Cuenca craft villages tour: Guitars, filigree & hand-woven shawls

Three villages where artisans still make guitars, jewelry and shawls by hand

A full-day tour from Cuenca to three craft villages (San Bartolome, Chordeleg and Gualaceo), where you visit working workshops, watch filigree makers and Ikat weavers at their looms, browse the colorful market, and learn the techniques behind guitars, ceramics and hand-embroidered textiles. Hotel pickup, a bilingual guide and lunch are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit artisan villages near Cuenca

• Depart from Cuenca to San Bartolome
• Visit handmade guitar workshop
• Travel to Chordeleg
• Visit Favio Jara's filigree workshop
• Shop local jewelry and crafts
• Watch artisans weave straw hats
• Visit Fernando Loja's miniature ceramics workshop
• Travel to Gualaceo
• Explore colorful market and local clothing
• Taste fresh Ecuadorian fruits
• See shawl weaving at Jose Jimenez's workshop
• Return to hotel

The experience

San Bartolome is where the day starts. Craftsmen here have been making handmade guitars for generations, each one inlaid with unique designs. You'll visit a local workshop to watch the process. The guitars are considered a craft for the intricacy of their decoration, not just instruments. From there the tour moves to Chordeleg, a town where silversmiths and jewelry makers line the streets and main plaza. You'll spend time in Favio Jara's workshop. His family founded the filigree tradition in the town and now the whole community makes a living from it. You'll see how he creates the delicate silver pieces, then have time to shop the local jewelry and ceramics. Artisans here also weave Panama hats and other items from toquilla straw, and you can watch them work.

Gualaceo is the final stop, known for its vivid market and the bright clothing worn by local women. You'll see the colorful stalls and learn about fruits grown only in Ecuador, with a chance to taste them fresh. Roasted pig is a typical local dish if you want to try it before lunch. The last workshop visit is to Jose Jimenez, where you'll watch the process of weaving shawls and ponchos on antique looms using dyes extracted from plants. This is the Ikat technique, a Hispanic shawl-making method unique to the region. After the workshop, you're returned to your hotel.

The tour runs eight hours and includes hotel pickup and drop-off, a two-course lunch, transportation and a bilingual guide who also drives for groups of five or fewer. Vegetarian options are available if you request them when booking. A minimum of two people per booking is required.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cuenca.
• bilingual guide (English and Spanish).
• transportation to all three villages.
• two-course lunch.
• fuel surcharge.

Options for this experience

3 options

Group tour that does not include lunchGuide in English or Spanish · 08:30You join a group and can either bring your own lunch or pay for one at the restaurant.

Private TourGuide in English or Spanish · 08:30This option is reserved just for you and your party. You can make changes to the itinerary within the time allowed.

Group tour that includes lunchGuide in English or Spanish · 08:30A tour shared with other guests in one vehicle, following a fixed itinerary. A two-course lunch is included. Minimum 2 guests, maximum 12.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to SundayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (12 to 90 years) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Cuenca Bestours Tour Operator

Is this one for you?Choose the group tour with lunch if you want to meet other travelers and keep costs down, or the private tour if you prefer a dedicated guide and more flexibility with timing at each workshop. Either way, the eight-hour route fits three working villages into a single day without rushing the craft demonstrations.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What exactly do I see in the guitar workshop in San Bartolome?

San Bartolome's workshop shows how craftsmen make handmade guitars with unique inlaid decorations. You'll watch the process and see the finished instruments, though the workshop itself is not a museum. It's an active workspace where artisans work.

Can I buy things directly from the artisans in these villages?

Yes. Chordeleg has jewelry shops and craft stalls lining the streets and main plaza where you can browse and purchase after watching the filigree makers work. Gualaceo's market is colorful and full of local goods, and you'll have time to shop there as well.

What is Ikat and where do I learn about it?

Ikat is a Hispanic shawl-making technique using plant-based dyes and antique looms. You'll learn about it and watch the process at Jose Jimenez's workshop in Gualaceo, the final stop on the tour, where weavers create shawls and ponchos using this traditional method.

Is lunch included, and what if I'm vegetarian?

Lunch depends on which option you choose at checkout: the group tour with lunch or without lunch, or the private tour. A vegetarian option is available if you request it when booking. Roasted pig is a local specialty in Gualaceo, but you'll have other choices.

Do I need to pay extra to enter the workshops or the market?

Workshop visits are part of the tour. Some sites charge separate entrance fees not included in your tour price: the Ikat workshop costs $1, the guitar workshop $2, and an orchid farm (if visited) $5. Your guide will let you know which fees apply to your specific itinerary.