Home » Packages » Holiday Packages » Inti Raymi – Festival of the Sun
Submerging yourself into a cultural tradition is probably the best way to get to know a country and its people. Ecuador is known for its colorful traditional festivals and is the perfect place to visit if you want to join the celebrations as it has countless festivities spread over the year. One of these festivities is Inti Raymi or the festival of the sun. Inti Raymi is an ancestral manifestation, dating back from the Inca Empire. With this celebration they honor the Taita Inti or Father Sun and give thanks to the Panchamama (Mother Earth). Inti Raymi is celebrated during the summer solstice. During this time the sun positions itself at the most distant point from earth, resulting in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. During this important phenomenon that takes places every year in June, the indigenous people appreciate the sun and the Pachamama for the goodness of crops. The new agricultural year is welcomed with rituals, dances and songs.
Day 1: In the afternoon you will arrive at the community of La Calera where you will be welcomed into the home of your host family. After you have had some time to settle it is time to participate in the daily activities of your family. In the afternoon you will help them with the preparations for the Inti Raymi festivities. After dinner with the host family you will depart to experience a ritual bathing.
Day 2: After breakfast with your host family, you will depart on a 30 car ride to the Cuicocha crater lake. Here you will hike around the lake in about 4 – 5 hours. After lunch in Cotacachi, you will have some time to explore this small city by yourself. Cotacachi is known for its production of leather goods. You can find lots of high quality and cheap goods made of leather here like belts, bags, jackets, etc. In the evening you will have dinner together with your host family.
Day 3: After having enjoyed breakfast with your family, you will depart for the city of Cotacachi. Today you will join the celebrations of Inti Raymi and participate in the Inti Raymi dance. People from all surrounding communities will dance – sometimes for hours – towards the city in traditional costumes. Afterwards you will have a traditional lunch in pampa mesa style. Every family will bring food to the long “table” spread over the floor and share a meal together. Upon return to the community you will have free time to rest or you can join your host family in their daily activities. In the evening you will have dinner at home with your family.
Day 4: After breakfast it is time to say goodbye to your host family. Today you will visit the Mojanda lagoon, where you will start the ascend to the Fuya Fuya mountain to hike up to 4262 meters (13,982 ft). After the hike you will have lunch in Otavalo where you also will have time to visit the famous indigenous market at Plaza de Poncho. After lunch you will have some time to walk around the colorful market where all kinds of handicrafts (shawls, pottery, clothing, jewelry) are being sold. After this last activity the tour will come to an end.
Prices 2025
Double room (price per person)
USD $250 p.p.
This is a Shared Tour / Group Tour. This means that there will be other people on this tour besides yourself (or your travel party).
This tour takes places once a week in June.
You will be picked up from your hotel in Otavalo or Quito. The exact departure time is in accordance with Adore Ecuador Travel and/or indicated on your travel voucher.
Geert A27 October 2023Verified Well-organised, smooth 3-week trip through beautiful Ecuador Excellent service for our (= couple in their sixties) three-week trip through Ecuador: good preparation (several offers given and compared), very responsive when asked questions (about safety, local costs, etc.), instant support with (minor; there were no major) issues during the trip (delayed drivers, small misunderstandings at hotels that were reserved,...), overall good deal price/quality. Of course it also helped that we did not have a single issue with safety, crime (theft, harrassment),... even though we also visited the larger cities of Quito and Guayaquil (of course, taking into account all suggested precautions: don't go looking for trouble in dangerous areas, stay off the streets at night, don't walk around like a tourist with a sign on his forehead "please rob me",...). In conclusion, unforgettable trip in a country with a lot of variation within reasonable distances (rain forest, Andes, coast, cities,...), and organized very well by Adore Travel. Raymond v18 October 2023Verified Top travel agency ! Een must voor een bezoek aan Ecuador - Galapagos Geweldige service , goede hulp, snel en adequaat contact, absolute aanrader Reis op maat klopte van A tot Z , elke dag was een nieuw avontuur ! Nanja en Bas O15 September 2023Verified Fijn contact en deskundig reisbureau voor Ecuador Al vrij snel na ons eerste contact met Adore Ecuador (Margot) ontvingen we een volledig reisschema, in ons geval voor een Amazone-tour en een week op de Galápagos. Beide waren fantastisch. Het schema was goed doordacht en we hadden mooie overnachtingsplekken. Tijdens onze reis was Margot heel goed bereikbaar en reageerde ze snel op vragen van ons. We kunnen het iedereen aanbevelen om bij Adore Ecuador te boeken om het land op z'n best te beleven! wimweerd8 September 2023Verified Betrouwbaar en alles waarmaken wat ze beloven. Adore is een reisbureau in Ecuador die meeleven en meedenken met de mensen uit Ecuador met toch ook een Nederlands tintje. Ook die afspraken nakomen en alles goed regelen. Ed4 September 2023Verified Perfectly organized trip through Ecuador We asked Adore to put together a tailor-made trip. Very well helped by Jessica and always an immediate response to our questions and wishes. A trip perfectly organized according to our wishes. Nice, mostly small-scale, comfortable hotels. We traveled with private drivers, but public transport is also possible. We received an extensive travel plan per day with daily activities, but also enough space for free interpretation. Drivers were always present at the agreed time, with spacious comfortable minivans (we traveled with four). There was also room to plan the route in such a way that there was still plenty to see or do along the way. Although everything goes by email, you have personal contact and a fantastic and unique journey is ensured. Wendy B1 September 2023Verified Adore the Galapagos experience Highly recommended! I did some research about Travel Agencies and reached out to two, Adore Ecuador replied in a more personalized manner, inquiring more about my expectations and dive experience. Their response was way more engaging and showed a desire to understand what I wanted to see. Jessica was my main point of contact, she guided me through the entire process. We started with the 6 Day Galapagos Island Hopping Dive tour, adding more days and an additional Island: Isabela, for a chance to swim with Penguins. For each tour, they manage base packages with 3 levels of accommodations(Budget, Standard & Comfort) and the option to customize it even further. If you care about accommodations, take a look at their website, it gives you a good idea about what to expect. I had the chance to select my accommodations, and with an extra fee, I enjoyed their Panoramic View Suite in one of the hotels, which I absolutely loved! Jessica's answers were always timely and informative, giving me options and guidance. She was very patient and replied to all my questions. After we formalized the itinerary, she sent me a detailed travel proposal. I had the option to cover the Payment in electronic fashion; then she solidified the reservations and took care of all the details, all my transfers, stays, guides for the protected areas, dive tours, snorkel tours and more. The Travel itinerary that she sent me had clear instructions for each activity, specifying what was covered, and what additional fees/services were needed at my own expense (such the Galapagos National Park entrance fee, Transit Control Card, taxis) with an estimated price (which was very accurate). I had the time of my life in Galapagos, every island had its own magic. In Santa Cruz I dove with one of the best Dive agencies that I have been diving with!. Some were very challenging dives, but I felt safe with them. We saw sea lions underwater & many turtles. The vibe in the town is very chill and relaxed. While on that island I saw the giant tortoises, sea lions by the fisherman dock and the beaches, swimming iguanas and more. In Isabella, I had the best snorkeling experience, we did see penguins and swam around them! lots and lots of turtles(the highest number that I have seen snorkeling), rays, sea lions and more. interesting marine creatures, tortoises and birds! This island felt less urbanized…more pristine. In San Cristobal, the town felt more developed, but I had a great dive experience seeing an innumerable amount of Salema, and some sea lions and sharks swimming around, breaking their “formation”. San Cristobal has the largest colony of Sea Lions in the Galapagos, I enjoyed chilling and swimming with them a lot. Once you know how to move around Galapagos, it can be simple, but it was my first time and not enough time to do a lot of research, so I really appreciated all the guidance and help…especially with the transfers between islands. I witnessed very unfortunate circumstances, other tourists lost their transfer as their name was not in the boarding list and the boats were full. I felt bad for them, and also grateful that Jessica had a lot of attention to detail. I am very happy with the service and guidance provided by Jessica and the Adore Ecuador team. If you are thinking about Galapagos and don’t know where to start, they can offer some guidance and information about what to expect in each island. Galapagos is a destination that you will never forget and Adore Ecuador will help you to adore the experience! Sandra v25 August 2023Verified Roadtrip Ecuador Our roadtrip through Ecuador was amazing and very well organized by Adore Ecuador travel agency. We have done and seen so much. Visited some cities and learned a lot about the culture. Spend several days in nature: vulcano area, lakes, Tena Jungle and Galapagos. darlin v16 August 2023Verified Thanks Adore Ecuador Travel What a travel it was ! The organisation and program made by Margot and her team were perfect. A tailormade program, no worries and always reachable ! Lovely hotels, lovely places, lovely people. I recommend them all the way ! Lidwien B10 August 2023Verified Adoremos Ecauador Mijn dochter en ik hadden een geweldige reis in Ecuador. Adore Ecuador had alles tot in de puntjes geregeld: de hotels, de chauffeurs en de gidsen, de informatie over de plekken die we bezochten. Ecuador is een prachtig land. We hebben hoog op de Cotopaxi vulkaan gestaan, een wandeling in het nevelwoud bij Mindo gemaakt, gedobberd in het thermale bad in Banos, meegedanst bij een optreden voor de kathedraal in Cuena en onze ogen uitgekeken op de markt in Otavalo en Guamote. Heerlijk afwisselend gegeten (van sommige vruchten wist ik niet dat ze bestonden). We troffen overal vriendelijke mensen, we hebben ons geen moment onveilig gevoeld. Hartelijk dank aan Adore Ecuador voor deze geweldige reis. Ingrid10 August 2023Verified In een woord fantastisch! Wat hebben we genoten van deze mooie reis, en wat was alles goed geregeld door Adore Ecuador travel. Anouk en Margot zijn zeer goed bereikbaar en reageren snel. Een voordeel dat ze in Ecuador gevestigd zijn = geen tijdverschil :). Prima accommodaties, fijne privé chauffeurs.
Edificio Argentina Plaza – Office 802
Juan Severino E8-38 y Av. 6 de Diciembre
Quito – Ecuador
Office hours: Monday – Friday from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (GMT-5).
Tourism Registry Number: 1792773474001.001.9003713