Ecuador Haciendas Photos

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

One-of-a-kind guest rooms at Hacienda San Agustín de Callo, a haunt of former president of Ecuador Leónidas Plaza, include the evocative Inca Tambo suite, which features the remains of an ancient Inca structure.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

Days of moody drizzle visit Hacienda San Agustín de Callo, which sits on Ecuador's rain-misted páramo, glacier-sculpted valleys reminiscent of Scottish moors with their peat bogs and swaths of purple wildflowers.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

A mix of Inca, Spanish colonial, and Republican architectural styles distinguishes the central patio of Hacienda San Agustín de Callo.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

Hacienda San Agustín de Callo is the site of various events during the year, including festivities featuring adorned llamas, the patio dates to the 15th century.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

Workers arrange fresh-cut flowers at Hacienda San Agustín de Callo. "As a connoisseur of lodgings around the world," says author Charles Kulander, "I jumped at the chance to immerse myself in the rich culture of Ecuador by staying in these centuries-old, family-owned, sustainably managed estates."

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

Centered around cloud-wreathed Cotopaxi volcano—at 19,347 feet one of the highest active volcanoes on Earth—Cotopaxi National Park "is Ecuador's most visited national park after the Galápagos," says author Charles Kulander.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

Edelweiss of the Andes: High-altitude chuquiragua plants bloom in the park.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

Grand portraits of members of the Plaza Lasso family watch over guests at Hacienda Zuleta. Guardian of three centuries of traditions, the hacienda has been granted a UNESCO-recognized Smart Voyager certification for a rigorous sustainability program.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

Hacienda Zuleta's sustainability program minimizes impacts on the environment while generating benefits to the local residents, such as this woman dressed in special finery for a wedding.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

A celebratory procession accompanies a wedding day in Zuleta, which prides itself on its sense of community. Onetime owner (and Ecuador president) Galo Plaza Lasso "created an agricultural model here that he hoped the country would adopt on a larger scale," says author Charles Kulander. "Besides giving away half the hacienda's land to those who worked it, he built schools and a community center, and started an embroidery workshop."

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

It's all about hats at a specialty repair shop in the town of Saquisilí, near Hacienda San Agustín de Callo. Considered one of Ecuador's most authentic market towns, Saquisilí boasts eight plazas of vendors selling a wide range of produce and wares, from fruits and meats to household goods and the ubiquitous hats.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Pablo Corral Vega

Running with the wind: Fernando Polanco, a co-owner of Hacienda Zuleta, enjoys a ride through the striking landscape around the ranch. Twenty ranch-bred horses make horseback excursions a popular activity for everyone staying at Zuleta.

Read more about Ecuador in "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler.