Vilcabamba

Vilcabamba sits at 1,500 metres in a sheltered valley with an even, warm climate, and from the 1970s it became internationally known as a valley of longevity after reports of residents living past a hundred, claims that later research attributed largely to unreliable birth records and age exaggeration rather than to anything in the water. The reputation stuck, and it drew a long-established foreign community of retirees and alternative-lifestyle residents that gives the small town an unusual mix. The reason to come now is the country around it: walking and horse riding on ridge trails, the Mandango peak above the town, cheap hostels with hammocks, and the entrance to Podocarpus not far away.

What you actually see

• The longevity legend - the claim that made the valley known.
• Mandango ridge walk - the peak trail directly above the town.
• Ridge and river horse trails - the standard way to see the valley.
• A long-settled expatriate community - the mix in a small town.

When to go

Year round; the climate is the point and is mild in every month. A day or two, longer for walkers. The Mandango walk is best early before heat.

Honest expectations

The longevity claims do not hold up to scrutiny and the town leans on them commercially. The Mandango ridge has exposed sections and there have been accidents. The village is small and the scene is not to everyone's taste.

Nearby

Loja is north; Podocarpus lies east.