Hacienda Zuleta

ecuador

Hacienda Zuleta

Luxury hotel

member since JULY 2026

Hacienda Zuleta has been in Fernando Polanco's family for 140 years. His grandfather, former Ecuadorian President Galo Plaza Lasso, worked with the communities around the estate to protect its watersheds and modernise its farming, and started the Andean condor project in 1994, before the hacienda had welcomed its first guest. "My grandfather left us a clear road for us to follow at Zuleta," Fernando says. "We are committed to the environment."

The estate's land supports some of the region's most vulnerable species, including spectacled bears, Andean condors and pumas, while its condor breeding programme is among the most established in the country.

The Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation, established in 1995, is currently run by Hacienda staff and uses the generous donations of guests and partners to improve the quality of life of Zuleta’s staff and surrounding communities.

Guests stay in what still feels like a family home rather than a hotel. They ride the estate's own breed of Zuletaño horses, join conservation visits to the condor programme, and sit down to traditional cuisine grown on the land. Many learn to embroider alongside the local women whose work was recently recognised by Ecuador's Ministry of Culture as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Hacienda Zuleta 4C Commitments

CONSERVATION

Thirty years of Andean condor conservation, including Ecuador's leading breeding programme.

The Bosque Protector Zuleta, established in 1998 in close partnership with the local community, protects 2,470 hectares of highland páramo and native primary and secondary forest.

COMMUNITY

90% of employees come from neighbouring communities. This helps local families improve their livelihoods, educate their children and build a more secure future.

The Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation supports scholarships, school partnerships, graduate guidance and annual summer schools for local children.

CULTURE

Zuleta's embroidery tradition, recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage by Ecuador's Ministry of Culture, preserves artistic excellence while creating economic opportunities for local women.

Guests experience living Andean culture through embroidery, traditional cuisine, music and the archaeological heritage of the Caranqui Tolas.

COMMERCE

Tourism, agriculture and conservation operate as one interconnected model, providing fair employment and reducing reliance on extractive land uses over time.

Every guest stay directly contributes to the long-term resilience of Hacienda Zuleta's landscapes, communities and conservation initiatives.

Hacienda Zuleta’s Highlights

Culture: Zuleta's embroidery was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by Ecuador's Ministry of Culture, recognising a technique passed from mothers to daughters for generations. Through the Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation, more than 300 women from Zuleta and the surrounding communities have learned the craft, and many now run their own independent workshops and stores.
Conservation: Fewer than 150 Andean condors remain in the wild in Ecuador. Zuleta's Condor Huasi programme, running since 1996 as part of the country's national breeding network, has bred and released chicks back into the wild, including Churi, the first condor born and raised at the hacienda.
Community: 90% of Zuleta's staff live in the surrounding communities. Many families in Zuleta benefit directly or indirectly from the work the hacienda generates.
Commerce: A portion of all tourism profits at Hacienda Zuleta goes back into the Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation, funding the condor programme, the embroidery project and the Zuleta Library.