me a sense of independence and freedom.  Funny how driving a car can give you that freedom feeling. I passed a young woman on a horse with the tiniest baby strapped to her back.  She probably has the same sense of freedom as I do when I drive. 

You will always find an expat or two or three in the town square at most times of the day.  As I said above there are some amazing characters in this part of the world. Some reminded me of different characters in movies I have seen.

We met some other guests who were also most entertaining and we quickly became good friends. One even travelled back to Cuenca with us, and then took a drive down to Ayampe with John. Both these guests have now returned to their homes (UK and USA), with full intention of completely selling up and returning to Ecuador as soon as possible.

 Another friend who we met last September in Cotacachi, has since purchased a large block of land very close to Vilcabamba.  He has just returned back to Ecuador with his family after relocating from New Zealand.

As it turned out these NZ friends were renting a home just down the bottom of the mountain from where we were staying.  The next morning whilst enjoying our fresh coffee and enjoying the view and company our friend Pierre came knocking on the door.  The next day he met us in the square and we all went and checked out his property.

It is a very beautiful block of land and extremely lush.  The property is fronted by a beautiful river which looks extremely clean and refreshing.  We walked up the property to one of two homes.  The first home was built around 50 years ago and obviously someones pride and joy at one stage.  Now it has been left abandoned we could still see the remains of the previous tenants.  It’s incredible to find that in this somewhat remote part of the country even Avon cosmetics comes calling. There was an Avon booklet on an old table.

Pierre walked us to the now overgrown vegetable plot which had an abundance of plants.  There is a coffee plantation, bananas, orange trees, papayas and so much more.  Cauliflowers that had now gone to seed, cabbages and great fresh runner beans.

John and I left the group to walk the rest of the property, which by the way was all uphill. I did not have proper walking shoes on.  Well that’s my excuse.

For more about Pierre's property  CLICK HERE

“I loved Vilcabamba. It has a great community feeling about it and there are many expats there – some for over 20 years. The town center is fantastic as a social area – better than both Cuenca or Cotacachi. If I was going to live in a rural retreat area in Ecuador, it would be Vilcabamba. I have lived in remote areas of Australia and this community runs rings around any of those places I have lived in. But it is not vibrant enough for us at this stage of our lives. Some land prices are incredibly high in different estates compared with other parts of Ecuador. “

John says above that he loved Vilcabamba. I thought it was very beautiful but I can’t say I fell in love with it. We will definitely go back for a visit but personally I would not go and live there.

We are probably going to be spending more time on the coast as the Ayampe development takes shape.

We both love the coast and are looking forward to dividing time between the coast and Cuenca.