Refugio Terra Esperanza

A very chill hostel located just outside Ibarra, right next to Imbabura and Cubilche mountains. The owner Emerson is super friendly and knowledgeable about the area, I really enjoyed talking to him. Overall, this felt more like staying at someone’s house than a hostel. Other guests had been staying there for weeks. One thing is that this definitely wasn’t the cleanest place. The beds are clean, but the kitchen and bathroom could use a bit more cleaning for sure.

A perfect place to stay for all kind of mountain activity. For hiking up Imbabura or exploring all the beautiful locations around. Emerson is a trielt lovely host, has always great recommendations and helps with organizing any trip and even getting a taxi up to the start of the Imbabura hike in the middle of the night!

Feels like a mix of Hostel and Couchsurfing! Emerson is an amazing host and will help you with your needs about trekking and anything else! I first thought it's a bit weird to be outside of the city, but it's honestly way better this way. There are a lot of busses to Ibarra and the bus with transfer to Quito is also passing right in front of the hostel. So please consider taking a stop here for the great Imbabura volcano or any other hike :)