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Ecuador: Panchamanka

I ate a 5,000-year-old meal
cooked by the earth itself
In a tiny indigenous village in the Andes Mountains, the elders welcomed me with open arms and a really big knife.
Whisked into the kitchen to start chopping before the sunset, we wrapped all the food into little banana leaf packages for the earth.
Outside, we layered the bundles into a pit lined with hot volcanic stones—just like their ancestors have done for thousands of years.
Pachamanca isn’t just cooking. It’s ritual. It’s history. It’s sharing smoky, slow-cooked food in a circle, surrounded by stories, the scent of herbs, and love.
This was the moment I fell in love with Ecuador.
Eating that meal with the Kichwa elders—who welcomed me so fully—felt sacred. So I asked them: What if I brought more women like me here?
And the rest is (much more recent) history.
xo,
Amanda, founder of SoFe Travel ♥️
Watch this tradition as it plays out on our Ecuador Tour.
👇👇👇
DECEMBER 11 - 19, 2025
JUNE 14 - 22, 2026
More Reasons Why This Trip Is So Special
✨ Stay at Sacha Lodge – One of the Amazon’s Most Incredible Retreats
![]() ![]() | Tucked deep in the jungle and accessible only by plane then boat, then speedboat, then a short hike, then canoe - this luxury eco-lodge is the crown jewel of the tour (and well worth the trek to get there!). Air-conditioned cabins with floor-to-ceiling views, gourmet meals, suspension bridges, canoe rides, and the best ecologists in Ecuador—this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Think of this as a safari experience in the Amazon. You'll canoe down rivers, walk through the rain forest, watch the birds from the observatory towers in the trees, and climb even higher to the suspension bridge that rises above the canopy of the Amazon. |
🌿 Stay With & Support the Women of an Indigenous Community
![]() | You’ll spend the night in a beautiful guesthouse in a small Andean village—not rustic, but real. Share a home-cooked dinner, take part in a traditional Pachamanka cooking experience where food is prepared underground with hot volcanic stones, and learn how local women are keeping their traditions alive through modern entrepreneurship. It’s a rare chance to connect with a way of life few travelers ever get to see. |
🧖🏽♀️ Soak in Volcanic Hot Springs in the Andes
![]() | After a few days of exploring, you’ll head to a dreamy mountain retreat where you can float in steaming thermal pools, surrounded by mist and mountains. It’s a perfectly timed pause in an exciting adventure. |
🌋 Andean Culture, Wild Landscapes, and a Group of Women Who Get It
![]() | From the markets of Otavalo to the base of Cotopaxi volcano, this trip delivers real depth—not just sightseeing. And you’ll experience it all with a small group of curious, kind, adventurous women who are just as excited as you are. |