Shigras on Ecuador Tours of the Andes
Domesticated llama and alpaca species are raised commercially
Visitors who travel to Ecuador in the Andean region will want to leave room in the suitcase for a shigra bag, the ubiquitous tote woven of cabuya plant fibers, carried by women in Ecuador and abroad. So striking are these bags, crafted as they are in many attractive designs and color combinations, that selecting just one to bring home from one’s Ecuador tours makes for a difficult challenge. A novel souvenir, shigras will be found during travel to Ecuador at a price far below what you would pay if you wait until you are back home to find one.
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Andean Shigras
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Shigras come in different sizes. The larger shigra bag that is typically purchased by women as a souvenir from Ecuador travel is sometimes referred to as a mochila. Shigras are usually woven in simple patterns, abstract, zigzag, geometric or human figure designs, making them at home in the fields as they are on a city street. Shigras are often woven in a variety of vivid hues or in a striking black and white motif.
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Southern Explorations travels to many locations in the central Andes of Cotopaxi, Tungurahua and Chimborazo, south of Quito, where shigra bags will be found in abundance. The nine-day Ecuador Highlights trip visits Riobamba, Baños, Cuenca and two national parks, Cotopaxi and El Cajas in this region of the central Andes. Our twelve-day Andes, Amazon and Galapagos Multisport trip visits Salasaca, a village south of Ambato, the provincial capital of Tungurahua Province, where the cabuya grows.
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The villages around Cotopaxi are a great place to search for just the right bag or bags during your travel to Ecuador. Saquisili, southwest of the park is known for its shigra finish work. We offer a two-day tour extension to Cotopaxi National Park that stops to take in an indigenous market day along the way where shigras and other articles woven of cabuya will be plentiful.
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Visitors on Ecuador tours north of Quito will find a multitude of shigras to choose from as well when they visit the famed Otavalo crafts market and nearby villages. Southern Explorations’ Ecuador tours that visit this region include the Ecuador Highlights trip and the eleven-day Galapagos Islands and Haciendas trip. We also offer three tour extensions from Quito that visit the Otavalo Market, a day-trip as well as a two-day option, and for visitors who have more time for their travel to Ecuador, a four-day Haciendas, Hot Springs and Volcanoes trip that may be added to any of our Galapagos Islands tours or trips to other regions of the Ecuador mainland.
