Vilcabamba

Tucked away deep in southern Ecuador is Vilcabamba, which lies at the heart of Ecuador’s southernmost province of Loja. The Incas referred to it as the “Sacred Valley,” but today it’s known as the “Valley of Longevity.” Vilcabamba village itself is small—only about 4,000 Inhabitants—but the international community is surprisingly diverse, with an ever-increasing population of U.S. and British settlers, as well as French, Germans, Canadians, and a sprinkling of other nationalities. The mellow lifestyle, small-village atmosphere, and wide-open spaces were exactly what they were looking for.It wasn’t that long ago that little Vilcabamba was virtually cut off from the rest of the world. Shipments of unhealthy processed food didn’t make it this far. There were no cars, and television signals didn’t reach this remote area. There was no pollution and both water and air were about as fresh as could be.

Much of that has changed now, of course—you can get satellite TV and high-speed internet. There are cars and trucks on the streets. But Vilcabamba is still a very healthy place to live. The nearby mountains are virtually uninhabited and the streams that flow down from these mountaintops bring clear, fresh water.