the travel guide YOU create.
Share your knowledge with other travelers.
What is this?
0%Based on 0 Ratings
- Add Hotel
- Add Eat & Drink
- Add Things to See or Do
- Add Tour Operator
- Add Service
- Add Work
- Add School
- Add Travel Info.
- Add Land & Environment
- Add Travel Tips
- Add Before you Go
- Add General Info.
- Add Facts
- Add Culture Info.
- Add Holidays & Fiestas Info.
- Add Outdoor Info.
- Add Sports Info.
- Add Climbing Info.
- Add Birdwatching Info.
- Add City Park Info.
- Add City Plaza Info.
- Add City Walk Info.
- Add Cruise Info.
- Add Diving Info.
- Add Horseback Riding Info.
- Add Jumping Info.
- Add Kayaking Info.
- Add Paragliding / Hangliding Info.
- Add Rafting Info.
- Add Snow Sports Info.
- Add Snorkeling Info.
- Add Trekking Info.
- Add Transportation Info.
- Add Communications Info.
- Add Other Info.
- Add Photo
Share your knowledge on the web and get your review published in our next printed guidebook! Find out more about us.
Close box
Near Quito
See all Near Quito Photos
Many travelers choose to stay in Quito and take short day trips to nearby towns like Mitad del Mundo and Papallacta to enjoy monuments, hot springs, mountain hikes and more. Buses run regularly and are very inexpensive. Travel agencies are useful for arranging day trip activities like rafting, biking and climbing, but for basic day trips to nearby towns, you are better off planning it yourself as the tour agencies tend to inflate the prices.
Among the top destinations under two hours from Quito are: Cotopaxi National Park, the relaxing and inexpensive hot springs at Papallacta, the monument to the equator at Mitad del Mundo (along with the real equator 100 meters away), the Pululahua crater just north of the equator and the valleys just outside of Quito: Cumbaya and Tumbaco. Just 1.5 hours from Quito by car and 2.5 by bus, Mindo, is one of the most ecologically-aware towns in Ecuador with several private reserves ideal for bird watching, butterfly-spotting, hiking, river tubing and cliff diving into icy waterfalls.
Popular tourist destinations that are a little too far for a day trip, but under 4 hours from Quito, and therefore great weekend or overnight trips are: Otavalo, where you can shop for home-woven wool and alpaca goods along with other famous indigenous items at the market (best on Saturday but bustling all week); Baños, with excellent biking, hiking, spa treatments and international food.
Haciendas are also popular destinations just outside of Quito and provide a glimpse into Ecuadorian culture as well as its spectacular landscapes. V!VA User‘s Description Ruco was the starter mountain in the 1970's. It's a shame that it's no longer open. The best part was a jump across an arch with the middle missing. Sounds simple, but with thousands of feet visible to either side, it was a feat. I payed a price on Ruco, and almost died. But Pichincha, and Ruco, were haven for us while we lived there. I wouldn't trade the scars for anything. There are still places in Ecuador where you can find Inca artifacts and ruins. Where else can you hike up a stream and find a home from several centuries past? Learn the spanish, and embrace Ecuador. From the loughty peaks of Ruco and the surrounding snow caps, to the thrill of the amazon, and crossing a river on a skid with 4 ropes and a pully. I'm back in the states, and still speak spanish with a norte quiteno accent. I miss it, and recall the excitment of living there as age and boredom, make the memories more precious.
Places in Near Quito
| 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 |
| Ecuador Mountain Biking Tours - Aries Bike Company Over 18 years of experience in Downhill, Mountain Biking and Hiking in Ecuador.Our tours take you around some of the most beautiful mountains and active volcanoes in the world. www.ariesbikecompany.com |
All Activities in Near Quito
Pichincha Volcanoes
Guagua and Rucu Pichincha, 4,776 m (15,670 ft) and 4,627 m (15,180 ft) respectively, are two volcanoes located about 10 ...
Aldea Puma Sacha
An ecological paradise in the middle of the cloud forest, wonderfull waterfalls and hike trips to enjoy the mountain and ...
Hiking Around Quito
Few large cities can top Quito when it comes to nearby hiking and climbing opportunities. ...
Top Rated Hotels
El Crater Hotel
A small all-suites hotel with just space for 24 people – two per suite – has the feel of a ...
88% - 4 ratings
San Jorge Eco-Lodge and Biological Reserve
San Jorge is a very historic hacienda – it was once owned by Ecuadorian president Eloy Alfaro – on the ...
87% - 6 ratings
Hacienda La Alegría
Situated an hour south of Quito on the slopes of Corazón (“heart”) volcano, Hacienda La Alegría is in the heart ...
86% - 5 ratings
Top Rated Restaurants
NOE Sushi Bar
NOE is an excellent sushi bar located adjacent to Cumbaya's newly renovated plaza. The food, service, and atmosphere are first ...
96% - 10 ratings
La Marmite
A beautiful Swiss-French restaurant with incredible views of the valley and Quito, La Marmite is worth a daytrip from Quito ...
96% - 23 ratings
El Crater Restaurant
A visit to this restaurant can easily be a vacation highlight. It offers one of the most specatular views of ...
86% - 8 ratings
 | Buy the world's most up-to-date guidebook about Ecuador. Get it from Amazon, Barnes&Noble or direct from V!VA. Or download free chapters from this book. |
 | Buy the world's most up-to-date guidebook about Peru. Get it from Amazon or direct from V!VA. Or download free chapters from this book. |
 | V!VA List Latin America, 333 Places and Experiences that People Love Packed with tales of travels from Tijuana to Tierra del Fuego, this compilation provides firsthand knowledge about places to visit, things to do, and where to stay, as well as insight into local cultures and customs.Get it from Amazon, Barnes&Noble or direct from V!VA. Download free chapters from this book. Download free Google Earth version chapters. |
