Cuicocha Lake (Laguna Cuicocha) is a large lake that sits inside a volcanic crater. It’s part of the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve (Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas).
The Guayasamín Museum (Museo Guayasamín) is one of the most interesting and thought-provoking places we visited in Quito. It’s located up in a secluded neighborhood far outside of the city center.
While most of the attractions in Quito are located in the historic city, the modern city provides visitors with plenty of things to see and do as well. There are numerous museums and parks as well as shopping and restaurants. We didn’t have time to visit all of the attractions but this entry will explain what we did manage to see.
Carondelet Palace (Palacio de Carondelet), the Presidential Palace of Ecuador, sits on the west side of Plaza Grande in Quito’s UNESCO World Heritage listed historic city center.
Plaza Grande is the heart of the historic center of Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its official name is Independence Plaza (Plaza de la Independencia). This is where the first calls for Ecuadorean independence were heard in 1809.
There’s a wealth of colonial churches in the UNESCO World Heritage listed historic city center of Quito. This entry includes all churches we visited in the historic city center except the Metropolitan Cathedral on Plaza Grande.
There are lots of great museums located in the UNESCO World Heritage listed historic city center of Quito, Ecuador. Some are historical sites and homes while others display art and artifacts.
There are a few points of interest in the UNESCO World Heritage listed historic city center of Quito, Ecuador, that aren’t museums or churches. This entry talks about a small handful them.
The Basilica of the National Vow (Basílica del Voto Nacional), a huge church built in 1926, is located in the UNESCO World Heritage listed historic city center of Quito. It’s the largest neo-Gothic church in the Americas.
Otavalo is a very touristy town with a proud indigenous culture. The main attractions in the town are the markets, which sell anything from traditional handicrafts to knock-off imports and fresh fruits and vegetables to live animals.