There’s no place we can think of that offers a better way of immersing yourself in Ecuadorian history and culture than Hacienda Zuleta in the Andean highlands north of Quito. This seventeenth-century hacienda, once home to former Ecuadorian president Galo Plaza Lasso, is still run by the Plaza Lasso family, and sits at the heart of its local community. In addition to offering gracious and natural hospitality, and a wide range of outstanding activities from horseback and cycle rides through the estate to farm-to-plate cookery classes, Zuleta plays a key role in local conservation and culture through its foundation.
"A stay at Hacienda Zuleta with your family offers a wonderful opportunity for young minds to become engaged with the idea of giving back."
From as early as the 1940s, Hacienda Zuleta has tried to maintain a balance between its agricultural production and protecting the diverse habitats found among its 4,000 acres. Its threatened paramo moorlands, forests, cliffs and mountainsides are home to an astonishing variety of wildlife including puma, pudu and jewel-like hummingbirds. Two species in particular are worthy of your attention: the spectacled bear and the Andean condor.
The spectacled bear is South America’s only bear. These charming and wide-ranging creatures are–contrary to common conception–fond of more than just marmalade sandwiches. Sadly, though, its numbers are declining at an alarming rate due mainly to habitat loss. In Zuleta, they have found a safe haven. To date, 61 individuals have been identified using camera traps, and we can send you out with rangers to monitor the traps and, fingers crossed, also gain a live sighting.
Zuleta’s other conservation icon is the Andean condor. Thanks to its captive breeding programme, Condor Huasi, Zuleta has been instrumental in pulling this magnificent raptor back from the brink of extinction in Ecuador. Just two reproductive pairs of condors currently exist in the country, and both live in the project’s aviary. In recent years, three healthy condor chicks have been born. At the same time, the foundation organises outreach programmes to educate locals on the value of protecting condors, thereby improving the chances of survival for condors living in the wild.
Whether you prefer to get more hands on with conservation or simply want to know that your stay is benefiting the local ecosystem, a stay at Hacienda Zuleta with your family offers a wonderful opportunity for young minds to become engaged with the idea of giving back.
