Museo del Banco Central ‘Pumapungo’
Cuenca
One of Ecuador's most significant museums, Pumapungo houses great modern art downstairs, but the highlight is on the 2nd floor. Here begins a…
Must-see attractions in Southern Highlands
Loja
With perhaps more pomp and circumstance than you'll encounter anywhere else in Loja, the City Gate greets you into downtown from the northern corner. It's…
Loja
This fun museum located in an old school explores the lives of famous musicians who hailed from Loja (most peaking in success during the golden 1890–1940…
Cuenca
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…
Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción
Cuenca
Also known as the ‘new cathedral,’ construction began on this vast cathedral only in 1885. Its giant domes of sky-blue Czech tile are visible from all…
Southern Highlands
This national park fills in much of the triangle between Loja, Zamora and Vilcabamba, as well as a huge swath to the southeast. Because altitude ranges so…
Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes
Cuenca
This indigenous culture museum has more than 5000 archaeological pieces representing more than 20 pre-Columbian Ecuadorian cultures going back some 15,000…
Southern Highlands
Branching off from the Los Miradores Loop Trail is the challenging but enticing 14.5km trail to the two dozen or more lakes that make up the remote…
Southern Highlands
Only 30km west of Cuenca, Parque Nacional Cajas encompasses 2854 sq km of golden moor-like páramo (high-altitude grassland) dotted with hundreds of chilly…
Southern Highlands
Ecuador’s best-preserved archaeological site, Ingapirca, with its semi-intact temple, grazing llamas and open fields, is definitely worth a stopover if…
Vilcabamba
The small Tapichalaca Reserve, 75km south of Vilcabamba, protects one of Ecuador’s most rare and endangered birds, the jocotoco antpitta (Grallaria…
Southern Highlands
The Jorupe Reserve is run by Fundación Jocotoco outside of Macará. Primarily a bird-watching reserve, Jorupe is home to the white-tailed jay, blue-crowned…
Cuenca
For a lovely view of Cuenca, take a taxi ($5) 4km south of town along Avenida Solano to the stark white Church of Turi. The views of Cuenca’s famous,…
Cuenca
Walk through the extensive ruins of buildings believed to be part the old Incan city of Tomebamba. Thanks to the Spanish conquistadors who carted off most…
Cuenca
Housed in the former Escuela Central la Inmaculada, this beautifully preserved colonial building has been revamped with sleek, contemporary lines to house…
Cuenca
About 1km south of the Old Town's La Escalinita staircase, this peacefully wending river has tree-clad bankside green space perfect for a picnic. Upriver,…
Southern Highlands
Head a block southwest of the main plaza and hang a right on the dead-end lane to find this wildlife rescue center. Housing colorful parrots, coatis (big,…
Loja
On the south side of Parque Central, a characterful republican-era building houses this museum and its exhibits, which include good local art, archaeology…
Southern Highlands
Zamora's most famous landmark is the huge clock on the hill above the bus station, attractively decorated with flowers. The minute hand is 11.34m long…
Southern Highlands
The Templo de Lourdes is worth a peek inside for its replicas of famous European religious paintings. You won’t mistake this church for the Louvre, but…
Southern Highlands
Visit La Casa de la Makana to see how makanas shawls are made, and how the different dyes are mixed. These are sought-after items: one makana can take…
Southern Highlands
Tupus and textiles are made in the community of Las Lagunas, making this an interesting cultural excursion. Catch a bus ($0.20, 10 minutes) from the main…
Loja
North of town, this kid-friendly park offers a giant chessboard, a skate park, a Chinese pagoda, a pint-size Kremlin, small animal enclosures and a…
Loja
The plaza is hemmed in by the Church of San Sebastián and colonial-era buildings with pillared overhangs and shuttered wooden balconies. A brightly tiled…
Southern Highlands
The infamous Peña de Shiriculapo is a shrine-cum-mirador (lookout) known for its vertigo-inducing views of the Casanga Valley. Access it through the small…
Centro Interamericano de Artes Populares
Cuenca
Just down the stairs on the riverbank, the Inter-American Traditional Art Center exhibits indigenous costumes, handicrafts and artwork from around Latin…
Cuenca
A patch of Inca ruins lies near the river, between the east end of Larga and Av Todos los Santos. Most of the stonework was destroyed to build colonial…
Cuenca
Resplendently colonial, yet curiously ramshackle, plaza San Francisco's set-piece is the 19th-century Church of San Francisco, which features an…
Cuenca
On the south side of Plaza de San Sebastián, this fun museum was once a home for the insane. It now houses a highly regarded collection of Ecuadorian and…
Loja
Make a beeline a block south of Parque Central for this plaza, mainly notable for the Church of Santo Domingo, adorned with religious paintings.
Loja
Almost 5km south of the center, the 90-hectare reserve has excellent trails. You’ll need to cab it here ($1.25).
Cuenca
A central meeting point and generally lovely place to relax, Parque Calderón is the central park of Cuenca.
Museo del Monasterio de las Conceptas
Cuenca
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…
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
