Sharing its name with the third highest volcano in Ecuador, this town is mostly agricultural and known for its cheeses and recently for the production of export quality roses. Each year, on June 29th, the streets fill to capacity with Inti Raymi festivities, celebrated on the date of the Catholic festival of San Pedro. Both the Catholic and traditional Indigenous elements are observable in the costumes and dances.

Market day is Sunday and most of what is for sale is local produce. The city runs a small museum together with a tourist information office on the main plaza facing the church.

Within the town limits are also the “Puntiachil” pyramids of Sun and Moon, earthen constructions found beside and behind the cemetery.

Bizcochos are a crumbly savoury biscuit made in bread ovens around the town. Make sure you purchase them fresh directly at the oven.

History and Culture
Each year on June 29th the streets fill to capacity with Inti Raymi festivities, celebrated on the date of the Catholic festival of San Pedro. Both the Catholic and traditional Indigenous elements are observable in the costumes and dances.

Around and closeby
Cayambe Volcano is an hour drive up a steep dirt road leaving from the Juan Montalvo neighbourhood to the south of town. Here the climbers’ refuge offers narrow mattresses on high stacked bunks at 5000 meters. Bring a warm sleeping bag, food and unless you are well acclimatized to the altitude don’t expect to get much sleep. The hut has a guardian and is one of Ecuador’s more comfortable climbers’ refuges, but don’t expect any luxuries.

Lago San Marcos is to the northeast of the volcano. To get there take a bus to Olmedo and then hike or hire a pickup. The lake was until recently considered one of the most pristine in the Andes, now it is the site for a water extraction plant and access has been somewhat restricted.

Oyacachi is actually not even in the same province, but from Cayambe is the only reasonable way to get there. Three buses a week reach this small village. For 500 years it was only accessed on foot and the beautifully maintained trail was of pre-Inca construction going all the way to the Amazon basin.

Pesillo, La Chimba and Olmedo small towns figure highly in the history of Ecuador’s Indigenous emancipation. Here two young women battled to obtain the right for schooling in the Quechua language.

Juan Montalvo is just south of the city limits of Cayambe and maintains to this day the “Octavas” tradition of dancing and costumes to celebrate the corn harvest for ten weeks on Sunday afternoons following the June solstice.

Rio Pisqui Termas are small springs hidden in the valley just north of Quitsato (one of Ecuador’s newest monuments). They have one small hot tub and a warm pool and are frequently crowded on the weekends and school holidays. Buses will stop by the entrance.

Saraurcu is one of the few non-volcanic peaks in Ecuador. It is southeast of Cayambe and the long muddy hiking approach deters many climbers. It requires technical equipment and experience, plus good wet weather camping gear.

Getting there
Hourly buses ply between Quito and Cayambe from 5 am until 7 pm. Local services include transport to Ayora, Olmedo, Pesillo, Tabacundo and three times a day on the old road to Ibarra via Zuleta. On weekends there are several buses to Oyacachi from near the market.