J is for Jardin Botanico, Jogging, and Jacchigua

♦ JARDIN BOTANICO, covering 3.2 acres and designed to showcase Ecuador’s incredible variety of  Andean ecosystems and habitats, is also located in Parque La Carolina.  Here visitors are guided through wetlands, cloud forests, high-altitude moorlands and drive forest, alive with a profusion of tropical flowers and buzzing humming birds. In fact, it is possible to […]

I is for Itchimbia Park and Isla de la Plata

♦ ITCHIMBIA PARK is the place to be for city views at sunset. First check out the Art Nouveau Itchimbia Cultural Center, a glass and steel structure that was the original Santa Clara market and is the work of Gustave Eiffel; then venture below the observation deck to Pim’s for a drink— accompanied by a […]

H is for Holy Places and Hop On/Off Bus

♦ HOLY PLACES, LESS VISITED:  Once you have delighted in seeing the city’s grandest churches, La Compania de Jesus and San Francisco, head for the Metropolitan Cathedral; visit a particular joy from the 18th century, the Church and Monastery of Carmen Bajo, a complex housing folklore and artwork of popular culture, and Santo Domingo Church […]

G is for Getting to High Places in Quito

♦ GETTING TO HIGH PLACES: Top viewpoints for Quito The Teleferiqo aerial tram rides begins on the city’s western fringes, climbing the flanks of the massive Pichincha Volcano from 3,000 up to 4,000 meters. On a clear day, the panorama includes at least four snow-covered peaks and dozens of lesser volcanoes. The Teleferiqo complex includes […]