Unlike some other agencies, Guanguiltagua offers you the opportunity to include special trips to festivals as part of your customized Ecuador tour. Contact us to find out how to incorporate any of the following festivals, or ask us at the time of booking if there are any other special festivals that you could incorporate into your trip. These are some of the best festivals that Ecuador has to offer:

Mama Negra (September and November)
This is a big party in November that celebrates the mestizaje of the multicutural ethnicities of Ecuador: Blacks, Indians, Spanish and Mestizos (mixed). The Mama Negra has two editions the asthetic one at the end of September performed by the market vivanderas (vendors), and the big one in November where politicians and famous pepole take part. The Mama Negra is always a man dressed as an Afro-Latinamerican lady that rides a horse through the city and provides cane alcohol shots (mistelas - cane alcohol with color and sugar) and plenty of food such as roasted pig.

Corpus Cristi (June)
This is the festival of the sun (Inti Raymi) in the Cotopaxi province comunities. The Spaniards obligated the indigenous to change the name of Inti (Sun) Raymi (Feast) into the Body of Christ (Corpus Cristi) to give it a more Christian significance. Celebrated mainly in Pujili, we can offer you a trip to the village to see the danzantes of Corpus Cristi. The dancers are men that carry a big crown made out of copper and adornments.

San Juan (June)
Inti Raymi changed into San Juan (June 24th) to give a more Christian significance to this festival (the Spanish also required the indigenous to change the name of this party). This is generally celebrated in Cotacachi and the Imbabura province.

San Pedro (June)
Another Inti Raymi festival. This is the same as San Juan but to celebrate St Peters day in the village of Cayambe and the northern part of Pichincha Province and south of Imbabura.

Carnival of Guaranda in Bolivar province (February or March)
This takes place at same time as Rio de Janeiro's Brazilian Carnival. This is a lively festival where people throw eggs, flour, water, soil, and just about everything. There are lots of local music concerts, and free alcohol is offered to the visitors. There are great opportunities for pictures. Mostly mestizos (mixed) take part in this party.

Fiestas of Quito (Late November, Early December)
This is a huge celebration in Quito to commemorate the founding of the city. There are bullfights in the Plaza del Toros (bull fighting ring). There are many Latin Rock concerts offered and lots of chivas (a sort of colorful bus that people party on) with musicians on top. There are also cultural and gastronomical typical festivals all over the city. There are two weeks of festivities in total.

Contact us to find out how to include any of these festivals, or others in your customized Ecuador tour.