QUITO CITY TOUR AND EQUATOR LINE MONUMENT EXTENSION - 1 DAY

Located in the Andes mountains some 2,800 meters above sea level, Quito's old town was declared a cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 1978. The city is surrounded by volcanoes Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Antizana and Cayambe that make up the majestic Andean landscape.

Itinerary

First, our tour takes us to Guapulo where the sanctuary stands beside the road taken by Pizarro's expedition that was to discover the Amazon. Then we'll take a stroll through Quito's historical centre, packed with colonial cathedrals and monasteries. Our first stop is the Independence Plaza  where we will see the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building, the Archbishop’s Palace and the Cathedral. Our next stop along the 'street of the 7 crosses' is La Compania church built by the Jesuits as a replica of Il Bessu in Rome. We'll continue along to plaza San Francisco which in pre - Inca days was the main Tianguez (market) in the Americas. Admire the church and San Francisco monastry, the largest colonial building on the American continenents. Finally we'll drive up Itchimbia hill which has a spectacular view of Quito's colonial downtown. Itchimbia means “Sacred Hill of the Radiant Sun”.

*Lunch included.

Extension

EQUATOR LINE MONUMENT AND MUSEUM

DURATION: 2 hours
PRICE:
1 client $51
2-3 $29 per person
4-5 $17 per person
6-9 $13 per person
10 $9 per person
SEASON: All year

Itinerary

After a trip to the colonial town, we will depart to the Middle of the World (La Mitad del Mundo) where a town has been built to commemorate the exact position of the Equator line.  Charles-Marie de la Condamine's in his 18th century expedition made measurements that showed this was, indeed, the equator. The measurements also gave rise to the metric system and proved that instead of being perfectly round, the earth bulges at the equator. We will visit the Ethnographic Museum which houses interesting exhibits on the many different ethnic groups that make up Ecuador's indigenous population.. Here it is also possible to visit the small town called 'middle of the world' which is actually built as an attraction, with restaurants and artisan shops where you can hunt for typical crafts and products from Ecuador.

Back to top