Choco Andino
Tierra de Tayos was born as a family project. Our vision was to focus on birdwatching and adventure tourism. Our project has 40 hectares dedicated to tourism and 200 hectares of preserved primary forest belonging to the Choco Andino Biosphere Reserve. This area is home to 700 species of birds, 214 species of mammals, 140 species of amphibians, and 40 species of reptiles.
For more than 15 years we have been opening our doors to visitors who want to explore and observe birds and enjoy nature. The Oilbird, a nocturnal bird found in the caves of the hacienda, is our flagship bird.
Our hacienda is located 90 km to the northwest of Quito. To get to the hacienda you can use your vehicle or take one of our tours from Quito. The drive takes about 2 hours.
What can be done at the hacienda?
Within the hacienda, we can do different activities according to the needs and requirements of each visitor.
Among the activities, we have bird-watching, hiking, farm visits, a local museum of Yumbo culture, and history, and a chocolate-making process.
Birds
Hiking
Farm
Chocolate
The birding activity begins with a visit to our hummingbird garden where you can observe more than 15 species, then you will visit our Tayos Cave where you can observe this extraordinary bird and learn a little about its history, and go through the primary forest called PANDORA where you can find birds of the Choco Andino area.
You will walk through the forest for one hour, where you will learn about medicinal plants, until you reach a giant swing and cool off in the river, in addition, you will be able to practice rappelling in the waterfall of the Tayos Cave.
The visit to the farm is very interesting for people who want to live the experience with the local people and get to know their customs and activities such as milking cows, collecting fruits from the area, and checking the crops for production.
Finally, we have a visit to the local museum and the preparation of chocolate. The museum was formed with pieces collected around the hacienda, it has 200 pieces from more than 800 years ago, most of these pieces are from the Yumbo culture. Here the local guide will explain the history of each of the pieces and a little of the history of the hacienda.
Activities
We offer 1, 2, and 3-day programs. You can visit us in your car, our local guide waits for you at the ranch and accompanies you in all the activities. We also organize tours with transportation from your hotel and the programs can be specialized in birds or experiential programs where you will learn about all our activities.
Accommodation and food services
Our hacienda has a lodge for accommodation with 9 private rooms with the distribution: double rooms, twin rooms, and single rooms. Our menu includes typical dishes of the area. 3 meals are served and we have vegetarian options.
