Orchid aficionados will want to check out the Ecuadorian species and hybrids grown here.
Orquideario
Southern Highlands
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Museo del Banco Central ‘Pumapungo’
16.27 MILES
One of Ecuador's most significant museums, Pumapungo houses great modern art downstairs, but the highlight is on the 2nd floor. Here begins a…
16.66 MILES
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
16.74 MILES
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…
Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes
16.57 MILES
This indigenous culture museum has more than 5000 archaeological pieces representing more than 20 pre-Columbian Ecuadorian cultures going back some 15,000…
26.25 MILES
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…
24.27 MILES
Ecuador’s best-preserved archaeological site, Ingapirca, with its semi-intact temple, grazing llamas and open fields, is definitely worth a stopover if…
21.71 MILES
Near Limón Indanza, 112km southwest of Macas, a trail leads to the extensive Coangos cave system, where there are multiple caverns spiked with stalactites…
17.33 MILES
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,…
Nearby Southern Highlands attractions
2.09 MILES
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…
3.31 MILES
On the central plaza, this small museum details the history and techniques of wood carvings, pottery, textiles and panama hats, and sells some locally…
16.24 MILES
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…
4. Museo del Banco Central ‘Pumapungo’
16.27 MILES
One of Ecuador's most significant museums, Pumapungo houses great modern art downstairs, but the highlight is on the 2nd floor. Here begins a…
16.27 MILES
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…
6. Museo Manuel Agustín Landivar
16.42 MILES
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…
16.42 MILES
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…
16.52 MILES
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…