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Located in northern Ecuador, Imbabura province is home to the inactive Imbabura stratovolcano which has not erupted in 14,000 years. As the area is covered in ancient volcanic ash, the slopes of Imbabura are very fertile, providing perfect conditions for the cloud forests to thrive, while the land around the volcano is used for farming. Consisting of a number of cinder cones which vary in height, the top of the volcanic mountain is covered in snow from time to time, but it does not have any permanent glaciers, as is the case with Cotopaxi and Chimborazo.
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Featuring more than a hundred monuments and buildings with historic, architectural and cultural value, the historic center of Quito is considered to be one of Latin America’s most important historic areas, and was one of the first centers of its kind to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Covering an area of around 320 hectares, the historic center includes El Panecillo, a 200-meter high volcanic hill upon which a 45-meter tall monument of the Virgin Mary, standing on an ornate pedestal, is visible from almost anywhere in the city of Quito. Made out of seven thousand pieces of aluminum, the statue was created by Spanish artist Agustín de la Herrán Matorras and installed by Anibal Lopez of Quito, being inaugurated in March 1976.
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Following a 200 km route between the Eastern and Western Cordillera mountain chains, the Avenue of the Volcanoes (Avenida de los volcanes) offers adventurers the opportunity to view up to fourteen of Ecuador's magnificent volcanoes. Some of the volcanoes are active, while others are dormant, and each has its own unique characteristics, making it worthwhile to take a trip along this spectacular 'avenue'. There are a number of tours for visitors to choose from, many of which start and end in the country's capital city, Quito.
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Located in a 2,600-acre private reserve around 110 kilometers from Quito, Mashpi Lodge offers an eco-friendly vacation in the spectacular bio-diverse Tumbez-Choco-Darien region of Ecuador. The lodge and reserve offer a host of activities to make the most of the incredible natural treasures found within its borders, including a trip on the canopy gondola, trekking on the nature trails, relaxing and learning at the life center, night walks, birding, photography, botany, and more – truly a nature lover’s paradise.
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Although it has become common knowledge that Mitad del Mundo in Quito is not actually placed on the equator, it remains a popular tourism destination with visitors posing over the painted yellow line indicating where it was believed the equator splits the earth into the northern and southern hemispheres. The village surrounding the large equatorial monument offers many items of interest, with homes, stores, museums and cafés, along with smaller monuments memorializing men who lost their lives in various historic conflicts. Visitors can also travel a short way down the road to a smaller, privately owned museum which claims to be built on the equator. Known as Museo de Sitio Intiñan , this interesting attraction features a number of interactive activities demonstrating unusual phenomenon which occur only at the equator, such as balancing an egg on the head of a nail, and water going down a drain either clockwise or anticlockwise, depending on which hemisphere you are standing in.
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Located in the heart of Quito's historic district, Independence Square has as its main feature a monument honoring those who first called for independence from the Royal Audience of Quito in August 1809. The Royal Audience of Quito was created in August 1563 by Philip II of Spain as an administrative unit of the Spanish Empire having political, military and religious power over territories which included modern-day Ecuador, and parts of Peru, Colombia and Brazil. It ended in 1822 when these territories were included in the state of Gran Colombia. Independence Square, also referred to as Big Square, is the central square of Quito with historic buildings flanking the square including the Cathedral of Quito, Carondelet Palace, the Municipal Palace, the Archbishop's Palace and the Plaza Grande Hotel. The square is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as Quito Plaza de la Independencia.
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Stretching along the Pacific coastline of Ecuador from Esmeraldas in the north into Peru in the south, the Spondylus route features some of the country's most beautiful natural areas, as well as elements of its culture, history and pre-Columbian archeology. Emphasizing the importance of Ecuadorian culture, the route takes its name from the spectacular Spondylus shell which had significance to the ancient Valdivia culture in Ecuador. Evidence of this ancient culture and others has been uncovered in the archeological excavations featured on the route, which also includes spectacular beaches, tranquil nature reserves, wildlife, majestic mountains, and breathtaking scenery all along the way.
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Set in a private reserve of more than 700 hectares in the cloud forest of Tandayapa, Ecuador, the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve offers eco-conscious tourists the vacation of a lifetime. Located less than two hours from Quito, the journey to Bellavista is an adventure in itself as visitors travel the Ecoruta el Paseo del Quinde with its dramatic changes in elevation and vegetation, and friendly local communities along the way. Birding enthusiasts can become quite overwhelmed with the sheer diversity and numbers of birds in the area and will soon discover why the area has had the highest 24-hour bird count in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Americas three years in a row.
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