Malacatos is a 15 minute drive from Vilcabamba, on the way to Loja. It is a larger town than Vilcabamba. More and more gringos have been moving from Vilcabamba to Malacatos because it is cheaper and warmer there. We know of two gringos kids who go to the local school in Malacatos. Their parents say that the school is good.
The central plaza is well kept.
It does feel nice in Malacatos. It is definitely an option if someone does not want to be in Loja or Vilcabamba, the first one being too cold, the second one being to expensive.
Here is is sample of the birds you can see around Malacatos. We were not able to get a picture of the neon green birds we saw. Too bad, they were the most beautiful.
This is the Mandango, as seen from the hills of Malacatos.
This is a view of Malacatos from our friend Chris's property. The scenery is open and vast. Gorgeous! The blue church on the right side.
6 comments:
Hello
My family and plan on moving out there we were looking into vilcabamba but are like malcatos better
We have two young children also
Thanks for the information
Stephanie
Thanks for your comment. We hope that our post will help. Malacatos is also warmer than Vilcabamba. Our kids loved Vilcabamba. Malacatos must be nice too. Enjoy your stay.
Thank you for your post. We just found out about Malacatos and it sounds perfect for us. Can you recommend any place to stay while we are searching for property in the area? We have 3 adults coming to scout. My husband, son and me plan to be down in June. Thank you for any help!
We left Vilcabamba 2 years ago so probably things have evolved since then. There must be a hotel in Malacatos. If not, Vilcabamba is a very short drive and they have lots of accomodations there. One of the best hotels as to quality/price is "Le Rendez-Vous" 4 blocks from the plaza in Vilcabamba. It is worth checking it out. Second comes "Madre Tierra", on the road between Malacatos and Vilcabamba. It would be closer for you as you will be doing your search in Malacatos. They also have a few real estate agents in Vilcabamba that can probably help you with short-term rentals. We know Paola Ojeda from VREC, she is nice and she knows a lot of people locally. VREC is half a block from the plaza in Vilcabamba, between an organic store at the corner and a nice Ecuadorian arts and craft store. You can also post a question on the Vilcapeople page on facebook. Hope this helps and good luck to you guys.
As to buying property, we heard a ton of horror stories in Vilcabamba. There can be many problems besides dishonesty, like landslides, problems with contractors, water well issues (when you buy land the water well in it does not necessarily belong to you), lots of people just cannot finish what they want to build and have to abandon their project, etc. Nothing works the same way as in the US or Canada. From what we heard, it is best to rent for at least 6 months or even a year and then you will have a much better idea of what and where to buy. Vilcabamba would be a good resource for this since there are a lot of expats there and they do not mind sharing their experiences.
Ecuadorians tell me that there are more drugs and robberies in Malacatos. I considered it when buying land but decided to live outside of vilcabamba, on a rushing river, quiet and beautiful. I|t really helps if you develop a friendly relationship with the local people, it is the best thing, you will learn who to trust for advice. Some newcomers can be quite dense and not respectful of their workers, people who are working for them. This is not appreciated. Good luck finding your own paradise! You do not need a vehicle to live here, taxis are cheap.
Post a Comment