Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)
A half-hour northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno by boat is the tiny, rocky Isla Lobos, with the main sea-lion and blue-footed booby colonies for visitors…
Must-see attractions in Ecuador
Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)
On the western side of the island you’ll find this horseshoe-shaped cove with a white sandy beach and shallow water that’s good for snorkeling. Sea lions,…
Riobamba
The ornate, baroque facade of Riobamba's cathedral was reconstructed from fragments after the 1797 earthquake that destroyed the town. Made from white…
Casa Museo María Augusta Urrutía
Quito
Of Quito’s house museums, this is the one not to miss: it’s a splendidly preserved, 19th-century home that was once the abode of the city’s best-loved…
Central Highlands
Inside the park, 9km from Control Caspi, this small interpretation center has a few display boards explaining the natural history of the area. Take a…
Loja
Loja's best viewpoint is at the top of the cable car from Parque Pucará, 1km south of Plaza de la Independencia up Olmedo. Walk or get a taxi ($1) to the…
South Coast
While Zaruma's mines are mostly exhausted or closed to visitors, you can step inside a 500m-long tunnel in La Mina el Sexmo. Guests don boots and a helmet…
Central Highlands
This cultural center is built on the site of a former Jesuit watermill known as Molinos de Monserrat and houses a small ethnography and art museum. The…
The Quilotoa Loop
Zumbahua (zoom-bah-wah) has a wonderfully authentic Saturday market at which indigenous vendors from the mountains sell their wares. Check out the men on…
Quito
To further acquaint yourself with Ecuador’s flora and fauna, head to the curious natural-history museum inside the Instituto Nacional de Bioversidad in…
Riobamba
Parque La Libertad is anchored by this neoclassical basilica, famous for being the only round church in Ecuador. It was designed, built and decorated…
Quito
This museum, in a handsomely restored 17th-century building, houses an excellent collection of colonial art. On display are famous sculptures and…
Quito
Provide fodder for your jungle fears with a visit to the Vivarium, home to 40 species of reptiles and amphibians including snakes, iguanas, turtles, frogs…
Cuenca
At the east end of Calle Larga, this museum has archaeological exhibits and tours of the Ruinas de Todos Santos, which reveal Cañari, Inca and Spanish…
Cuenca
If you've any interest in the world's most outrageous and beautiful plant species, you'll love the Universidad de Cuenca's Orquideario. With over 400…
Central Highlands
Next to the church on the Ambato–Baños road, behind a statue of a local man donning a black poncho, this market has some great local artisan goods,…
Riobamba
Built in the 1900s by the Costales-Dávalos family, this beautifully restored historic building has a few old-time pictures of the city, rotating art…
Northern Highlands
Located in the neoclassical former municipal palace, several small galleries present the ethnohistory of the region, from 8500 BC through colonial and…
Guayaquil
Around halfway along the malecón you’ll soon come to one of Guayaquil’s more impressive monuments, particularly when illuminated at night. Flanked by…
Central Highlands
Ambato once had an old cathedral, but it was destroyed along with the rest of the city by the 1947 earthquake. Many people consider the replacement temple…
Central Highlands
On the road to the Río Pita, this Inca fort was built around the end of the 15th century. There are several stone walls and a semi-restored circular…
Central Highlands
A trail with broad views of Chimborazo leads around Laguna de Colta, passing through traditional villages and grazing livestock. There's a children's play…
Quito
An interactive museum featuring life-size animatronic dinosaurs, a planetarium, a library and a theater as well as temporary exhibitions are among the…
Guayaquil
This museum, featuring an impressive collection of archaeological artifacts, including pottery and figurines made by the original settlers of Ecuador, is…
Basilica Santisima Virgen de Montserrat
North Coast & Lowlands
Dating back to the early 20th century, this beautiful church contains a statue of the Virgin to which miracles have been attributed. While the Museo…
Quito
Inside this restored colonial home is a small but iconic collection of work by painter Camilo Egas (1899–1962), Ecuador’s first indigenista (indigenous…
Mindo
Check out the blooms at this impressive collection of more than 200 orchids – many viewable with a handy microscope. Naturally, the garden is also full of…
Quito
On the northeast side of Plaza Grande, this former archbishop’s palace is now a colonnaded row of small shops and restaurants, located between Avenidas…
Central Highlands
Although a bit dusty, this natural history museum in the Colegio Bolívar houses Ecuador’s most thorough collection of stuffed birds, mammals and reptiles…
Prohibido Museo de Arte Extremo
Cuenca
El Vado, an up-and-coming area, has some unusual establishments, such as this Grim Reaper–themed gallery, bar and nightclub. Find it on the upper …
Northern Highlands
At the north end of Bolívar you’ll find the quaint Parque Santo Domingo. The Dominican church behind this small park houses La Virgen del Rosarío, a…
Cuenca
Most of this bridge, above a pretty stretch of Paseo 3 de Noviembre, was washed away during a flood, but its stone arches make a nice venue for an open…
The Quilotoa Loop
The outstanding Galería Arte de Tigua and three other art galleries sell paintings and wooden masks at lower prices than those in Quito. If the gallery is…
Cuenca
The only Cuenca church built in the form of a Latin cross, and one of the city's largest, the Church of San Blas sits at the eastern end of the slightly…
Church of El Carmen de la Asunción
Cuenca
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…
Guayaquil
Nahim Isaias, located in the Plaza de Administración building, exhibits more than 2000 pictorial and sculptural works, paintings and artifacts from the…
Guayaquil
This church, originally built in the early 18th century, burned down in the devastating fire of 1896, which destroyed huge swaths of the city. It was…
Tena
Part astro-turfed, part grassed, and with multiple leisure facilities from running tracks to playgrounds, Parque Tena has replaced the old airstrip and…
Loja
Loja’s main square is always busy with shoeshine boys, newspaper vendors and local devotees stepping into the cathedral for their daily devotions to the…
Northern Highlands
Features a gold-leaf-covered altar for the Virgen de la Merced, patron saint of the armed forces. The church holds a special mass in remembrance of the…
