Oyacachi

Located two hours east of the town of Cayambe, Oyacachi is hidden just below the paramo in a lush cloud forested valley that serves as the cusp of the upper rim of the Amazon basin. Nearly everyone that visits Oyacachi goes to the Termas de Oyacachi. They are excellent, uncrowded hot springs where with a little luck, on weekdays you'll have the place all to yourself.


There are no hotels in the area, but a few families in town have begun to take in travellers as homestays (inquire at the hot spring ticket booth). There is excellent camping at the hot springs (running water and bathrooms are adjacent) for a few dollars per tent.


A few basic restaurants are in town but they rarely seem to open. There are usually a couple of stands that sell trout outside the hot springs, but otherwise, the food selection at small tiendas (food stores) is very limited, so bring your own supplies (especially alcohol, it’s a dry town!).


Oyacachi is one of the best places in Ecuador to find the Andean Deer and Spectacled bears, but observe them at a distance, as there have been reports of bear attacks on locals. There is excellent hiking around Oyacachi and the roads are great for mountain biking.

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Other places nearby Oyacachi: Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve, El Ángel, Cotacachi, Tulcán, Ibarra, Lago San Pablo, Agato, Otavalo, Salinas Valley and Mascarilla.