Ecuador - HACIENDA ZULETA

Situated two hours north of Quito in the Andean cloud forest and owned by a former President of Ecuador, this hacienda is the centerpiece of a 4,000 acre farm that includes a dairy, cheese factory, organic garden, tree nursery, trout farm, embroidery workshop and condor-raising project. Guests can saddle up one of the horses and ride through pine and eucalyptus forests and high-altitude grasslands to pre-Inca archaeological sites amid magnificent volcano views. You can also hike, cycle or take tours to the nearby indigenous villages. Zuleta has 19 rooms with only 9 available to guests. Open only to a limited number of visitors per year, Zuleta hospitality retains an intimacy , warmth and sincerity reminiscent of the century past.