Independent volunteer foundation in Salasaca, Ecuador, since 1997
WHERE WE LIVE
Hometown: SALASACA, TUNGURAHUA PROVINCE, ECUADOR
Salasaca is an indigenous Kichwa community located in the province of Tungurahua, and it is 20 minutes away from the province’s capital, Ambato. With views of Chimborazo, Tungurahua, and Cotopaxi volcanos, Salasaca’s indigenous traditions are closely related to the Andes (read more on indigenous culture here). The official language is Kichwa, but everyone also speaks Spanish.
Salasaca has 12.000 inhabitants divided into 17 communities. The center has multiple supermarkets, pharmacies, a hospital, a craft market, several internet cafes, bakeries, butchers, a famous ice cream shop and two bars.
Our home: HOSTERIA PACHAMAMA
Volunteers live in “Hosteria Pachamama,” Rosa Maria’s house. Pachamama is in Patuloma community of Salasaca.
The house has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 large living room with a fireplace, 3 patios with views of the Chimborazo volcano, and a large garden.
The house has electricity, gas, wifi, water, and hot water. It is provided clean sheets, pillows, and blankets. While there is not a laundry machine, there is an appropriate place to wash clothing by hand. In case, you don’t want to wash your clothes by hand, Fransisca has a laundry machine you can use for an additional cost.
Volunteers also have to maintain some house rules to ensure healthy co-habitation amongst the volunteers.
HOW TO GET HERE
In rural parts of Ecuador, there aren’t formal postal codes, street names, and building numbers.
The address is: Vía al Rosario, Hostería Pachamama, Comunidad de Patuloma, Salasaca, Ecuador. (You can find us on google maps).
To get to Pachamama, you can arrive to Salasaca in any bus from Quito (Terminal terrestre de Quitumbe) with the direction of Baños or Puyo. This should cost $3.50 - $3.75 and it takes 3 hours.
When you arrive to Salasaca, you will be dropped off at the pedestrian bridge in the town center. From there, you must take a camioneta (a white truck with an open back like a pick-up truck, and a green stripe) to the volunteer house. Tell the driver to take you to "Hosteria Pachamama en la Comunidad de Patuloma.” The drive costs $1. Try to have exact change.
