Quito city tours
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 Choose from many places and activities around Quito and put together your perfect tour.
El Sagrario church, La Catedral church, San Francisco church, La Merced church, La Basilica church, La Compania de Jesus church, Guapulo church, San Agustin convent, Cantuña Chapel, Plaza de la Indepedencia, Casa de Sucre museum, Museo de la Ciudad, Casa de la Cultura museum, Maria Augusta Urrutia museum, Centro Cultural Metropolitano, Plaza del Teatro, Astronomy Observatory of Quito, Itchimbia park, Quito's Botanical Garden, Teleferico, Guayamin museum and others.
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One Day Tour Otavalo Market
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 Otavalo a small town with about 50.000 habitants. It lies between two extinct volcanoes – Imbabura volcano and the Cotacachi volcano. Surrounded by volcanoes, the market place is in a beautiful setting. People from all over the world come to see the famous market, where an abundance of handicrafts can be found. However, unlike other markets, the handicrafts available at Otavalo are not commercialized versions of authentic traditional weaving styles that are found in many other market places.
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Cotopaxi volcano
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 Cotopaxi is simply a young volcano which has formed its cone on top of the remaining vestiges of an old volcano, which was gradually eroded by moving glaciers. On its north-western slopes there is a refuge which stands out over the entire valley of Limpiopungo in a volcanic landscape with telltale signs of past eruptions. A popular trip is to the Cotopaxi volcano tour, where tourists can visit the glacier, hike to the top of the volcano, or go on a mountain biking tour.
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The Thermal Waters in Papallacta
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 Termas de Papallacta offers its visitors health, recreation, adventure and rest. Whether relaxing in the thermal baths, indulging in pampering spa treatments, or embarking on adventure walks at the Rancho del Cañón (Canyon Ranch) or Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve, you are sure to enjoy the Papallacta experience. Excellent accommodation in hotel rooms or luxury cabins is complemented by the restaurants which serve a range of culinary delights to tickle your tastebuds.
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Valleys Tour - Shopping - Teleferico
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 Enjoy the Quito's valleys, close to the city you will find a pleasant climate and recreation centers, in the northeastern area, you will find fruit from the region. The Teleferico is the brand new tourist attraction of Quito. It has different services that include an amusement park, shopping center, food court, exclusive restaurants, handicraft stores, go car track, coffee shops, horseback riding and a nightclub.
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Quito Colonial by Night
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 Quito was named the first World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Quito was home to the Quito School of Art a Baroque style mixing of Spanish, Italian, Moorish, Flemish and native art. This style is illustrated in the rich interiors of the beautiful churches of San Francisco, Santo Domingo and La Compañia in old-town. Quito's old city is the least changed of any of the Latin American capital's and the churches there are both places of worship and art museums.
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Middle of the World (Half day)
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 The Middle of the World, is the monument that divides the Northern from the Southern Hemisphere. The construction starts in 1979; it emphasizes the importance of the discoveries of the First Geodesic Mission. Next to the monument, there is a tourist villa called " Mitad del Mundo City". This villa was built using classic colonial architectonic draws: the central plaza, the church and the town hall. Surrounding these constructions you will find, several artisan warehouses, restaurants, cafeterias and a post office.
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Quito colonial (Half day)
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 Quito is one of the most interesting places in South America. In 1978 UNESCO declared Quito one of the world's cultural heritage sites. Colonial Quito is a city of narrow cobblestone streets lined with whitewashed walls above which the steeples and cupolas of historic churches can be seen. The many colonial buildings perpetuate the memory of the Spanish era and lend the area a charm conducive to daydreaming and poetic inspiration. The churches are full of priceless art. In some of those decorated in the flamboyant baroque style, the attention to detail is pushed to an almost impossible extreme. Quito is a magical city.
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Colonial Quito city tour and Teleferico
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 Quito has the largest and one of the best-preserved historical centers in South America, since the modern part of the city developed to the north, leaving the existing colonial treasures intact. The Teleferico gives to every visitor a spectacular view of the city and its surroundings including more than 14 peaks of the Andes that is called the Volcanoes Avenue.
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Pululahua –Middle Of The World – Quito Colonial (Full Day)
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 Pululahua is an impressive, and dormant, volcanic crater turned geobotanical reserve. Pululahua is just a few kilometers beyond El Mitad del Mundo's equatorial line monument and about an hour drive from Quito. Pululahua boasts a mild climate, spectacular scenery, and a myriad of unique flora and fauna. Amidst the many small farms that pepper the crater's floor rests are acres of pasture, complete with horses and gardens.
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Mitad del Mundo
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 The most famous local excursion is to the equator at La Mitad del Mundo ('The Middle of the World'), near the village of San Antonio, about 22km north of Quito. This is the place where, in 1736, Charles-Marie de La Condamine's expedition made the measurements that showed that this was indeed the equator. These measurements gave rise to the metric system and proved that the world is not perfectly round, but that it bulges at the equator. It includes a museum with informative displays on Ecuador's four regions and ethnic groups. Don't miss the opportunity to place one foot in each hemisphere. Equatorial Line which crosses it 15 minutes to the north of Quito. There you find a monument marking latitude 0º 00' 00”, a unique place where you can literally get a picture of yourself jumping from north to south of the planet.
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Rumicucho
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 About 5km north of La Mitad del Mundo, this small, pre-Columbian archaeological site was built around 500 BC by the Quitu-Cara culture and used principally as a ceremonial site during the equinoxes. It's not Ecuador's most impressive site, but there are good views of Quito in the distance, and there probably won't be anyone else there so you can have the spot to yourself. Walk all the way through; the best views are from the side furthest from the entrance.
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Reserva Geobotánica Pululahua
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 This small, 3383-hectare reserve lies about 4km northwest of Mitad del Mundo. The most interesting part of the reserve is the volcanic crater of the extinct Pululahua. This was apparently formed in ancient times, when the cone of the volcano collapsed, leaving a huge crater some 400m deep and 5km across. The crater's flat and fertile bottom is used for agriculture. Within the crater there are two small cones - the larger Loma Pondona (2975m) and the smaller Loma El Chivo. The crater is open to the west side, through which moisture-laden winds from the Pacific Ocean blow dramatically. It is sometimes difficult to see the crater because of the swirling clouds and mist. The moist winds, combined with the crater's steep walls, create a variety of microclimates, and the vegetation on the fertile volcanic slopes is both rampant and diverse. Because the walls are much too steep to farm, the vegetation grows undisturbed and protected. There are many flowers and a variety of bird species.
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Refugio de Vida Silvestre Pasochoa
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 This refuge became part of the Ecuadorian system of protected areas in 1996. although Fundacion Natura still plays a part. The refuge is roughly 30km southeast of Quito and has one of the last remaining stands of undisturbed humid Andean forest left in the central valley. Over 100 species of birds have been recorded there. The forest is luxuriant and contains a wide range of highland trees and shrubs. These include the Podocarpaceae, which are the only conifers native to the Ecuadorian Andes (the pines seen elsewhere are introduced); various species of mountain palm trees; the Andean laurel; and the huge-leaved Gunneru plant (nicknamed 'the poor folks' umbrella'). Orchids, bromeliads, ferns, lichens and other epiphytic plants contribute to the forest's attractions. The prolific birdlife includes hiim-mingbirds, of which at least 11 species are present. Various other tropical birds - such as fumarids, tapaculos, honeycreepers and tanagers - may be seen along the nature trails. Mammals such as rabbits, squirrels and deer are sometimes observed; foxes, and even pumas, more rarely so.
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Mountain Biking
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 Ecuador offers the cyclist seemingly endless back roads and trails to explore. The Incas, who were legendary road builders, and their living descendants, have been carving scenic paths for centuries. Today, in many areas mountain bikes are used by indigenous people and campesinos as a major form of transportation. While mountain biking you can get to know Ecuador from different sides because you will also reach remote spots. The Andes create a playground of huge vertical descents and gut-wrenching climbs at altitudes where the snow line and the equator meet. Descents of 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in a single day can be obtained in several areas of the country. From Quito, cyclists have access to a large diversity of rides ranging from snow-capped Andean volcanoes exhilarating páramo, cloud forest or jungle on hundreds of miles of mostly traffic-free unpaved roads and trails.
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Mindo
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 Mindo is located some 2 1/2 hours west from Quito and is a fairly small village and popular area for many bird watchers with an altitude of 1390m climbing up to 4770m. An area of Premontane forest has a reserve area at the foot of Mindo called Bosque protector Mindo-Nambillo which is home to some 350 bird species as well as being engulfed in incredible flora and fauna. The climate in the Mindo area is mild year-round. The main rainy season is April-May, although some rain is likely throughout the year. The sunniest months are July-October, the time of year considered summer.
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Birdwatching in Mindo and surroundings
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 The drive from Quito to Mindo is spectacular as scenery, vegetation, and ecosystems gradually change from Andean highlands sparsity to the lush density of the cloud forest. The tiny town of Mindo, 25 miles northwest of Quito, is within the Mindo-Nambillo Reserve that extends over 11,119 acres -- 80% of which is undisturbed primary montane forest. Mindo is also known as "the valley of the eternal spring" and is one the best places for birdwatching activities with more than 500 species of birds, including the cock of the rock and hundreds of hummingbirds. Mindo also features spectacular flora and fauna, beautiful cloud forest and many waterfalls.
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Ecuador Highlights
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 Ecuador is a country of boundless diversity, friendly people and spectacular natural wonders. You can travel in a day from sparkling Pacific beaches to tropical lowlands where bananas grow, to the Andes Mountains where llamas graze beneath volcanoes over 20,000 feet high, and on to the edge of the mystical Amazon Basin. Ecuador remains a multiethnic and multicultural nation, where more than 14 indigenous groups maintain their own traditions and ways of life, to the delight of visitors. With its beautiful colonial architecture, magnificent panoramic scenery, vibrant indigenous groups and welcoming people it is one of the most enticing and rewarding countries to visit in South America.
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Horseback Riding Adventure
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 Ecuador provides riding enthusiasts with a surprising range of excellent riding opportunities. You can ride high in the Andes through the grassy páramo (grassland) plains with snow capped volcanoes as a backdrop; through lowland tropical rain forest; or even through the many unique ecosystems of the Galápagos Islands. During the horseback riding, which in some spans will be to gallop others slowly, it will be possible observe wild animals and exceptional landscapes with the majestic volcanoes that shape our Andean mountain chain.
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Avenue of the Volcanoes
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 The Andes Mountains of Ecuador, surprises visitors not only because of its beautiful landscapes, with peaks over 5,000 meters of altitude, but also because of its unique culture. Due to their impressive snow capped mountains and volcanoes, the famous 19th century German explorer, Alexander von Humboldt referred to this chain of peaks as the “Avenue of Volcanoes. The "Avenue of the Volcanoes" comprises 11 snow peaks framing the Latacunga-Ambato valley. Along this route throughout the valleys and mountains arc colorful and interesting Indian markets displaying everything from textiles, wool weavings, native fruits and fresh vegetables, jewelry, ceramics, baskets wood carvings, naive paintings, embroidery, tools and livestock. The Indian markets of Ecuador are the most colorful and traditional places of the country.
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Ecuador hummingbirds
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 Ecuador has 131 species of hummingbirds making us the country with the greatest diversity of hummingbirds in the world. Their beauty and peculiar way of flying makes them admired by scientists and photographers looking for exclusive and difficult shots of these animals. The smallest can measure less than five centimeters long. The cloud forests in the Northwest of the Pichincha Province, only 1-2 hours North of Quito, are the perfect spot for birdwatchers, especially those interested in hummingbirds. These lively and colorful birds are also a common sight in gardens in the midst of the busy city of Quito and all throughout the Ecuadorian Andes.
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Arasha Rain Forest Resort & Spa
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 Arasha is located less than two hours from Quito, Ecuador in the middle of the richest, most biodiverse "Hot Spot" on the globe with more than 35.000 species of plants.
Of these 35.000 species of plants, more than 50% are endemic to this area. This area also contains the largest variety of amphibians in the world, with over 664 distinct species and around 500 species of birds, wich most of them are endemic. At Arasha you can watch over 150 species of birds.
Almost 450 amphibian species are listed as endangered and threatened.
Arasha is much more than Ecuador's Tropical Forest Resort & Spa and more than the exotic and delicious fruit of this unique region, which was the inspiration for its name.
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Quito, Otavalo and Cuenca
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 Quito the capital of Ecuador has a setting that few cities can match. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Colonial architects built formidable temples, monasteries and mansions, creating an urban jewel designated by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Quito's artistic creativity awaits the visitor in cosmopolitan galleries and boutiques filled with contemporary paintings, sculptures and exquisite traditional crafts. Otavalo is an Indian town located in a beautiful mountain region, north of Quito on the Pan-American Highway. Cuenca the Ecuador's most beautiful city, Saint Anne of the Four Rivers of Cuenca, is located in the valley of Guapondelig, Cuenca enjoys a mild climate and a fabulous geographic position. The beauty of its landscape combined with the harmony between old and modern architecture.
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