May 11, 2021: Antisana Reserve with Ecuador Best Tours (Author: J)
On day 3 of our trip, no one woke up before the alarm, which we had set for 6 so that we could be downstairs for breakfast when it opened at 6:30. We discovered that the early bird gets no hot food items at Swissotel, but almost all of the cold items were out, so no one went hungry. After breakfast, we met our guide, Luis, from Ecuador Best Tours in the lobby.
Luis seemed surprised that we were waiting for him when he arrived and thanked us for our punctuality. We were in the car and on the road to Antisana Ecological Reserve by 7. The early departure was, in part, an effort to beat the fog, and, in part, because the reserve closes fairly early in the afternoon. Because rush hour had already started, Luis took a short cut intended to bypass some of the traffic; it necessitated driving down a winding cobble-stone road lined with vine-covered walls and trees. He apologized for the rough road, but we had remembered to take our Dramamine, so we were able to enjoy the views without experiencing any motion sickness. Luis told us a bit about the neighborhoods we passed and the creation of the reserve. Antisana is a fairly new addition to Ecuador’s public lands; it was purchased by the government from a private family in the 1990s after Ecuador’s then-president was turned away from the volcano while on a hiking trip. He apparently felt that having a volcano privately owned was not right and proposed the idea of the reserve. According to Luis, not many tourists visit the reserve, so he was curious why we selected the tour. (The short answer was condors).
The drive to Antisana is a little less than two hours. The last bit is over unpaved roads that are as bumpy and windy as an amusement park ride. We were very happy we had taken that Dramamine. Just before we reached the park, we stopped at a local restaurant for a bathroom break. (At the risk of TMI, the altitude increased the number of bathroom breaks I needed, which I was told is fairly common because your respiration rate increases. Just something to keep in mind as you plan your activities in the Andes).
Once we reached the reserve, Luis checked us in and we drove slowly through the reserve looking for wildlife. Luis would frequently point and tell us where we could expect to see Antisana itself on a clear day. It was, unfortunately, overcast, foggy, and awfully cold. We were glad we had brought two layers of jackets, gloves, and knit hats. Even with all of that, we were chilly. Before too long, Luis pulled over because he had spotted the animal I was most excited to see — an Andean condor. We watched the condor circle for a bit and took some photos. (We also saw a hawk and I now have no idea which of our pictures are the condor and which are the hawk. They look pretty similar in photographs taken with a point and shoot camera).
After the condors, we piled back into the car and continued our slow drive. We saw plenty of birds, but no bears or foxes. Eventually, we reached a parking area and Luis suggested a hike. By then it was sleeting, and P was none too pleased with the idea of being away from the car. I suggested that P eat some of the miniature chocolate bars that Luis had given him (correctly identifying some of the whining as hunger-based), and we set out on a short trail to an alpine lake. Unfortunately, we were walking into the wind and our pants were soon soaked through. Our rain jackets kept our top halves dry, though, so it could have been worse. The lake was pretty, even in foul weather, but we did not linger long because of the weather. It continued to sleet and rain throughout the return hike, stopping just before we reached the parking lot. It was very pleasant to pile into the car again with the heat going.
Given the weather, we decided to forgo any additional hiking. Instead, we slowly drove out of the park, keeping an eye out for wildlife. Again, we saw more birds, including another pair of condors, but no larger animals. We never saw Antisana itself, which remained stubbornly obscured by clouds.
After Antisana, our next stop was Tambo Condor for lunch. Tambo Condor is a small hotel and restaurant catering to ecotourists and it is absolutely magical. It has a rustically designed wood building set in a beautiful location overlooking a valley, along with a small grounds with hiking trails and bird feeders. We ate lunch on the second floor, which has floor to ceiling windows overlooking hummingbird feeders. We were able to watch dozens of hummingbirds while we ate. Lunch was locro, an Ecuadorian potato soup topped with cheese and avocado. P was less than impressed, but D and I ate ours and then D finished off P’s serving. While we ate, Luis was able to catch up with some other tour guides that he had not seen in over a year because of the pandemic.
After lunch, we went outside to visit with the hummingbirds. Then we took a short hike to the outskirts of the property where other guests had spotted Andean bears the day before. We did not find any bears, unfortunately. P then asked to head back to the hummingbird feeders to take more photos. He would have gladly stayed on the deck taking photos all day, but we eventually told him it was time to head back to Quito. After an uneventful drive, we arrived back at the hotel around 4 and bid Luis farewell for the evening.
We had dinner that night at Restaurant Maitane, the tapas bar in Swissotel. We shared an assortment of small plates including patatas bravas and stuffed mushrooms. And I was even feeling well enough to have a glass of wine. We felt bad that we were the only guests in the restaurant, but we hopefully made up for it by ordering every dessert on the menu and leaving an extra tip. Maitane was excellent and we would recommend it to those staying at Swissotel.
The Antisana and Condors Tour was P’s favorite activity that we did in Quito and we would highly recommend Ecuador Best. Luis was a friendly and knowledgeable guide and he was particularly good with P.
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