Private Gualaceo & Chordeleg craft-making villages tour
Overview
Highlights:
• Browse the famous artisan-crafted guitars of San Bartolome
• Check out Chordeleg's famous jewelry and ceramics
• Learn about the Hispanic shawl-making technique called "Ikat" in Gualaceo
• Walk through the colorful market in Gualaceo where you will see locals weaving hats on the streets
Inclusions
- Licensed Tour Guide/Driver
- Transportation
- Lunch - Full-day tour only
- Hotel/port pickup and drop-off
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
What to expect
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: San Bartolome, Ecuador
After your hotel pickup, a friendly guide will take you to visit Gualaceo and Chordeleg, two of the most charming villages surrounding Cuenca. These towns are well-known for their traditional handicrafts: macanas (shawls) made of alpaca wool, filigree jewelry, pottery, miniature ceramics, Panama hats, and more.
On the way, we will first stop at the small town of San Bartolome. Craftsmen here have been creating handmade guitars for generations. We’ll visit a local workshop to observe the process of making this instrument.
Stop At: Parque Chordeleg, Juan Bautista Cobos 23 de Enero, Chordeleg Ecuador
Next we will head to Chordeleg, famous for its silversmiths and jewelry shops that line the streets and main plaza. We will visit a workshop to observe an artisan making fabulous filigree creations out of silver and gold. Afterwards you’ll have time to shop around and check out the local jewelry and crafts. You’ll also have a chance to watch artisans weaving 'Panama' hats and other items made of toquilla straw.
Stop At: Gualaceo, Gualaceo, Azuay Province
Our tour continues to Gualaceo to admire the vivid, bright colors of its market and the interesting clothing worn by the local women. Here you will learn about (and taste!) delicious, just-picked fruits that are grown only in Ecuador. Meat lovers should not miss the tasty roasted pig, a very typical dish of this area, although leave some space for lunch.
Next we’ll have time for lunch in an area restaurant. Then our final stop will be at a local family’s workshop where we’ll see the process of weaving shawls and ponchos on antique looms, using dyes extracted from plants. At the end of this full-day tour outside of Cuenca, you will be returned to your hotel.
Additional information
- Infant seats available
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Contact us to [email protected] to arrange the exact pick up time please
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Infant meals not included
- A minimum of 2 people is required to operate the tour. We reserve the right to cancel the tour there are not at-least 2 participants
- For 1 to 6 passengers, a bilingual guide will also be the driver. For more than 6 passengers, a driver and a bilingual guide will be provided.
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Reservations made 48 hour prior the tour are subject to guide availability
- Most travelers can participate
- Face masks required for travelers in public areas
- Face masks required for guides in public areas
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival
- COVID-19 vaccination required for guides
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
Cancellation
Another fantastic tour led by Adrian. Great insights and abundant knowledge. A truly wonderful experience.
Another fantastic tour led by Adrian. Great insights and abundant knowledge. A truly wonderful experience.The visit to the Makana Museum was very touching and we learned a lot about this ancient tradition. After that, in Chordeleg we had a great time seeing (and buying!) beautiful silver jewelry. Very nice trip!
The visit to the Makana Museum was very touching and we learned a lot about this ancient tradition. After that, in Chordeleg we had a great time seeing (and buying!) beautiful silver jewelry. Very nice trip!This tour offers the opportunity to see a bit more of the countryside and towns near Cuenca, as well as the traditional crafts of the area. Learning about the process of making the macana, the traditional Ecuadorian shawl, was fascinating. My tour was led by Sebastian, who is full of interesting ...
This tour offers the opportunity to see a bit more of the countryside and towns near Cuenca, as well as the traditional crafts of the area. Learning about the process of making the macana, the traditional Ecuadorian shawl, was fascinating. My tour was led by Sebastian, who is full of interesting information about practically anything you might want to know about Ecuador, both in the present and past! Thank you so much for the lovely day!Our guide, Sebastian, was very knowledgeable about the local craftsmen in the surrounding Cuenca area. We had an enjoyable trip to Chordeleg to visit a local silversmith and see the hat weavers. We stopped at the mercado in Gualaceo and visited the orchid farm. My wife is a weaver and enjoyed se...
Our guide, Sebastian, was very knowledgeable about the local craftsmen in the surrounding Cuenca area. We had an enjoyable trip to Chordeleg to visit a local silversmith and see the hat weavers. We stopped at the mercado in Gualaceo and visited the orchid farm. My wife is a weaver and enjoyed seeing the craftsmen at La Casa Museo de la Makana. It was a very enjoyable day.Our guide, Sebastian, was very knowledgeable about the local craftsmen in the area surrounding Cuenca. We had an enjoyable trip to Chordeleg to visit a local silversmith and see the hat weavers. We stopped at the mercado in Gualaceo and visited the orchid farm. My wife is a weaver and enjoyed s...
Our guide, Sebastian, was very knowledgeable about the local craftsmen in the area surrounding Cuenca. We had an enjoyable trip to Chordeleg to visit a local silversmith and see the hat weavers. We stopped at the mercado in Gualaceo and visited the orchid farm. My wife is a weaver and enjoyed seeing the craftsmen at La Casa Museo de la Makana (picture included). It was a very enjoyable day.We had a great time on this tour. Sebastian was a wonderful guide and he has a wealth of knowledge, not only about the villages, about Cuenca, and about Ecuador in general. He was very patient in answering our many questions. Definitely the check out the orchid farm. There was an extra charge fo...
We had a great time on this tour. Sebastian was a wonderful guide and he has a wealth of knowledge, not only about the villages, about Cuenca, and about Ecuador in general. He was very patient in answering our many questions. Definitely the check out the orchid farm. There was an extra charge for that but it was the highlight of the trip, along with seeing the weaving. I wish we had actually been able to see the jewelry makers in action, but the finished products are beautifully crafted. A really nice half day trip.