BOMBOLÍ & TRAIN
Just half an hour from the southern outskirts of the city of Quito, Ecuador’s capital and the First World Cultural Heritage Site, at KM 20 of the route Aloag – Santo Domingo towards the Pacific Coast, on the Western mountain range and part of the Illinizas Reserve, we will find Bombolí, a private reserve at 3000 metres of altitude with more than 120 hectares of upper mountain forest. This amazing reserve has been conserved and cared for by the couple of natural lovers “Marianita and Oswaldito”. They have spent more than thirty years of their lives realizing their great passion: Making Bombolí a place of indescribable beauty showing that, with patience and love, we can make this world a better place.
| 06H30 | Departure from meeting points in quito with private transportation |
|---|---|
| 08H15 | Train departure from the chimbacalle train station |
| 10H15 | Arrival in the town of machachi |
| 10H15–10H30 | Machachi cultural presentation |
| 10H30 | Departure to the ecological reserve bombolí |
| 12H30 | Arrival to bomboli, presentation & snacks |
| 12H30–13H00 | Visit to the orchids garden |
| 13H00–14H00 | Lunch made from products of the family’s garden |
| 14H00–15H30 | Excursion to the giant fern forest |
| 15H30–16H00 | Cheese making demonstration |
| 16H30 | Return to Quito |
This magical journey starts very early in the morning when our guide will pick you up from the chosen meeting point to take us to the Chimbacalle train station in the south of Quito. We will begin the voyage which lets us discover the colorful Andean landscapes. Meanwhile we have the opportunity to gaze at the impressive volcanoes along the way such as the Cotopaxi (5.897), the Illinizas (5.126), Rumañahui (4.722) and Sincholagua (4.893).
The ride from Quito to the station of Machachi takes approximately two hours – 37 kilometers. Upon arrival, we will have the opportunity to watch a short presentation of a typical dance of the region. The protagonists are locals who organized this performance to give us a warm welcome with their traditional folklore.
From the station, we need about 40 minutes to get to the Ecological Reserve Bombolí. On our arrival, Marianita and Oswaldito will be waiting with open arms to give us a welcome and prepare us for a short walk to the orchid’s garden, where we can admire these exotic species in their flowering stage.
After this experience, we will return to the country house where we will have a delicious lunch, made with natural and organic products, which have been planted and harvested mostly in the garden of the family.
In the afternoon we will hike for approximately one hour and a half to the “Giant Fern Forest”. This forest of indescribable beauty is filled with giant ferns that are the main protagonists of this dreamlike landscape. On the way, we will enjoy discovering trails surrounded by hundreds of wild orchids which are blooming. Our final destination will be a little river with crystal clear water that feeds the waters of the forest.
Afterwards we will return to the country house to get ready for our return to Quito at 16h30, but before, we will have a delicious hot coffee around the fireplace where we can share our thoughts and listen to the life experiences of the family.