The 7 BEST Haciendas in Ecuador
Ecuador’s historic haciendas offer a wonderful opportunity to step back in time, whilst enjoying local culture, first-class lodging, and home-cooked cuisine.
We're talking about centuries-old estates tucked into the Andes, where you can wake up to volcano views, wander through actual working farms, and sleep in rooms that have more history than most museums. Many of these haciendas date back to the 1600s and 1700s, when they were the heart of Ecuador's agricultural scene.
Whether you're into history, architecture, or just want somewhere ridiculously photogenic to unwind, Ecuador's haciendas deliver. And trust me, once you've spent a night in one of these places, your average hotel is going to feel pretty boring.
So, join me as we explore the 7 best historic haciendas in Ecuador. We'll explore what sets each hacienda apart, and what to expect from an overnight stay there.
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The 7 BEST Haciendas in Ecuador
Diving straight in, here’s our list of the 7 best Ecuador haciendas to visit, listed in no particular order.
What are the most famous haciendas in Ecuador?
1. Hacienda Zuleta
📍 Zuleta, Imbabura
Year Established: 1619 by the Jesuits.
# rooms: 21.
If you’re looking for warm hospitality in a serene mountain setting, then look no further than Hacienda Zuleta.
Few haciendas in Ecuador can boast such a rich history. Founded by the Jesuits in 1619, Zuleta had already been home to the Caranqui pre-Incan culture (700-1500), as evidenced by pyramids discovered there.
Much later, in 1898, Zuleta passed into the hands of Ecuador’s Lasso family, including ex-president Galo Plaza Lasso.
Today, Zuleta retains its colonial charm, together with touches of luxury, and fine home-cooked cuisine from farm to table.
What is special about this Ecuadorian hacienda?
One of the things that sets Hacienda Zuleta apart is its strong links with the local community. In fact, around 90% of the hacienda staff live in the surrounding communities.
The Zuleta foundation practices the pre-Columbian tradition of embroidery, giving lessons to locals to create crafts and sell them in the hacienda’s shop.
Zuleta is also a working farm with an organic vegetable garden and a dairy farm producing 14 varieties of local cheese.
There are plenty of opportunities for visitors to explore the beautiful Imbabura countryside, including horse riding, mountain biking, hiking, bird watching, cooking classes, and bonfire parties with Andean dancers.
2. Hacienda Cusin
📍 San Pablo Lake, Otavalo
Year Established: 1602, purchased by the Luna Family from King Philip III of Spain.
# rooms: 42.
Hacienda Cusin is a step back into colonial life, of olde worlde charm & elegance. It has the antiquated ambiance of a museum with hidden relics awaiting discovery, bringing the vibrancy of Ecuadorian culture to life through the hallways of its past.
At Hacienda Cusin, every room is different and furnished with fine antiques and local crafts. A variety of room types are available, spread across the main hacienda building, the Monastery, and a selection of secluded garden cottages (wonderfully converted stables).
Common areas offer the welcome of a roaring fire and comfy chairs, giving a cozy feel to open spaces. The hanging tapestries and historic artwork constantly remind you that you are sharing a part of history.
Exploring Hacienda Cusin’s 5 acres of perennial gardens is also a delight, where ancient trees have seen the comings and goings of history, and colorful flower beds attract hungry hummingbirds and butterflies.
What is special about this Ecuadorian hacienda?
Hacienda Cusin’s location is perfect for an overnight stay whilst exploring Otavalo Town, famous for its handicrafts market, and nearby San Pablo Lake and Imbabura Volcano. It’s also one of the more affordable traditional haciendas on our list.
Optional activities include horse riding, bird watching, mountain biking, cooking classes, Spanish lessons, and farm visits.
3. San Agustin de Callo (Inca Hacienda)
📍 Lasso, Cotopaxi
Year Established: 1580s, owned by the Augustinian Order.
# rooms: 11.
How does sleeping on the site of an ancient Inca palace sound to you?
San Agustin de Callo has arguably the richest history of any hacienda in Ecuador. Originally an important Inca site, it later came into the hands of the Augustinian religious order, before being purchased by General Leonidas Plaza Gutierrez, leader of the Liberal Revolution and future two-time President of Ecuador.
As a result of this remarkable history, in the main courtyard, it’s possible to see 3 distinct architectural styles: Inca (15th century), Spanish Colonial (18th century), and Ecuador Republican (19th century).
This hacienda has also seen its fair share of famous guests over the years. From 1736-1742, it served as a base for the French Geodesic Mission, which visited Ecuador to measure the equator. In 1802 famous German scientist Alexander von Humboldt overnighted here. Later, in 1880, English mountaineer Edward Whymper also based here, later becoming the first man to summit nearby Cotopaxi Volcano.
Today, of course, San Agustin de Callo blends her famous history with modern guest comforts.
What is special about this Ecuadorian hacienda?
Besides the unique history of this hacienda, it also enjoys an enviable location close to Cotopaxi National Park, with fine volcano views on a clear day.
Additional services offered at San Agustin de Callo include cooking lessons, horse riding, and visits to a nearby rose plantation.
4. Hacienda La Cienega
📍 Lasso, Cotopaxi
Year Established: 1695, by Matheo de la Escalera y Velasco.
# rooms: 32.
Another excellent hacienda choice in the Cotopaxi region is La Cienega. This hacienda was built with 2-meter-thick walls of volcanic rock, and has extensive gardens as well as a small 400-year-old chapel.
No two rooms are alike at La Ciénega. Each room has its unique design, and they are all equipped with exquisite decor and luxurious and elegant colonial furnishings. Fancy a splurge? How about their luxurious 62-meter Presidential Suite with a private balcony and pumice stone vaulted ceiling?
Their restaurant is the perfect place for visitors to enjoy traditional Ecuadorian family recipes, with large windows overlooking the garden. After your meals, our lounges are for you to gather with family and friends to enjoy fireside conversations under the warmth and glow of the chimneys.
Famous past guests of La Cienega include Alexander Von Humboldt, Charles de la Condamine, and various past Ecuadorian presidents.
What is special about this Ecuadorian hacienda?
The location of Hacienda La Cienega is perfect for exploring the Avenue of the Volcanoes, as Von Humboldt once famously did. Popular destinations like Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, Pasachoa, and the Illinizas are all just a day tour away, as are local indigenous Ecuadorian markets.
Hacienda La Cienega is one of the more affordable hacienda stays on our list for those traveling on a budget.
5. Hacienda Abraspungo
📍 Riobamba
Year Established: 1990.
# rooms: 38.
While not steeped in real colonial history like the other Ecuadorian haciendas on our list, Abraspungo was designed and built to replicate the splendor of the colonial era.
Named after a glacial valley situated between Chimborazo and Carihuairazo Volcanoes, Abraspungo is located in Riobamba, in the central Andes of Ecuador.
This modern hacienda consists of traditional, whitewashed buildings spread across neat lawns and gardens. Guestrooms are large, with beamed ceilings, and contemporary comforts and mod cons. Each room feels cozy, with open fires to warm you up on cold Andean nights.
What is special about this Ecuadorian hacienda?
The location of Hacienda Abraspungo is a big plus, at the southern end of Ecuador’s Avenue of the Volcanoes, close to Chimborazo Volcano. Many guests stay the night here in comfort while visiting the national park during the day.
Hacienda Abraspungo is affordable for a comfortable stay in a picturesque part of the Andes.
They also offer extra services, including horseback riding, painting lessons, massage, and hiking trails.
6. Posada Ingapirca
📍 Ingapirca Ruins, Cañar
Year Established: 1800s.
# rooms: 23.
Posada Ingapirca is a rustic-style, rural inn that was renovated in 1990 to receive international guests.
Traditional-style rooms are surrounded by gardens and enchanting mountain views. Take a walk in the shade of quinoa, acacia, and polylepis trees, where llama and alpaca munch on the grass. This is a genuine country setting where one can relax in quiet and peace.
Their 23 attractive guest rooms are attractively furnished with colonial antiques and handmade fabrics, while the restaurant serves up hearty, traditional meals.
What is special about this Ecuadorian hacienda?
Without doubt, the big pull of Posada Ingapirca is its unique location. Stroll outside for just 300meters and you’ll find the entrance to Ecuador’s most important Inca Ruins: Ingapirca. So, this hacienda is the perfect stopping off point for those traveling up or down the Andes who wish to visit this excellent archeological site.
Drive further south for just 2 hours and you’ll arrive in Cuenca, arguably Ecuador’s most pleasant city, which is well worth a day or two of time to explore as well.
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7. Hacienda La Danesa
📍 Naranjito, Guayaquil.
Year Established: 1870, as a cocoa farm.
# rooms: 7.
Last on our list of haciendas in Ecuador, we have something a little different. The coast of Ecuador sometimes feels like a whole different country from the Andes, so it’s only natural that a coastal hacienda will be a unique experience.
Originally established as a cocoa farm (Ecuador has some of the most famous cocoa in the world), today La Danesa is a family-owned working hacienda. True to their origins, they produce tree-to-bar handmade chocolate, dulce de leche, honey, and other farm-fresh products.
Hacienda La Danesa is also a traditional dairy farm, producing 2000 liters of milk each day, and fresh cheese for their guests every morning.
Their cozy garden cottages are a home away from home, designed in true hygge style, nothing less than one would expect from such a charming and upscale farmhouse.
Delicious Farm to Table meals are locally sourced from the farm itself or neighbors, all ingredients fresh and natural.
La Danesa also grows teak in a plantation and breeds beautiful pinto quarter horses.
What is special about this Ecuadorian hacienda?
Besides the beautiful countryside setting and comfortable accommodations, what makes La Danesa truly unique are the countryside activities that guests can enjoy.
Why not try your hand at chocolate making, bee-keeping, or cow milking?
Or, for adventure enthusiasts, look no further than horse riding on their beautiful pinto quarter horses, biking, river tubing, and cloud forest trekking.
Prefer to relax? Massage & spiritual awakening experiences are also on the menu.
Located just 1 hour from Guayaquil City, Hacienda La Danesa promises a rather different Ecuador hacienda experience! It’s the perfect spot for those looking to avoid the big city and to learn about the rich agricultural history of Ecuador’s coast.
Ecuador Haciendas FAQ
What is an Ecuadorian Hacienda?
A hacienda is a large rural estate or plantation with historical and cultural significance in Ecuador.
During colonial times, they were self-contained agricultural estates, often covering thousands of acres, where landowners (hacendados) controlled both the land and the indigenous or mestizo laborers who worked it. Expansive colonial-style manor houses were built, often in luxurious splendor, where the hacienda owner would live.
Today, many of these haciendas have been converted into luxury boutique lodgings. Some are still working farms, even, combining agricultural operations with tourism.
For guests, it’s the opportunity to step back into the past, appreciate fine colonial architecture and furnishings, explore traditional flower gardens, enjoy delicious home-cooked meals, and appreciate country life in stunning rural Ecuador.
The History of Haciendas in Ecuador
Colonial Hacienda Estates
Ecuador’s hacienda system began under Spanish colonial rule. In most cases, hacienda estates were rewarded to Spanish conquistadors and their families in return for services to the king.
These large gifts of land often covered thousands of acres of productive agricultural terrain, and included the services of the indigenous population who had always lived there. They were soon put to work in agriculture, raising livestock, and maintenance.
Interestingly, the term hacienda originates from the Spanish verb hacer - “the act of making or producing things”. This explains both the origin and purpose of the hacienda system; the land was to be made productive.
In practice, the native workers would labor day in and day out, while the landowner administered the property and counted the profits. For those who worked at haciendas they had no choice in doing so, and their reward was a life of basic subsistence on a small area of land on the estate. For many, this was a form of slavery.
Ecuador Haciendas After Independence
After the collapse of the Spanish colony in the 1830s, not much actually changed in Ecuadorian haciendas. They continued to operate as large business enterprises, but were now owned by wealthy and powerful Ecuadorian families who simply took over from the Spanish.
Over time, haciendas were passed down from generation to generation, often remaining in the same families for centuries.
The Breakup of Haciendas in Ecuador
This eventually ended in 1964 when the Agrarian Reform Policy put a formal end to the hacienda system that had lasted over 400 years.
The land owned by historic Haciendas was broken up and redistributed through a series of land reforms. This reduced most haciendas to much smaller areas of land around the original, historical house.
Since it was no longer economical to manage the reduced farming areas of a hacienda, many owners instead decided to open their doors to tourism.
With their original architecture, gardens, and old-world feel still intact, an overnight stay at an Ecuadorian hacienda is today a cultural heritage experience.
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In conclusion, an overnight stay at one of Ecuador’s historic haciendas is a truly unique experience.
If haciendas in Ecuador could talk, they’d share colorful stories and experiences from across the centuries, including tales from historic figures and former presidents.
Haciendas today combine comfortable lodging in traditional colonial buildings with period decorations and splendor. Enjoy home-cooked food, beautiful country gardens, and local activities to get you out and about in the countryside.
Why not splurge for just one night of your Ecuador trip, to enjoy a unique romantic stay?
