| Ecuador HIGHLIGHTS |  |
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| Tours around Quito: | | |  Mitad del mundo | | | The location of Mitad del Mundo site and globe monument (Middle of the world ) the equatorial line (0º 0’ 0" Latitude) was determined by Frenchman Charles-Marie de la Condamine initially in 1736. To get there by bus it
is an hour of travel, lookout for the buses marked "Mitad del Mundo" caught from Avenida América in Quito, by Universidad Central (Central University). Also, you may catch this bus further north on Avenida Occidental (US$0.50 approx.). A taxi ride is between US$15-$30.
Mitad del Mundo complex is located approximately 23 km north of Quito, near San Antonio de Pichincha (village) at an altitude of 2,483 m. The monument itself is the hub of the surrounding park area costing around US$3.00 and is open from 09:00-16:00, upon entering you will ascend to the top via a lift then walk down in a spiral layout
with a guided tour of the ethnographic laid out museum with various exhibitions of different indigenous Ecuadorian cultures outlined by bilingual guides.
Around the site are various restaurants, shops selling gifts, clothing, artifacts, a post office and cafes with the central paved area housing at weekends various musical activities and local dancing exhibitions with multicolored dresses and clothing on full display. Housed inside the park facilities you'll also find a miniature model of old Quito that is very interesting to see as well as having a special effects feature of night and day lighting for effect on a 10m2 scale costing around $1.
There is also a Planetarium on the site with 30 minute light shows given once sufficient groups have filled the arena and is most illuminating to the eye as well as educational.
 Accommodation
(Rates for the below listed hotels close
to Mitad del Mundo vary from US $25 - $35)
Hostería Alemán.- With a good restaurant. Located approximately one kilometer south of Mitad del mundo complex, on Av. Manuel Cordova. Book Now!
Rancho Alegre .- With Sauna, Jacuzzi and swimming pool. Located some 2 km from the monument, in San Antonio. Book Now!
Cheaper places to stay (US $15 - $25), includes:
Residencial Mitad del Mundo, located in San Antonio and Sol y Luna, located on Av. Equinoccial 1272, close to the monument Mitad del mundo. Book Now!
Restaurants
Equinoccio .- Located close to the Mitad del Mundo entrance. Tel. 2394741. |  | | Pululahua | | Some 4 1/2 km Northwest of the Middle of the world monument lies Pululahua geo-botanical reserve. Inside the reserve you will find the Pululahua crater best seen in the mornings with lesser cloud coverage.
To walk down into the crater there is a rustic looking track that takes you inside and where you'll experience a myriad of rich vegetation and heated microclimate due to the steepness of the walls, the walk takes around 30-40 minutes to descend to the crater's inner bowels and is entered via the Mirador de Ventanillas viewpoint from the southeast slopes. If you become hungry there is upon your ascent a restaurant around the craters rim aptly named EL Crater. The crater is extinct so don't worry about being boiled alive in a cauldron of lava or being boiled to a cinder! The crater's dimensions are 400m in depth and spans five kilometers in diameter. There are also two coned shaped peaks inside the crater called Loma Pondoña 2970m and Loma El Chivo. The reserve itself is around 3380 hectares in size and also is home to a variety of birds and flowers. The entrance fee is around US$5.00 (Only by car and through Moraspungo). No charges are applied for hiking or viewing it from Mirador de Ventanillas.
Tour operators
Calimatours.- Located on Manzana de los Correos, Oficina 11, Mitad del Mundo. Tel. 2394796 in Quito.
Accommodation & Restaurants
The Green Horse Ranch.- With horse riding tours. Located inside the crater. And El Crater
restaurant located along the road to the Mirador. | | | Rumicucho & Pomasqui | | Another site close to the Middle of the World monument around 3 km from San Antonio is the Inca Ruins of Rumicucho that although in poor condition bears a spectacular location to the naked eye.
A further site of interest lies 8 km from Quito towards San Antonio called Pomasqui where the village is purported to be a holy tree where Jesus Christ gave a visitation and performed supernatural miracles while a church nearby
shows a set of paintings displaying the miracles. The tree itself is now encased in its own building and is known as El Señor del Arbol.
Of further interest is the Equator line that has a symbolic concrete globe situated around 8 kilometers south of Cayambe reachable via bus from Quito taking about 2 hours (US$1), don't forget to ask the driver to drop you off at the Mitad del Mundo near Guachala. | | | Guayllabamba Zoo | | | The main municipal zoo of Quito can be found
in Guayllabamba, a small town (Pueblo) 50 minutes from the Capital. It costs around US$1.50 (children half price) by bus through Flota Pichincha. Catch this bus from Av. America and Colón. The Zoo is considered well laid out and covers a wide area and is well worth visiting. See also Cayambe. | | | Northwest of Quito | | The western hills and slopes of Pichincha are excellent for bird studies and has several roads leading into them from the Capital with eco-tourism places of interest.
The Nono-Mindo road is the best route for birdwatchers and is entered via Av. Occidental, the road houses several lodges on route so look out if you wish to do some horse riding, swim in the pools or just take in the tranquility and fresh, clean air. Two good examples on the road are Bellavista and Tandayapa.
Perhaps the easier road to take within the western slopes for motorists is the Northern route of Calacali-Esmeraldas road for driving which begins near the Middle of the world
monument due to paved roads. | | | Reserves & Lodges | | Tandayapa Lodge.- Located off the main Nono-Mindo road and as El Pahuma reserve is reached via the main Calacali-Esmeraldas road, 90 minutes from Quito.
The land mark turnoff point is shortly after café Tiepolo at the sign for Tandayapa (see sign at Km 32). The lodge reaches an altitude of 1650m and is controlled by bird lovers with over 300 different species viewable on the various trials. Examples of some of the rarer species are the Lyre-tailed Nightjar and the White-faced
Nunbird. Reservations: Tel. 2543045.
El Pahuma Reserve.- With 600 hectares, El Pahuma Reserve is most spacious and has a wonderful micro-propagation program for Orchids, a visitors center, with modern accommodation and cabin accommodation, rustic style. In addition there are nice trails beginning at 1500m up to 2650m with spectacled bears and wild toucans on route to view. Located around 50 minutes from Quito on the Calacali-Esmeraldas road. Reservations: Tel. 2252053.
Bellavista.-At (2220m) is one of the most garnished wild life areas on the western slopes of cloud forest reached on km 70 of the Nono-Mindo route. The lodge is dome-formed and sits perched like a nest on top of the cloud forest.
Here you will view around 300 different bird species including the magnificent Plate-billed mountain toucan and a plethora of humming birds brought into view
via several feeders amidst wild orchids and flora.
The area is heavily protected with conservationists and has good accommodation and great vegetarian food as well as camping. In addition there is a biological station. Reservations: Tel. 2232313 in Quito. Cellular Tel. 09-9490891 at the reserve.
Maquipucuna Reserve.- This is one of the larger reserves mentioned under this section with some 4600 hectares and in addition has over 14,000 hectares of heavily protected forests reachable within 2 hours by jeep from the Capital. As well as over 300 different species of bird life including quetzals, parrots and mountain-toucans the cloud forest starting at 1250m up to 2810m has a wide variety of flora and fauna on the various trails.
The organic garden and special research station constructed on site are also of note. To get there, take the main Calacali-Esmeraldas route and turn right at Nanegalito
to Nanegal, you'll hit a sign for the reserve before reaching Nanegal then onto a small village called Marianitas and 20 minutes further you'll hit the reserve.
Fundación Maquipucuna, is addressed on Baquerizo Moreno E9-153 and Tamayo (Quito), Tel. 2507200, Fax: 2507201.
Close to Maquipucuna are further eco-tourism and conservation programs. Here you will find beautiful serene treks and guide services into the forests southeast of Yunguilla as well as log cabins in Santa Lucia in addition
to the ones in Maquipucuna. | | | Resorts & Farms | | Aldea Salamandra.- Is another reserve 140 km northwest of Quito which rests in further tropical rain forests. On the map look for Puerto Quito and head some 2 km east. The cabins are constructed of bamboo and thatch for the roof tops while some are also actually integrated and constructed in the trees facing the rivers edge. Here, you can see various bird life, take a swim in the rivers or take a kayak detour down river.
Weekends are always busy with the locals who
seem to frequent and use the area as a rather novel localized beach. If journeying via bus take an Esmeraldas bus and request the driver to drop you off 2 km before Puerto Quito (3 hours), it's 10 minutes away from the main road. The food is vegetarian but meat dishes are also served. Reservations: Tel 2373513 in Quito.
Arashá.- Some 4 1/2 km west of the fruit reserve is a very modern and sophisticated set of swimming pools, Jacuzzis, waterfalls, spa center, wonderful trails with accommodation and high quality cuisine in Arashá. Address: Los Shyris N39-41 and Rio Coca, 8th floor, Quito. Reservations: Tel. 2253967, Fax: 2260902.
Reserva Río Guaycuyacu.- A great example of an exotic fruit farm which houses around 410 different types of fruit. The reserve is reached through Pedro Vicente Maldonado, then the road leads you to Mashpi, from Mashpi is a 3-4 hour hike. The stay includes 3 vegetarian
meals daily ( group maximum 8 persons) in addition there are several species of bird life living on the farm taking advantage of the harvests and portions afforded them by the owners. | | | Southwest of Quito | | | There are two roads heading to the western lowlands, which are known as the Chiriboga Road and the Alóag-Santo Domingo road. The Chiriboga road is a difficult road to find, it starts in South Quito, in Chillogallo and then on to San Juan de Chillogallo. For a complete detailed description
of the main road to Santo Domingo, check under Santo Domingo. | | | Nature reserves | | La Hesperia.- A converted ecotourism hacienda with a large variety of birds and also monkeys. The forest has a pleasant weather (1600-2100 m elevation) and is located along the Alóag-Santo Domingo road, some 7 1/2 km after the village of Tandapi. Reservations: Tel. 2241877, 2464800 in Quito.
Tinalandia.- Close to Santo Domingo de los Colorados, this is a very interesting place to
see a wide variety of bird species. For further details check under Santo Domingo de los Colorados.
Guajalito.- A rustic lodge located along the Chiriboga road. Surrounded by a huge forest reserve with a large variety of bird life. To get there take a bus from Chillogallo. Reservations: Tel. 2600531.
Otonga.- A large private reserve close to Las Pampas (south of the Alóag-Santo Domingo main road). The reserve has a basic accommodation surrounded by a pristine forest with a wide variety of orchids and birds. Reservations:
Tel. 2567550. | | | Sangolquí | | Sangolquí.- Is a small village located some 25 minutes from Quito. The town has a well known Sunday market. It's very visited by locals on Sundays for its wonderful "Hornado" (pork served with corn, fried mashed potatos and a lovely pepper sauce), which is a local specialty and very popular. Places to stay include:
La Carriona.- A colonial hacienda with an spa and swimming pool, located along the Sangolquí-Amaguaña
road at km 3. Reservations: Tel. 2331974.
Hostería Sommergarten.- A resort surrounded by a subtropical park with swimming pool, sauna, etc. Address: Chimborazo 248 and Río Frío (Urb. Santa Rosa). Some 35 minutes from Quito in Valle de Los Chillos. Reservations: Tel & Fax: 2330315 / 2332761. | | | El Tingo & La Merced hot springs | | Both, La Merced and El Tingo thermal pools positioned in the valley of Los Chillos are 40 minutes southeast from Quito. Although crowded during weekends the El Tingo
set of thermal baths has a nice ambiance and good food. Some 4 km up from La Merced is the village of Ilaló with private pools costing around US$3.00 to enter, which has fewer tourists and mosquitoes troubling you than the latter. To get there, take Los Chillos highway to San Rafael, then, at the traffic lights make a left till km 4 at El Tingo. To La Merced is 7 km further in the same road.
Along the road to La Merced you pass by the villages of Alangasí and then Pintag. Here, the road divides into 2 branches the right branch goes to the base of Sincholagua (4,900 m) and turning left goes to Laguna La Mica, a very attractive area for
camping, hiking and seeing condors. | | | Pasochoa | | Some 40 minutes in private transport from Quito to the southeast lies a gorgeous privately owned park in deep mountain forest called Pasochoa, controlled by Fundación Natura. This area is perfect for weekend picnics as well as camping, the entry cost is around US$10.00, while the cost of additional camping is around US$4.00 per person or, if you wish to stay in the refuge (Refugio de Vida Silvestre Pasochoa) the cost is US$5.00. In addition there are some wonderful hikes and
trials, do take your own food as there are no facilities on the camp site. Showers are provided as are areas for cooking with facilities.
If traveling by car head for Pasochoa via the road to Los Chillos, from the San Rafael traffic light continue directly on to Amaguaña then approximately 1 1/2 km after turn off to the sign posted Pasochoa. | | | Guango | | | Guango Lodge.- The lodge is located east of Papallacta. With a large variety of bird life. Reservations:
Tel. 2547403, Fax: 2228902, in Quito. | | | Tours around Quito: | | | More about Quito: |  History | Climate | Overview | Transport | Places to avoid | Festivals | Write
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