Tambo Condor’s Story

Rooted in Family – Rewilding the Land

Tambo Cóndor is a family-run eco-lodge and nature reserve located on ancestral land along the road to Antisana National Park, just 90 minutes from Quito. It’s a place where condors soar, spectacled bears roam, and guests experience the natural and cultural richness of Ecuador’s high Andes.

This project began on land passed down through huasipungo, a system where Indigenous families worked on haciendas in exchange for small plots to live and farm. For generations, working the land meant clearing it—removing native vegetation to plant crops and show you were doing your part.

So, in 2011, when Vladimir Ushiña and Verónica Amoguimba decided to stop clearing and start rewilding, many thought they were crazy.

Built By Hand

As newlyweds, they started Tambo Condor with $60 and a piece of cleared land. The money quickly ran out. The dream never died.

They did everything themselves—construction, planting, cooking, guiding. The money from each new visitor was invested back into the property.

They began the slow, determined process of rewilding the páramo, planting native bushes, trees, and grasses in a landscape of cattle pastures and potato fields.

Rewilding the Páramo

Though many of their neighbors still practice farming and some still think that bushes and trees are signs of bad land management, Tambo Condor’s example is part of a growing ecological corridor, showing that restoration is possible—and that nature can come back when given the chance.

Today, Tambo Condor works with Fundación Sembrando Esperanza and Reforest Ecuador to rewild the páramo, restoring native habitat and supporting the return of wildlife—including the Andean condor, spectacled bear, and dozens of bird species. Together, they hope to build a small Interpretive Center to encourage local communities and visitors from around the world to protect the páramo.

If you’d like to support this effort, learn more and contribute to the fundraiser here.

A Wildlife Guardian

While running the lodge, Vladimir was invited to help monitor a nesting pair of Andean condors on nearby cliffs. That invitation launched a new chapter in his life—as a self-taught conservationist and trusted local expert.

Vladamir has worked alongside the Fundación Condor Andino, the Peregrine Fund, and USFQ’s Carnivore Laboratory in support of Andean condors, spectacled bears and more.

The Dream Continues

Vladimir and Verónica remain intimately involved with every detail of Tambo Condor. They invite you to know their land, witness the return of the wild, and be part of a living story of regeneration, resilience, and rooted connection to Ecuador’s high Andes.