Cumbayá Overview

By Christopher Sacco

Little more than a decade ago, Cumbayá consisted mostly of open pastures and country cottages where Quito’s elite escaped the hustle of the capital. Though the farms and rolling fields have been largely displaced by upscale suburbs and open-air shopping malls, the city has maintained some of its rustic charm and a decidedly slower pace than Quito.

Cumbayá sits at the edge of the Valley of Tumbaco, some 20 kilometers east and several hundred meters below the capital. Its location in an inter-Andean valley provides for a climate that is both warmer and considerably drier than Quito’s.

Cumbayá has none of the cultural attractions of Quito, but it is a good place to kick around and relax if you are worn out from the rigors of more sophisticated pursuits. The area around the old town plaza is certainly worth a stroll on the weekend. Literally dozens of eateries, including a good sushi bar, and shops have been established within the last three years.

A five minute walk from the plaza towards “los reservorios” (go up Francisco de Orellana and then right on Chimborazo) will bring you to another appealing collection of stores anchored by Corfu, a café that serves up some of the best ice cream and pastries in all of Ecuador.

For those that want to do more than peruse shops and sip cappuccinos, there is a brand new bicycle and hiking path that stretches 20 kilometers along old railroad tracks from Cumbayá to the Village of Puembo. The official name of the trail is “La ruta ecológica metropolitana ‘Chaquiñán’”, and it begins on Avenida Francisco de Orellana approximately 200 meters up the road from the old town plaza.

Getting To Cumbayá

Green buses for Cumbayá depart from a bus station just above the EcoVia Terminal on Rio Coca. These same buses pick up passengers at the southeast corner of Eloy Alfaro and la Via Interoceanica (frequently referred to as Los Granados) before heading to the Valley.

If you have your own vehicle,you can also drive to Cumbayá on a winding road that begins just north of Hotel Quito and follows Avenida de los Conquistadores through Guápalo and over a narrow bridge spanning the Machángara River Canyon.

As of June 2005, the Municipality of Quito had nearly completed a two-kilometer long tunnel connecting Quito with Cumbayá. The tunnel enters Quito at La Plaza de Argentina on Avenida 6 de Diciembre and Diego del Almagro.

Around Cumbayá

Like Quito, Cumbayá has two centers, a new one and an old one, located just a few kilometers apart.

The new city center consists of two strips of chain stores, including a Supermaxi and Fybeca, that parallel the Via Interoceanica. At the end of these outdoor malls there is a roundabout that gives way to the University of San Francisco de Quito, a small and well respected liberal arts college that caters to Quito’s upper class, the old town, and the City of Tumbaco.

If you continue right off the roundabout on the highway you will eventually end up in Tumbaco. If you go straight and down the hill on Via Interoceanica, you will wind up in the original town. To get to the town plaza, just after the stop light and bus stop, go about a half a kilometer north on Manabi. The plaza has been recently renovated and boasts a wide assortment of good restaurants and high-end shops.