EXPLORE
BREATHTAKING QUITO
Ecuador’s capital is the second highest city in the world, but it’s not just its altitude that will take your breath away.
WORDS GEORGINA LAVERS
EXPLORE
BREATHTAKING
QUITO
Ecuador’s capital is the second highest city in the world, but it’s not just its altitude that will take your breath away.
WORDS GEORGINA LAVERS
EXPLORE
BREATHTAKING
QUITO
Ecuador’s capital is the second highest city in the world but it’s not just its altitude that will take your breath away.
WORDS GEORGINA LAVERS
The Virgin of El Panecillo keeps close watch over Quito.
One of the most common questions asked by newly-arrived tourists in Quito is: "Why am I breathing so hard?"
The answer is simple — located atop a plateau of the Andes Mountains, Quito sits at a lofty 2,784 metres above sea level. That’s high. So high that the locals brew coca leaf tea to combat altitude sickness. But, once your body’s adjusted, your mind will open to the delights of a Latin American city that deserves to be given much more consideration than just a stopover en route to the Galápagos Islands.
El Panecillo hill is in the heart of the city.
Quito’s easy charm creeps up on you, rippling out from its historic centre and lively metropolitan park — complete with llamas — to encompass a thriving nightlife and daytrips that offer spectacular wildlife experiences. UNESCO has recognised Quito for its Outstanding Universal Value and has also lauded the city as being the home of the best-preserved, least altered historic centre in Latin America. With that in mind, a good starting off point for visitors is the Old Town, where museums and galleries rub shoulders with leafy plazas and cobbled streets.
The imposing Basílica del Voto Nacional.
With its Gothic arches, the 19th century Roman Catholic church Basílica del Voto Nacional is like something out of a Dan Brown novel. Locals will advise you to skip the church entry and instead just pay to go into the towers; you can see the inside of the church from there anyway. The lift will take you to the viewpoint and café for hot chocolate and empanadas, or you can challenge yourself by heading up the rickety stairs that spiral ever upwards. You’ll be rewarded with a sweeping city panorama and see the Ecuadorian version of gargoyles: sculptures of endemic wildlife, including iguanas, turtles and condors.
Sweeping views of Quito from the Teleferico.
For a bigger picture perspective, grab a seat on one of the highest cable cars in the world. The Teleferico takes about 10 minutes to ascend the east side of Pichincha Volcano, providing spectacular views of the city and the surrounding mountains.
You can set your watch by resident Quiteños’ adherence to a strict culinary routine. At exactly 12.30pm on any given day, the streets fill with office and manual workers heading out for their lunch, or "almuerzo".
The colourful streets of the Old Town.
Thriving foodie scene
Ecuador’s Peruvian neighbour has traditionally dominated Central America’s gastronomic landscape, both locally and internationally. But it doesn’t take much digging to discover Quito’s thriving food and drink scene.
Lunchtime is serious business.
You can set your watch by resident Quiteños’ adherence to a strict culinary routine. At exactly 12.30pm on any given day, the streets fill with office and manual workers heading out for their lunch, or almuerzo. Typically, almuerzo is the biggest meal of the day and consists of vegetable soup, followed by meat or fish with rice and a small dessert and juice. You can expect to pay about AUD$6 for this. More adventurous travellers may want to sample the outdoor street market in Vicentina Park and try fried tripe, which comes by the sizzling cupful, or cuy — guinea pig typically roasted on the rotisserie. The craft beer movement has also gained a respectable foothold in Quito with cervecerías — or beer halls — dotted around the city. Whilst most tourists head to the bars, restaurants and clubs at the nightlife hub of Plaza Foch, better drinks and a more urbane scene can be found at Pradera, where venues offer a selection of their own boutique brews with notes of local ginger or cacao.
Fresh food is a staple in Quito.
Locro de papa is a traditional dish made with potatoes.
The craft beer movement has also gained a respectable foothold in Quito with cervecerías, or beer halls, dotted around the city.
The city comes alive at night.
Hangover cure
After a night out sampling some of these brews, a bowl of pickled onions and fish may not be your breakfast of choice, but Quiteños swear encebollado — a tuna broth loaded with cilantro and accompanied by handfuls of popcorn — is the only way to cure a hangover.
Tuna fish soup for breakfast.
Make sure you’ve recovered by Sunday, when a main road that snakes 30 kilometres from the north to the south of the city closes to traffic to encourage cycling, a practice known as ciclopaseo. Vehicles make their comeback in the early afternoon, so I recommend riding through the Old Town for its buzzy atmosphere, before following the crowd north to a converted airport runway where you can ride alongside old military planes and other monuments.
The bike and pedestrian-friendly Old Town.
Only a few hours out of town are some astounding, bucket-list day trip adventures, including Quilotoa, a volcanic crater that cradles a dazzling lake. You can canoe across the aquamarine water or simply enjoy the views from the summit and peruse the souvenir shops. Be warned, you may find yourself squishing a Panama hat and striped alpaca blanket into your suitcase on the way home.
We looked up, lost for words...
Snow capped Cotopaxi volcano.
For an unforgettable wilderness experience, head to Parque Nacional Cotopaxi (Cotopaxi National Park) and join a guided horseback tour of the area.
On my last trip here, we were riding through the stunning landscapes of grassy flatlands, peppered with silvery volcanic rock and tumbling streams, a shadow fell overhead and as we looked up in surprise, a giant Andean condor soared up against the backdrop of the snow-capped volcano — yet another breathtaking experience to add to the list.
Locals tackling Cotopaxi National Park on horseback.