Hostal Yakumama

Cuenca

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As hostels go, the spacious Yakumama, named after the Inca water goddess, is one of Cuenca's best. From the light, roomy 10-bed dorm down through the nicely hand-painted private rooms to the cool common areas (a courtyard full of murals and plants), the owners get what a great hostel needs. There's a community bulletin board posting current activities/events around town.

Staff can be hot and cold, and the place could be a little cleaner, but it remains a go-to spot to meet other travelers and hang in the lounge. Nonguests can also enjoy cocktails in the lounge, which opens to the public from 5pm to midnight. Regular live music, too.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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  • Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción

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  • Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes

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    0.21 MILES

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  • Parque Nacional Cajas

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  • Mirador de Turi

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  • Archaeological Park

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Nearby Cuenca attractions

1. Museo del Monasterio de las Conceptas

0.14 MILES

This religious museum in the Convent of the Immaculate Conception, founded in 1599, offers a glimpse into the centuries-old customs of the cloistered nuns…

4. Church of San Francisco

0.19 MILES

Resplendently colonial, yet curiously ramshackle, plaza San Francisco's set-piece is the 19th-century Church of San Francisco, which features an…

5. El Sagrario

0.19 MILES

Standing across the park from the new cathedral, the whitewashed El Sagrario is also known as the 'old cathedral.' Construction began in 1557, the year…

6. Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes

0.21 MILES

This indigenous culture museum has more than 5000 archaeological pieces representing more than 20 pre-Columbian Ecuadorian cultures going back some 15,000…

7. Church of El Carmen de la Asunción

0.21 MILES

The stark, white church just around the corner from Plaza de San Francisco was founded in 1682 and contrasts beautifully with the colorful flower market…

8. Parque Calderón

0.22 MILES

A central meeting point and generally lovely place to relax, Parque Calderón is the central park of Cuenca.