The town is home to several indigenous Inca communities, spread throughout the area, with about 7000 people in total and about 1000 indigenous Cañari people living from agriculture on rural lands. High in the mountains are common lands for grazing and growing potatoes and other crops. Carnival is an important cultural celebration in El Tambo.

Within the community the primary language is Quichua, but most people speak Spanish as well. Most of the Cañari people still wear traditional clothing.

Attractions close to El Tambo include Ecuador’s best kept pre-colonial Inca ruins at Ingapirca (3 km east of El Tambo), a hike through the paramo on the Camino de las Incas, and the relatively unexplored Los Baños de las Incas, a Cañari/Inca site where the Festival de la Luna is held during the Autumn equinox. There are local markets in El Tambo, Ingapirca and the nearby town of Cañar. The city of Cuenca, with its many attractions, is about 50 km to the south.

Locals can arrange horseback riding trips to various locations of interest in the surrounding mountains and can serve as guides for numerous hikes in the area.