Award Winning Eco-Lodge, B&B, Inn, Hotel for Sale in Po Box 05-01-240, Chugchilan, Cotopaxi, Ecuador

Top 10 Eco-Lodge in the World

PRICED TO SELL - SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY:
Sale includes legal Ecuadorian Tourism Operator company, 7 acres of land with 7 major adobe buildings and several other outbuildings, pick-up truck and all infrastructure of appliances etc. Most of the 9 full-time staff members have been working for over 10 years and are extremely reliable and know how to run the incredibly popular Inn.

Reason for Sale:
There are more things in life than earning money… the eco-lodge is highly successful and sustainable, but the owners want to move on to something a little bit more low key. The Inn is an excellent award winning ecological business that is profitable, low impact and educational for it’s guests and the local community.

Is the lodge currently in operation?
YES, The Inn averages 4600+ people nights per year.

Number of Rooms:
The Inn has 9 private guestrooms with wood burning stoves and 3-story A-frame bunkhouse with a total capacity for 25 to 35 guests. The Inn averages 13 people per night. There are many nights per year when the Inn has to turn people away.

There is also managers quarters, a large guest lodge/restaurant, yoga studio and deck, massage room, exercise/weight room, sauna and hot soaking pool, kitchen, office, cold food storage room with wine and cheese rack, tool and hardware bodega, laundry storage room and laundry area with roof water collectors and waste water tanks, 11 composting dry toilets, 10 hot showers, gravity run water system, a greenhouse, wood storage shed, a bus stop, tree-house and suspension bridge, 100-meter zipline, solar powered water slide, sheep corral, guinea pig shed, rabbit pit, lots of firewood, fish/duck pond and raft.

Construction began in 1995 and continues to this day. The Inn is a successful work-in-progress, constantly improving, moving, breathing, maintaining and bettering the facility.

Materials of Construction:
Handmade Adobe blocks, eucalyptus wood beams and ceilings, rock (rock walls), Spanish tile roofs, glass sun lights, straw roofs, some cement block construction. Everything is very well built and earthquake resistant.

Property Features / Why is it suitable for Ecotourism?
The Inn has been designed using Permaculture philosophy, which includes: organic gardens, buildings made with renewable natural resources and materials, composting toilets, reforestation with native trees (including small tree nursery), terracing, roof-water catchments, gravity fed water systems, renewable energy and recycling. Permaculture Design connects features to make them multi-functional, resilient and sustainable. Ecotourism has a low impact on the land, educates guests and gives back to the community: The Inn does all of this and more.

Energy-Saving Features:
All lighting at the The Inn is with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Several automatic sensors exist on the property for lighting. Most lights have 3 or 4 way switches for convenience in turning them on or off. Water is provided from 3 sources, including roof-water catchments. Waste-water is reused for irrigation. Pond water is lifted for irrigation using a solar powered direct submersible pump.

There are plans to install a hybrid solar/wind alternative energy system and be completely energy self-sufficient.

The Inn conserves energy and resources in every aspect of its operation.

Description of Location:
The Inn is perched on a hillside at 10,500 feet in elevation with fantastic views of the Rio Toachi Canyon and high Andean patchwork fields. It is a day hikers paradise offering several climates to explore all within a 5 km radius.

Nearby Attractions:
Attractions include: the Iliniza Ecological Reserve with several endangered species in Andean Humid Forest (Cloud Forest), Laguna Quilotoa - a spectacular emerald volcanic crater lake, the Rio Toachi Canyon (which some people call the Grand Canyon of Ecuador), a locally cooperatively owned Swiss-Style cheese factory, Incan ruin sites, Italian fine handcrafted furniture making workshop and several small indigenous markets all within a 35 km radius. The Inn has become a destination in itself due over a decade of positive international press.

Location is everything. The Inn is in a perfect location, one of the most beautiful spots in the world, with plenty to do or see nearby. The climate is like an eternal spring.

Best way to arrive to the property:
Quito (the capitol of Ecuador) is the closest international airport. The Inn is located only 85 km (directly) from Quito, but approximately 4 hours driving on windy roads, 3 hours from Latacunga and the Pan American Highway. There are 2 daily buses in and out of the village of Chugchilán; private transportation is also available.

MORE INFORMATION:
The Inn is well known with a fantastic reputation, listed in guidebooks for over a decade. It is an award winning world-renowned ecolodge, eco-certified by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism.

The Inn has satellite internet, two land phone lines and cellular reception, Ozone water purification, a wood-fired sauna and hot tub, and 100-meter zipline, a glass greenhouse, 1000 square foot deck, yoga studio (multifunction room for meetings, yoga and movie nights) and a tree house. The Inn actively helps the community with several projects including: a public library and computer center, recycling center, teaching English and computer skills, and helping the local schools and health clinic with infrastructure needs.

Other tourist activities include horseback riding, mountain biking and climbing. Potential business growth projects are downhill mountain bike tours, llama trekking, spa and healing lifestyle center, alternative energy learning center, conference center for ecotourism, artists, musicians, and yoga enthusiasts.

PERSONAL NOTE:
We built the Inn in a location where there was no prior tourism, let alone ecotourism. We were young, energetic, hard working and focused. Our labors, vision and persistence have realized this dream. We have created a successful sustainable tourist destination in the rural village of Chugchilan and have set an example of what real ecotourism can accomplish. The Inn is a unique place with the potential to flourish and make dreams come true.

RECOGNITION includes, but is not limited to:
Top 10 Eco-Resort– Delta SKY In-Flight Magazine May 2009
Top 50 Ecolodge in the World– National Geographic Adventure Magazine November 2008
Winner - Ecolodge Awards - ECOCLUB International Ecotourism Club 2006 & 2008
Winner! Ecological Rural Tourism- Skål International Ecotourism Awards 2006
Winner! Sustainable Tourism Award in Conservation- Smithsonian Magazine/Tourism Cares for Tomorrow 2005
Highly Commended: Best in Mountain Environment- First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards 2005
Finalist for Tourism for Tomorrow Award- World Travel & Tourism Council 2005
Short-Listed- Responsible Traveler Award 2004 & 2005
Top 10 Ecolodge in the World– Outside Magazine 2003

This type of recognition will guarantee tourists coming to this location for the next decade. The Inn is outstanding in its flock and makes for a great investment opportunity and sustainable lifestyle change.

    MUST VISIT - Serious inquiries only!