Page Importance:
Just 200m north of the Mitad del Mundo monument you will find Ecuador’s actual “middle of the world”, marked by the Museo del Sitio Intiñan, or Intiñan Musuem. The museum showcases where modern-day GPS has proven to be the true site of the equator line; it’s here your device will read zero degrees latitude and zero degrees longitude.
Unlike the monument at Mitad del Mundo (a complex that features a multi-story museum, food court and small shopping center) the museum at Intiñan is a quaint, set in a scenic cactus garden. Information is presented through a guided tour—which is included in the entrance fee and conducted in English or Spanish. The tour takes visitors through the museums highlights: small artifacts (a real shrunken head!), local history, and best of all, scientific experiments. Although these experiments are reportedly fake, you can still have fun trying to balance an egg on a nail (a feat for which you will receive a certificate), seeing water spin both clockwise and counterclockwise (depending on which side of the line it’s on), and blowing needles from a blow dart gun into a cactus.
Intiñan also offers information about the reclusive indigenous tribe, the Waranis; houses a replica burial chamber (bones and all); and stamps your passport with an authentic equator stamp (Note: like anywhere else, traveling with your passport on public transport to and from the museum can be dangerous).
Open Monday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entrance for the museum is off the main highway, less than a block north of the entrance to Mitad del Mundo, on Autopista Manuel Córdova Galarza. To get there take a $10 cab ride from Quito, or check bus schedules, as they run frequently to the monument.
Location:
Autopista Córdova Galarza
Near Quito, Quito, Ecuador
Museum Types:
Science and nature
Getting There
(200 meters from the Mitad del Mundo roundabout)
Price Description: $2
Relative price: Budget
Open Hours from:9:30 a.m.
Open Hours to:5:00 p.m.
Days Closed:None
Travel Skills: None
You Need to Bring: Bring your passport, as you can prove that you visited the center of the world by getting an an authentic equator stamp. Like anywhere else, traveling with your passport on public transport to and from the museum can be dangerous.
Mitad del Mundo
Currencies accepted
US dollar
Contact Information:
Phone: (593) 239-5122 / (593) 9-730-9508
E-mail: info(at)museointinan.com.ec
URL: www.museointinan.com.ec
| Academia Latinoamericana - Learn Spanish in Quito, Ecuador All levels. The most effective methods. University credit through New Mexico State University. Reasonable rates & more www.latinoschools.com |
| 4 & 5** Custom & Scheduled Tours by www.SouthAmerica.travel Create your own travel itinerary with our custom Travel Planner, or choose from one of our 100s of carefully designed itineraries. Special escorted departures. SouthAmerica.travel |
Balancing Eggs!
This museum is extremely interesting, charting the lives of the indigenous people in times past. What's more fun is to watch the experiments. I won a certificate for managing to balance an egg. No mean feat!
Ecuador Activities by type | Nearby activities
Hotels | Popular Quito Destinations | Other Quito pages
|
Advertise | Anúnciese | Jobs | Alliances | Alianzas | Terms of Use | Contact Us | About Us | Blog | Dueños |