Ecuador Things to Do

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Most Viewed Things to Do in Ecuador

51.

Colonial Quito   Quito

Colonial Quito, Quito

 169 Reviews  Construction of La Merced started in 1701 and the church was inaugurated in 1747. There had been an earlier church at the same site, but it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1660. Beside La Merced... 

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52.

Diving and Snorkeling   Galápagos Islands

Diving and Snorkeling, Galápagos Islands

 47 Reviews  The snorkeling along the edge of the lava flow at Sullivan Bay was excellent and we stayed in the water for 1.5 hours. We visited several great snorkeling locations during the cruise with M/S... 

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53.

Museums   Quito

Museums, Quito

 44 Reviews  Museo Nacional del Banco Central is situated in a large round building in the south end of Mariscal, in Parque Arbolito. It is a great museum displaying many masterpieces of Ecuadorian pre-Colombian... 

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54.

Charles Darwin Research Center   Galápagos Islands

Charles Darwin Research Center, Galápagos Islands

 16 Reviews  Also known as Solitary George, Lonesome George is the last turtle of his sub-species (Geochelone elephantopus abingdoni). His turtle buddies were all killed by either whalers in the 19th century (who... 

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55.

Mitad del Mundo   Quito

Mitad del Mundo, Quito

 26 Reviews  Take a short trip out of downtown Quito to mitad del mundo ... the Equator! We took a blue line public bus for $0.80 each way and it was a harrowing 1 hour journey with crazy drivers, but we survived... 

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56.

El Panecillo   Quito

El Panecillo, Quito

 25 Reviews  El Panecillo, which means the Little Bread Loaf, is a small round hill south of Centro Histórico. On top of El Panecillo there is a big statue of La Virgen de Quito. The statue has got wings like an... 

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57.

Local Markets   Quito

Local Markets, Quito

 9 Reviews  On weekends, El Ejido becomes the sight of a large outdoor market featuring handicrafts typical of Ecuador. Everything here is the typical sort of tourist souvenir that you might expect from the... 

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Hiking between Isinliví and Chugchilan

by MalenaN

At Llullu Llama in Isinliví you can get a simple map and description of the way to Chugchilan. There are more than one way you can take, but I chose the one on the map.After a good and big breakfast I left Isinliví at 9am. Just outside Llullu Llama the path begins and it goes down to Cumbijin Stream. There I turned right ( I did not cross the bridge here )and after a while I crossed the stream on a smaller bridge. From here the path continued above the stream. It was a bit uphill and downhill and level walking. I tried to follow the description, but was not sure all the time that I was on the right track. At one point four angry barking dogs appeared on the path. I had to go back and wait for a while, but luckily they didn’t appear when I tried to pass again. Then the path went down to Rio Toachi and I walked along the river until I came to a log-bridge where I crossed the river. Later...

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Ruinas de Ingapirca

by MalenaN

Ruinas de Ingapirca are the best preserved archaeological ruins in Ecuador, but the site is far from being as impressive as many other ruins in the world. It is an interesting place to visit anyway. In Kichwa Ingapirca means something like ”Inca Wall”. The Incas ruled over the area during the 15th century and then built the Temple of the Sun here. But also before the Incas arrived this was an important site for the Cañaris.The most interesting building at Ingapirca is the Temple of the Sun, built on an elliptical shaped platform. Here you can see how the Incas have fitted the stones of the wall together perfectly without using mortar. It is also built so that at the solstices, at a special time of the day, the sunlight will shine through the doorway to a small chamber.The admission to Ingapirca archaeological site is $6 (July 2011). In that price a guided tour of the site and entrance to...

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Mitad del Mundo

by MichaelFalk1969

La Mitad del Mundo (literally: "the center of the world") is a monument 24 km north of Quito dedicated to the equatorial line which passes through Ecuador. A red line in East-West-direction on the Mitad del Mundo premises indicates the division of the northern and southern hemisphere, and you can take a funny foto setting one foot in each part of the world. The Mitad del Mundo also has restaurants, tourist shops and a few exhibitions - the monument itself has a viewing platform. In fact, the location of the monument is not exact, the real equatorial line passes through Ecuador a few meters north.

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Ecuador - itinerary suggestion

by MichaelFalk1969

This itinerary is by no means ultimative, but we found out that it worked well for our needs. Just a suggestion: Day One: walk through Quito Colonial Oldtown + stroll through Ejido Park + have a nice Ecuadorian meal in the Mariscal areaDay Two/Three: Mindo - Canopy Riding, Hiking in the Sanctuario de Cascadas, watching butterflies and colibrisDay Four: a mere travel day to El Angel (Bosque de Papel) - stopover at Mitad del MundoDay Five: Hiking in the Bosque de PapelDay Six: back by bus/taxi from El Angel to Cuicocha - hiking around Cuicocha LagoonDay Seven: travel from Cuicocha to Quito (stopover at Otavalo Market); evening flight to CuencaDay Eight: Cuenca - late evening flight to QuitoDay Nine: from Quito by bus to Cotopaxi area (stay at a Hacienda)Day Ten: Cotopaxi National ParkDay Eleven: daytrip on the Quilotoa Loop: stops at Saquisili Indian Market, Tigua art gallery, and hiking...

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Quilotoa Crater Lagoon

by MichaelFalk1969

The Quilotoa area is not only famous for the crater lagoon that gave it its name. It is actually a circuit of roads in the Andes south-west of the Cotopaxi area with amazing scenery and a couple of interesting places and activities along the way. As there are no direct bus connections and accomodation options are rather limited, a longer stay on the loop would require some planning. I did part of the loop as a daytrip with a driver (cost: ca. 80 $), with stops at the Saquisili Market (every thursday), the Tigua art gallery (native naive art) and the Quilotoa Lagoon. The Quilotoa Lagoon - in the crater of a now extinct volcano - can be hiked around the crater rim (ca. 6 hours) or down to the "beach" and back to rim (with the option of taking a mule for the way back).

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Cuenca

by MichaelFalk1969

Cuenca was my favourite city in Ecuador. Like Quito, it has a beautiful colonial oldtown (world heritage monument) with over 50 churches, among the most notable the Nueva Catedral (very much like a fusion between Notre Dame & St. Pauls Church) and the Vieja Catedral, both on opoosite sides of Parque Calderon. Cuenca is also a center for the production of Panama hats. Even among the Ecuadorians the Cuencans have the reputation to be very polite and corteous and to speak Spanish with a lovely "singing" dialect ("cantando"). It is easily possible to visit Cuenca as a daytrip from Quito by plane; take a late flight, stay overnight in Cuenca, and return the next day with a late flight to Quito. The flight only takes about 45 minutes.

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Saquisili Indian Market

by MichaelFalk1969

Every Thursday the little town of Saqusili (part of the "Quilotoa loop") holds an an Indian market which is very worthwhile visiting. Among the goods sold are fruits, vegetables, livestock, household needs and clothing. It is easily visible that the market caters for the local needs in the first place. There seems to be a consensus that this market is much more authentic than the one at Otavalo, and you will not find too many tourists here. Haggling is possible, but do not expect huge discounts. A visit to the Saquisili market can easily combined with a visit to the Quilotoa Lagoon.

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Cotopaxi National Park

by MichaelFalk1969

Cotopaxi National Park has a very rough and barren landscape and is centered around the (still active) Cotopaxi Volcano. It is possible to climb the summit after a few days of acclimatisation; the easier option would be to hike from the parking lot at the foot of Cotopaxi to the "refugio" lodge at around 4800 m (possible in the course of a daytrip). Great vistas above cloud level are guaranteed. I was very lucky to spot a condor (the biggest vulture species) here - feeding on a horse carcass. Other hiking options include an interpretative path at the information center (ca. 1 hour) and a walk around the Limpiopungo Lagoon.

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Hacienda La Cienega

by MichaelFalk1969

One thing I absolutely recommend while travelling in Ecuador is to stay a few nights at a Hacienda. The historic Hacienda Cienega - built in the 16th century - is now used as a hotel & restaurant, but also a sight in its own right. Gorgeous antique furniture, a beautiful garden with fountains and a chapel on the premises make it an absolutely worthwhile stop. The service level and the restaurant are also praiseworthy, and the Hacienda makes a good base for excursions into Cotopaxi Park and the Quilotoa Loop.

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Bosque de Papel

by MichaelFalk1969

The so-called "Bosque de Papel" 14 km northwest of El Angel town is a National Park with a unique landscape and vegetation. Typical for this area are the Paper Trees (hence "Bosque de Papel") with a very thin, paper-like bark, set inside a mossy and mysterious forest, and the otherworldly-looking Frailejones plants. For hiking in the park weatherproof clothing and rubber boots are recommended as it rains very often. One drawback is that the only accomodation option in the park - Polylepis Lodge - is ridiculously overpriced for Ecuadorian standards. I recommend choosing an accomodation in a nearby town and doing a daytrip to the Bosque de Papel from there.

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Fun things to do in Ecuador

Top 3 Hotels in Ecuador

Four Points by Sheraton Quito  Quito

 6 Reviews and 82 Opinions  I knew this hotel as the Sheraton Quito, but I suppose that it was, at least at one time, a Four... 

 Hotels in Quito

Hotel Victoria  Cuenca

 1 Review and 46 Opinions  I arrived without a reservation at the end of a long and exhausting day (see my Alausi page). The... 

 Hotels in Cuenca

Samari Spa Resort  Baños

 33 Opinions

 Hotels in Baños

303 Hotels in Ecuador
 
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Things to Do: Cities in Ecuador
  1. Quito Things to Do
  2. Cuenca Things to Do
  3. Guayaquil Things to Do
  4. Montañita Things to Do
  5. Otavalo Things to Do
  6. Baños Things to Do
  7. Manta Things to Do
  8. Riobamba Things to Do
  9. Latacunga Things to Do
  10. Mindo Things to Do
  11. Bahía de Caráquez Things to Do
  12. Laguna Quilotoa Things to Do
  13. Vilcabamba Things to Do
  14. Atacames Things to Do
  15. Isla Isabela Things to Do
  16. Isla Santa Cruz Things to Do
  17. Puerto Villamil Things to Do
  18. Cayambe Things to Do
  19. Puerto López Things to Do
  20. Puerto Ayora Things to Do
  21. Ambato Things to Do
  22. Mompiche Things to Do
  23. Ruinas de Ingapirca Things to Do
  24. Isla Baltra Things to Do
  25. Cuyabeno Things to Do
  26. Canoa Things to Do
  27. Cotundo Things to Do
  28. Isla de La Plata Things to Do
  29. Isla Santa María Things to Do
  30. Ingapirca Things to Do
  31. Hacienda La Ciénega Things to Do
  32. Chugchilán Things to Do
  33. Guaranda Things to Do
  34. Nanegal Things to Do
  35. Tigua Things to Do
  36. Salinas Things to Do
  37. Pujilí Things to Do
  38. Machachi Things to Do
  39. Zaruma Things to Do
  40. Crucita Things to Do
  41. Papallacta Things to Do
  42. Isla Española Things to Do
  43. Isla San Cristóbal Things to Do
  44. Santa Elena Things to Do
  45. Isla San Salvador Things to Do
  46. Esmeraldas Things to Do

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hello I leave in Ecuador next month and i'm looking a spanish school, located in the Pacific Coast. I know there is a school in... 

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A: Hello Enrico You're right, Montanita is such a touristic place. I understand you want to avoid it. Last year, I have spent one month in a spanish school in Sua, near... 

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