Quito
Plaza de San Francisco, Quito Ecuador
Time spent: 42 days ;11 Jan 2025 - 22 Feb 2025
Elevation: 9350 ft (2850 m)
Currency: US dollars
Lodging Cost: $16.38 per night; Airbnb
The view from my apartment
Arriving in Quito
Arriving in Ecuador will take your breath away, literally. Not from the beauty of the mountains, but from the altitude. At the time, this was the highest place I'd ever been, and Quito is a pretty hilly city. It would be a tough place to walk at sea level, so it was a lot of huffing and puffing for me. Because I didn't feel I had a big enough challenge with that, I booked an Airbnb on the 5th floor of a building without an elevator.
For traveling around here, as usual, I'd recommend Uber, but if you speak Spanish, a regular taxi may be a little cheaper. I like Uber because of the ease of not having to explain where I am going, but in Quito, the cabs are required to use meters, which isn't that common in Latin America. Some drivers will still try to give you a flat rate or say the meter is broken. Don't let them do that. The "gringo tax" is a real thing and they will try to gouge you. If you are one of those people who may think "Oh, it's only a few bucks and it's easier," go ahead, but it's not that I can't afford paying extra, it's just that I don't like to be taken advantage of, no matter what country I am in. I'm sure it happens enough without me knowing anyway, so I'm not going to voluntarily let it happen.
The airport is outside of town, so it is about a 30-minute drive and costs about $30 (the official currency is USD). Getting an Uber here is straightforward; there is an airport pickup spot for them and other cabs.
Usually I try to stay just outside the tourist hot spots. It's a little cheaper, and you can get better local food. I do this just because I stay in places a lot longer and don't worry so much about needing to be close to everything all the time. I stayed in La Floresta near a place dubbed "Tripa Park". Every night it got packed with carts selling their version of "Tripa", which is beef or pork intestines. I'm not really a fan of this dish. It tastes ok and is always well-seasoned, but the consistency of the meat is like chewing on a rubber band. It wasn't gross, just not for me.
I thought seeing a small park in Ecuador named after Abraham Lincoln was kinda neat.
Take a minute to stop by Mirador de Guapo for an amazing view.
Things to do
Quito is a very popular spot for backpackers from all over the world; there is a lot to do and a lot of hostels. Haha, these people don't care about rooming with strangers... I was in my room watching TV and had the door open to let in air, and two backpackers just walked in, said hello, and started dropping their stuff. They were supposed to be in the room next to mine but had it mixed up. They were very friendly, but didn't speak English, so it took a minute to get it straightened out.
In town, the most popular site for tourists is Centro Historico. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In fact, it was one of the first 12 original sites when the list was first made and is listed as "Site 1". The architecture is cool, but in my opinion, it was kinda over-hyped. It does have a few museums that I went to. Museo Casa de Sucre is sort of a military museum that is worth spending 30 minutes in if you are in the area. HOWEVER, do not miss the Basilica del Voto Nacional just outside the area. This church is incredible and probably rivals Notre Dame (I've never been to Notre Dame so don't email me if I'm wrong). It is about $6 to see the church and then you can climb the towers. Do not miss this. Unfortunately, right outside my apartment when coming home from this, I dropped my phone down those five flights of stairs and lost most of the pics I took before they were backed up. The only ones I managed to save were a few that I had already texted Nancy.
You can take stairs all the way up to the very top and go outside.
Plaza San Francisco in Centro Historico
Outside, steep and hundreds of feet off the ground are the stairs to get to the very top.
Personally I thought La Mariscal was better than Centro Historico. It is a more modern area; this is where the backpacker crowd stays. It is just like the city center in any major destination city though. But when you are there, be sure to head north and see Parque La Carolina. It is a huge park with lots of giant sculptures and a good break from the traffic of the city. This is also where Jardin Botanico de Quito, the Quito Botanical Garden, is. This is not to be missed. I love going to these in every city, and this is probably the best one I have seen. It has a $6 entrance fee but is worth every penny. It has a climate-controlled orchid house, a desert biome with different types of cacti, and a zen garden with about 30 or 40 different bonsai trees.
Tons of paths and trails to make you forget you are in a major city
Find your inner peace in the zen garden
Inside the orchid garden
I backed into another cactus taking a pic of these cacti. I recommend against that.
The view from the cable car. It is a really smooth 20 minute ride.
A map of the botanical garden
TeleferiQo
I'm a big fan of high lookouts and great views, so if you are like me, the teleferico (cable car) is a can't-miss experience. I believe it is the highest cable car ride in the world (based on elevation). It is about a 20-minute ride and you will increase in elevation from about 9,680 ft (2950 m) to 13,287 ft (4050 m). I wouldn't do this trip on your first day in Ecuador. Give yourself a day or two to adjust to the elevation.
The round-trip ticket is $9. Be sure not to lose your ticket, because you will have to pay to get back down. They offer one-way tickets because some people do hike back down, or alternatively, it is the trailhead for a further BRUTAL hike UP.
At the top are some amazing views, a few coffee shops, and you can do some horseback trails. If you skip the horseback stuff, you probably won't spend more than 45 minutes at the top.
Also, I made the mistake of wearing shorts. There is a MAJOR temperature difference between the bottom and the top. It will be at least 20 degrees cooler, so be prepared.
I'd suggest going on a cloudless day but good luck waiting for that
Middle of the World
The last major attraction within Quito is Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, Middle of the World. Quito is located directly on the equator. While it isn't the only major city to be located on the equator, it is the only capital city. It is also in a unique position to capitalize on it for tourism due to its elevation. Quito is high in the mountains and is pretty much the land of eternal spring, with year-round daily high temps of around 75F (23C). The weather is perfect.
It is located about 18 miles (30 km) north of the city center and has a little village built around the massive monument. The monument is a small museum, and each floor has pictures on the walls of Ecuadorian history and displays with mannequins wearing traditional clothing and doing rituals.
There are plenty of souvenir shops and restaurants, and a small brewery (that I definitely spent some time at). It also has several exhibits with recreations of huts and gardens that the natives used that you can walk through.
Ecuador is also known for chocolate, so there is a chocolate museum and even a planetarium.
All in all, I was very surprised by how much there was to do here, and it was only $5 to get in. And all of the displays are in Spanish and English, so if you can read this website, you can get the full experience of Ciudad Mitad del Mundo.
Another note: This isn't exactly on the equator. This was built before GPS was around, but it is pretty damn close. It is about 250 meters from the actual equator where there is another museum, but it is really just a cash-grab scam where they show "science" experiments like balancing an egg or showing water draining in different directions 10 feet apart. It is more of a magic show than anything else. Nothing remarkable happens on the line.
Unless you just have to tell people you saw the actual equator, just suspend disbelief and enjoy the monument.
The coordinates are not QUITE 0.0 degrees
Outside Ciudad Mitad del Mundo
The cacao museum at Mitad del Mundo
The actual monument, the yellow line is the equator (but not really)
Nothing relevant, I just thought this was an awesome pic I took while there. You can almost feel the perfect weather in this picture.
The view from the top of the monument
They call it a museum, I call it a bar
These were the types of displays inside the monument
Day Tours Available in Quito
There are several popular day tours to do in Quito. One of the most famous is to Cotopaxi National Park; I didn't do this, but wish I had. It is a hike to one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. I didn't go because I just didn't have the gear. It is quite cold, and all I brought was a hoodie and didn't want to buy more stuff just for this. Quilotoa Crater is another popular, but tough, hike. There is also the Mindo Cloud Forest, which I also really regret not doing.
So instead of a list of the shit I missed, the only tour I did was to the town of Banos, a couple of hours south of Quito. You can click on the link below to see how that went.
Banos - This is a long day but this tour includes a lot to do. Some extreme activities too like zip lining and bungee jumping, but there is an additional cost with those. The main event is Pailon del Diablo, The Devil's Cauldron. A bitchin' waterfall. Cost $85
Final Thoughts on Quito
The town itself is a little rough around the edges and not the safest town, but it also isn't that bad. It has some of the best weather in the world, I think. My apartment didn't even have AC because it isn't needed. But, except as a stop on the way to the Galapagos Islands, I don't think I need to come back. I feel like I have seen all I need to see.
However, the next city in Ecuador I went to is a place I could see myself retiring in.