Banos is a quaint Andean small peaceful town, 3 hours drive south from Quito, surrounded by snowcapped volcanoes and with wonderful hot spring waters. For years it has been the place to which Ecuadorians honoured the VIRGEN DE AGUA SANTA (The Virgin of Blessed Waters). In the last decade, became an ecotourism destination due to its pleasant climate, as well as its extraordinary landscape as it is the gateway to eastern Amazon (tropical rain forest). Nature lovers discovered a unique spot! The city is located on the skirts of the TUNGURAHUA (5.800 ft). The average temperature is 65 F. The impressive snowcapped volcanoes surrounding Banos are the TUNGURAHUA (16.600 ft above the sea level), the CHIMBORAZO (21.000 ft), the ALTAR (20.700 ft), and the CARIHUAIRAZO (16.480 ft). Also, you can swim in hot spring waters, ride bicycle, motorcycle and horses, as well as go trekking and rafting. Rafting is exciting as the river begins to wide on its way toward the great Amazonas River.
Cotopaxi
Cuenca
Tradition and Culture in the South come together. Santa Ana of the Four Rivers of Cuenca, owes its name to the rivers that become one in its center as they flow through it. Thanks to its eye catching plazas, colonial homes with red tiling and steel balconies, churches and convents that create an atmosphere of tradition and historic greatness, the artisanship of its people working with ceramics, steel, gold and silver creating precious jewelry and its famous hats hand weaved in straw, Cuenca has been declared a mankind heritage site by UNESCO. A picturesque city that appears to have frozen as time passed it by.
Galapagos
Enchanted Islands. The Galapagos Islands, paradise of evolution, are located 600 miles from the coastline of Ecuador, in the Pacific Ocean. Of volcanic origin and crossed by the equatorial line, this is also one of the most famous national parks of the world due to its unique characteristics. The Galapagos Islands are made up of 12 main islands, 6 smaller islands and 40 islets. Created by strong eruptions, each of them is just the peak of an invisible gigantic volcano of 9850 feet, deep below the ocean, giving the Islands a moon-like appearance.
Guayaquil
Dynamic and Captivating. By the shore of the mighty Guayas river, is the city of Guayaquil, one of the most important ports on the Pacific coast of South America. Commerce and modern times have given the city its face paced lifestyle. Tall buildings, large avenues, luxurious hotels and finance centers are the heart of this metropolis, also hosting some of Ecuador’s largest architectural and tourist projects like the Malecon 2002 with its botanic gardens and historic park that boasts a museum reproducing a XIX century suburb and a tropical hacienda showing the coastal way of life. La Rotonda, Centenario Park, the community project at Las Penas neighborhood or the Cerro Blanco ecological reserve is some of the main characters of this cities identity.
Otavalo
The Largest Indigenous Market in South America. The adventure begins when you visit small towns cradled in the high Andean sierras, like Calderon, known for its bread dough figures, or Cayambe, where you can enjoy biscuits at the roadside or admire the moorland landscape from the Santa Rosa or Mira Lago lookout points, on your way to Otavalo. The city is famous for its indigenous market, the best known in South America for its wool and straw handmade weavings, textiles with Andean images and designs, Naif paintings and fine jewelery work in silver. Following the route north you will arrive at San Antonio de Ibarra finding beautiful woodcarvings, going on to Cotacachi, one of the main artist centers for leather goods.
Pedro Vicente Maldonado
Pichincha
Quito
Quito is a cosmopolitan city that combines the rollercoaster emotions of modern life with a laid back tradition that disregards time. The sounds of universities, shopping centers, and nature parks contrast with the chiming of bells in their high towers, colonial district convents at the church of La Compania or the San Francisco monastery. Narrow streets leading to monumental constructions as the bustling independence plaza surrounded by the presidential palace and the cathedral, or the watchful eye of the winged virgin at Panecillo hill, from where you can enjoy the best view of the city. After the sun sets the city takes in magical colors and tones that can be enjoyed best from the traditional Chiva “Don Otto” bus, in the company of live music and typical drinks. As if this where not enough, we have the town of the middle of the world, an architectural and commercial complex that celebrates the Equatorial line, where you can find a great monument and an ethnographic museum.
Riobamba
Riobamba, city in central Ecuador, capital of Chimborazo Province, in the Chambo River Valley in the Andes Mountains, near the volcano of Chimborazo. An important road junction on the main railroad from Quito to Guayaquil, Riobamba is the trade center of a cattle-ranching area. Manufactured products include textiles, handicrafts, leather goods, beer, and dairy products. A colorful Native American marketplace is in the city. Also located in the city is a university-level polytechnic school (1969). Founded around 1534, Riobamba was destroyed by earthquake in 1797 and rebuilt 9 miles from the original site.
ECUADOR
