Sights in Ecuador
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Old Town
If you're short on time head straight to the old town. It's here that Quito distinguishes itself from all other cities in the world. Be certain to see the Plaza and Monastery of San Francisco, the Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Grande), La Compañía de Jesús and the Museo de Arte Colonial.
With its narrow streets, restored colonial architecture and lively plazas, Quito's Centro Histórico (aka the old town) is a marvel to wander. Built centuries ago by indigenous artisans and laborers, Quito's churches, convents, chapels and monasteries are cast in legend and steeped in history. It's a bustling area, full of yelling street vendors, ambling pedestrians, tooting taxis,…
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Museo Guayasamín
In the former home of world-famous painter Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919–99), this wonderful museum houses the most complete collection of his work. Guayasamín was also an avid collector, and the museum displays his outstanding collection of more than 4500 pre-Colombian ceramic, bone and metal pieces from throughout Ecuador. The pieces are arranged by theme – bowls, fertility figurines, burial masks etc – rather than by era or cultural group, and the result is one of the most beautifully displayed archaeological collections in the country.
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Craft Market
Vendors hock an astounding array of wares at the crafts market on Plaza de Ponchos each and everyday, but Saturday is the principal market day, when the roads jam with visitors and the food market and household goods stalls overflow into adjacent streets.
Plaza de Ponchos is the nucleus of tourist activity, with its staple of woolen goods - such as tapestries, blankets, ponchos, thick hooded sweaters, scarves, gloves, hats and alpaca goods from other regions - in addition to embroidered blouses, hammocks, carvings, jewelry, original paintings and struggling Guayasamín imitations, knit finger puppets, clay pipes, fake shrunken heads, handbags and woven mats. The mostly…
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Parque Nacional Cotopaxi
The centerpiece of Ecuador's most popular national park is the snowcapped and downright picture-perfect Volcán Cotopaxi. At 5897m (19,347ft), it's Ecuador's second-highest peak. Around the volcano, you'll find outstanding hiking opportunities and wildlife such as the Andean condor, white-tailed deer, little red brocket deer and wily colpeo (Andean fox).
Within the 33,393 hectares (82,516 acres) of national park, there are a handful of fabulous old haciendas offering everything from horseback riding to guided climbs of Cotopaxi itself. The park also offers a good look at the páramo (Andean grassland) and the views everywhere are sublime.
Keep an eye out for the rare…
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Parque Bolívar
Guayaquil may be the only city in the world that has land iguanas, some over a meter in length, living downtown. These prehistoric-looking animals, a different species from those found in the Galápagos, are a startling sight in one of Guayaquil's most famous plazas, Parque Bolívar which is also known as Parque Seminario. Around its small ornamental gardens are many of Guayaquil's first-class hotels. On the west side of the park is the cathedral, and a block south you'll find the Museo Municipal and the municipal library. The archaeology room on the ground floor has mainly Inca and pre-Inca ceramics, and several figurines from the oldest culture in Ecuador, the Valdivia (c…
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Parque Histórico Guayaquil
Historic Williamsburg meets the zoo at this large park across the Guayaquil–Durán bridge, on the east side of Río Daule. The park is divided into three ‘zones’: the Endangered Wildlife Zone, which has 45 species of bird, animal and reptile in a seminatural habitat; the Urban Architecture Zone, which has a restaurant and showcases the development of early-20th-century architecture in Guayaquil; and the Traditions Zone, which focuses on local traditions, with an emphasis on rural customs, crafts and agriculture.
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Museo Pumapungo
Cuenca’s most important museum, Museo Pumapungo has an entire floor of colorfully animated dioramas displaying traditional costumes of Ecuador’s diverse indigenous cultures, including Afro-Ecuadorians from Esmeraldas province, the cowboy-like montubios (coastal farmers) of the western lowlands, several rainforest groups and all the major highland groups. The finale features five rare and eerie tzantza (shrunken heads) from the Shuar culture of the southern Oriente.
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Malecón 2000
Malecón 2000, one of the most extensive urban-renewal projects in South America, is made up of ponds, playgrounds, sculptures, gardens and river views. From its southernmost point at the Mercado Sur to Cerro Santa Ana and Las Peñas in the north, the malecón stretches 2.5km along the bank of the wide Río Guayas. It’s a gated, policed public space with restaurants, a museum, a performance space, an IMAX movie theater and a shopping mall.
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Parque El Ejido
Northeast of La Alameda, the pleasant, tree-filled Parque El Ejido is the biggest park in downtown Quito. It's a popular spot for impromptu games of soccer and volleyball. The north end of the park teems with activity on weekends, when open-air art shows are held along Avenida Patria. Just inside the north end of the park, artisans and crafts vendors set up stalls and turn the sidewalks into Quito's largest handicrafts market.
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Museo Etnográfico de Artesanía de Ecuador
Just north of the Mariscal, the small but worthwhile Museo Etnográfico de Artesanía de Ecuador exhibits the artwork, clothing and utensils of Ecuador’s indigenous people, with special emphasis on the peoples of the Oriente. It’s run by the outstanding Fundación Sinchi Sacha, and there’s a pleasant café on-site.
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Food Market
The food market sells produce and household goods for the locals. While you might have little use for an enormous cauliflower, it's an interesting place to visit.
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Las Peñas & Cerro Santa Ana
These two historic neighborhoods have been refurbished into an idealized version of a quaint South American hillside village, all brightly painted homes and cobblestone alleyways. If you peek inside an open door or window, however, you realize it's a bit of a Potemkin village that's not entirely sanitized as residents still live their everyday lives as they would elsewhere in the city.
Everyone strolling the Malecón ends up here, especially at night when the views from the top are spectacular. There are several stylish and attractive bars, and it's completely safe - though one of the friendly security officers may stop you for walking up or down the wrong side of the…
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Río Tomebamba & Calle Larga
The swift, rock-strewn Río Tomebamba is attractively lined with old colonial buildings that tower above the grassy riverside. The buildings themselves open onto the street of Calle Larga, which runs parallel to - and directly above - the river. From Calle Larga, three attractive stone stairways lead down to Avenida 3 de Noviembre, which follows the river's northern bank and makes for a pleasant walk. The largest staircase, at Hermano Miguel, is known as La Escalinata.
One of the river's landmark features is the Puente Roto (Broken Bridge), the remaining third of an old stone bridge that once spanned the river.
Inside one of Calle Larga's historical buildings, the Museo…
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Churches
Two blocks east of Plaza de San Sebastián stands the bare, 19th-century Church of San Cenáculo (cnr Bolívar & Montalvo). One block north of the church is Gran Colombia, the main handicraft and shopping street in Cuenca. The street's landmark building is the Church of Santo Domingo (cnr Gran Colombia & Padre Aguirre), which has some fine carved wooden doors and colonial paintings inside. Although it looks older, the church was built in the early 20th-century.
Although its doors are rarely open to the public, the Church of El Carmen de la Asunción (Mariscal Sucre near Padre Aguirre), founded in 1682, is one of Cuenca's prettiest sights, thanks to the colorful flower…
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Baths
Baños means 'baths,' which is precisely what the town is famous for, and precisely what you should get into at least once while you're here. Most of them are fed by thermal springs burbling from the base of the active Volcán Tungurahua. The water in the pools is constantly being recycled and only looks murky because of its mineral content, which is touted for its restorative and healthful properties. Chlorates, sulfates and magnesium are among the principal chemicals found in the baths.
There are four municipal baths. Three are in Baños (only one is hot), and the fourth is out of town. All have changing rooms and clothing storage. Towels are available for rent, but…
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Parque La Alameda
From the northeast edge of the old town the long, triangular Parque La Alameda begins its grassy crawl toward the new town. At the southern apex of the park stands the Simón Bolívar monument. Toward the middle of the park are statues of the members of the 1736-44 French Académie des Sciences expedition that surveyed Ecuador and made the equatorial measurements that gave rise to the metric system.
Nearby, the Quito Observatory, which was opened by President García Moreno in 1864, is the oldest observatory on the continent.
At the north end of La Alameda - an area popular with picnickers on weekends - is a pair of ornamental lakes, where rowboats can be hired.
Nearby,…
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Charles Darwin Research Station
About a 20-minute walk by road northeast of Puerto Ayora, the Charles Darwin Research Station can also be reached by dry landing from Academy Bay. More than 200 scientists and volunteers are involved with research and conservation efforts, the most well known of which involves a captive breeding program for giant tortoises. It contains a national-park information center; an informative museum where a video in English or Spanish is presented several times a day; a baby-tortoise house with incubators (when they weigh about 1.5kg or are about four years old, the tortoises are repatriated to their home islands) and a walk-in adult tortoise enclosure, where you can meet the…
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Monastery of San Francisco
Walking from the old town's narrow colonial streets into the open Plaza San Francisco reveals one of the finest sights in all of Ecuador - a sweeping cobblestone plaza backed by the long whitewashed walls and twin bell towers of Ecuador's oldest church, the Monastery of San Francisco. With its giant plaza and its mountainous backdrop of Volcán Pichincha this is surely one of Quito's highlights.
Construction of the monastery began only a few weeks after the founding of Quito in 1534, but the building was not finished until 70 years later. It is the city's largest colonial structure. The founder was the Franciscan missionary Joedco Ricke, who is credited with being the…
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Monastery of San Francisco
Walking from the old town's narrow colonial streets into the giant cobblestone plaza reveals one of the finest sights in Ecuador - the whitewashed walls and twin bell towers of Ecuador's oldest church against the backdrop of Volcán Pichincha. Completed around 1600, the interior of the monastery boasts exquisite original tilework and spectacular Baroque carving.
The Monastery of San Francisco is Quito's largest colonial structure. Its founder, Franciscan missionary Joedco Rickie, is credited with being the first man to sow wheat in Ecuador. He is commemorated by a statue near the raised terrace at the front. Although much of the church has been rebuilt because of…
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Plaza Grande
While wandering around colonial Quito, you'll probably pass through the Plaza Grande (formally known as Plaza de la Independencia) several times. The austere white building on the northwest side of the plaza (between Chile and Espejo) with the national flag flying atop is the Palacio del Gobierno (Presidential Palace; García Moreno). The president does indeed carry out business in this building, so sightseeing is limited to the entrance. Inside, a mural depicts Francisco de Orellana's descent of the Amazon. The guard at the gate may allow you in to take a look.
On the southwest side of the plaza stands Quito's recently painted cathedral with religious paintings by…
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Plaza de Ponchos
Vendors hock an astounding array of wares at the crafts market on Plaza de Ponchos each and every day, but Saturday is the principal market day. Roads are jammed with visitors perusing its staple of woolen goods such as tapestries, blankets, ponchos, sweaters, scarves and hats, as well as embroidered blouses, hammocks, carvings, jewelry, paintings and fake shrunken heads.
Bargaining is expected, especially with multiple purchases, so don't be shy. The action peters out around mid-afternoon as groups of men gather in corners to drink, and vendors begin chatting amongst themselves while their toddlers nap under piles of sweaters. Food stalls set up at the northern end…
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Cathedral
On the plaza’s southwest side stands Quito’s cathedral. Although not the most ornate of the old town’s churches, its interior has some fascinating religious works from artists of the Quito School. Don’t miss the painting of the Last Supper, with Christ and disciples feasting on cuy (roast guinea pig), chicha (a fermented corn drink) and humitas (similar to tamales). The Nativity painting includes a llama and a horse peering over the newborn Jesus. You’ll also see the ornate tomb of Mariscal Sucre, the leading figure of Quito’s independence. Behind the main altar is a plaque showing where President Gabriel García Moreno died on August 6, 1875. He was slashed with a…
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Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa
Within the town itself, the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa is dedicated to the Virgin of the Holy Water (the same one with a shrine over by the waterfall). This illustrious lady is credited with several local miracles. Inside the church, paintings depict her wonders with explanations in Spanish along the lines of: ‘On January 30, 1904, Señor X fell off his horse as he was crossing the Río Pastaza bridge. As he fell 70m to the torrents below, he yelled “Holy Mother of the Holy Water” and was miraculously saved!’ Other paintings show people being spared from exploding volcanoes, burning hotels and other misfortunes. The Virgin is particularly good at warding off…
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El Panecillo
The small, ever-present hill to the south of the old town is called El Panecillo and is a major Quito landmark.
It is topped by a huge statue of La Virgen de Quito (Virgin of Quito), with a crown of stars, eagle's wings and a chained dragon atop the world.
From the summit, there are marvelous views of the whole city stretching out below, as well as of the surrounding volcanoes. The best time for volcano views (particularly in the rainy season) is early morning, before the clouds roll in. Definitely don't climb the stairs at the end of Calle García Moreno on the way to the statue - they're unsafe due to muggings. A taxi from the old town costs about around US$4, and you can…
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Palacio del Gobierno
The heart of the old town is the Plaza Grande (formally known as Plaza de la Independencia), a picturesque, palm-fringed square surrounded by historic buildings. The austere, white building on the plaza’s northwest side (between Chile and Espejo), with the national flag flying atop, is the Palacio del Gobierno. Visitors can enter by guided tours (in Spanish and sometimes English), which offer a glimpse of the brilliantly hued mosaic depicting Francisco de Orellana’s descent of the Amazon. You’ll also peer in a few of the staterooms. The president carries out business in this building, so sightseeing is limited to rooms not currently in use. On Monday, the changing of…
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