Must-see attractions in Ecuador

  • Museo Historico de Montecristi

    North Coast & Lowlands

    Revolutionary and two-time president Eloy Alfaro was born in Montecristi, and here is an amazing tribute to the man: a hilltop museum with a panoramic…

  • Cascada Las Latas

    The Oriente

    Misahuallí’s most enjoyable sight is some way outside the town, but it’s well worth spending a few hours to do the return riverside walk, which takes you…

  • Thursday Morning Market

    The Quilotoa Loop

    The Thursday morning market in Saquisilí is one of the best in the central highlands. It’s a mostly authentic and fascinating place to observe the array…

  • Museo del Pueblo Salasaca

    Central Highlands

    If you're interested in indigenous culture, a look around this museum is well worth your time. However the exhibits, spread over five floors, require some…

  • Reserva Ecologico Jama-Coaque

    North Coast & Lowlands

    We're hoping this reserve, 26 km south of Perdanales and 3km off the main highway, opens to tourism soon. Last we heard, Third Millenium Alliance (www…

  • Parque Nacional Sangay

    Central Highlands

    This 2710-sq-km national park contains three of Ecuador’s most magnificent volcanoes – the mightily active Sangay, the remittently active Tungurahua and…

  • Reserva Geobotánica Pululahua

    Ecuador

    The crater of extinct Volcán Pululahua can be entered on foot via a steep trail from the Mirador de Ventanillas viewpoint just inside the Reserva…

  • Los Amantes de Sumpa

    South Coast

    Located a couple of blocks from the main road, on the west side of Santa Elena, this museum sits on an ancient cemetery of the indigenous Sumpa people…

  • Cuevas de Jumandí

    The Oriente

    About 4km north of Archidona, you’ll find Cuevas de Jumandí. This cave system, the best known in the area, has three main branches that remain partly…

  • Museo Municipal

    Guayaquil

    A block south of Parque Bolívar, you’ll find this museum and, on the opposite side of the building, the municipal library. The archaeology room on the…

  • Templo del Sol

    Ecuador

    Near the Mirador de Ventanillas you’ll pass the castle-like Templo del Sol, a re-creation of an Incan temple, complete with pre-Columbian relics and stone…

  • Quinta de Juan Montalvo

    Central Highlands

    This 200-year-old house was the countryside retreat of writer Juan Montalvo, the ‘Cervantes of America.’ There’s a tiny but well-put-together museum…

  • Asilo de la Paz

    The Galápagos Islands

    From the village of Puerto Velasco Ibarra, a road runs inland uphill for 7km to this official visitor site. A chiva (truck with bench seats) goes up twice…

  • Volcán Wolf

    The Galápagos Islands

    Not only is Isla Isabela the largest Galápagos island, but its imposing skyline of grumbling volcanoes makes it the most striking. Volcán Wolf, at the…

  • Jardín Botánico

    Quito

    Parque La Carolina’s most popular attraction is this peacefully set botanical garden with native habitats covering páramo (high-altitude Andean grasslands…

  • Playa de Oro Reserva de Tigrillos

    North Coast & Lowlands

    Half an hour upstream from Playa de Oro, this 100-sq-km reserve is owned and operated by the community of Playa de Oro. It borders the Reserva Ecológica…

  • Convento San Agustín

    Quito

    This monastery is a fine example of 17th-century architecture, with unusual Moorish arches decorated with hundreds of golden pineapples. Many of the…

  • Basílica del Voto Nacional

    Quito

    On a hill in the northeastern part of the Old Town looms this massive Gothic church, Quito's largest, built over several decades beginning in 1892. Rather…

  • Iglesia La Merced

    Quito

    This 18th-century church boasts the highest tower in colonial Quito and a wealth of fascinating art, including paintings that show volcanoes erupting over…

  • Tarqui Beach

    North Coast & Lowlands

    The east end of this stretch of sand is a hive of activity early in the mornings, as vendors sell row upon row of shark, tuna, swordfish, dorado and other…

  • Los Naranjos Community

    North Coast & Lowlands

    A stay at the Los Naranjos community includes meals, a tour, and a language class. If you're just coming for the day, the tour and an 'aura cleaning'…

  • Museo de la Ciudad

    Quito

    This first-rate museum depicts daily life in Quito through the centuries, with displays including dioramas, model indigenous homes and colonial kitchens…

  • Museo Arqueologica Playa Africa

    North Coast & Lowlands

    See a collection of more than 6000 pieces of artifacts from the region. Get off a northbound bus in Montalvo and ask for local transport (car or motorbike…

  • Daily Market

    Otavalo

    Next to the Animal Market, this large, covered complex just west of the Panamericana houses the vendors who previously plied their trade in a messy…

  • Mirador de Guápulo

    Quito

    The views from the lookout platform are magnificent: on a clear day, you can see Volcán Cayambe and Cerro Puntas as well as the upscale suburb of Cumbayá …

  • Parque Nacional Llanganates

    Central Highlands

    They say there’s lost Inca treasure buried somewhere in the remote and inaccessible wilderness of the 2197-sq-km Parque Nacional Llanganates. The park…

  • Thursday Market

    Central Highlands

    One of the most authentic markets in the central highlands is held on Thursdays in Guamote, with separate sections for vendors of horses and donkeys; pigs…

  • Cumandá Parque Urbano

    Quito

    The Old Town's old bus terminal has been converted into a sparkling covered cultural center and sports complex with a volleyball court, soccer pitch,…

  • Sinchi Warmi

    The Oriente

    Founded, built and run by a group of Kichwa women, this community center introduces visitors to their culture through activities such as jungle walks,…

  • Capilla de Cantuña

    Quito

    The Cantuña Chapel houses a small art collection from the Quito School. It’s shrouded in one of Quito’s most famous legends, that of the indigenous…

  • Mirador de Turi

    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,…

  • Cima de la Libertad

    Quito

    Up the flanks of Volcán Pichincha, this monument offers one of the finest views of the city. It was built at the site of the May 1822 Batalla de Pichincha…

  • 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…

  • Monasterio Museo Santa Catalina de Siena

    Quito

    Guided tours (in Spanish) of the museum at this fully functioning Dominican monastery, founded in 1592, take in 18th-century religious paintings, some of…

  • Casa del Alabado

    Quito

    Housed in an elegant colonial-era home, this privately owned museum with contemporary displays showcases an impressive collection of pre-Columbian…

  • San Francisco Bakery

    South Coast

    This historic 125-year-old bakery, comes complete with an original old stone oven, which is itself around a century old. Not only is it a good photo op,…

  • National Assembly

    Quito

    Between Parque Alameda and Parque El Ejido stands the National Assembly building, the equivalent of the Houses of Parliament or the Capitol Building. A…

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