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Chirije Archaeological Site
This site is riddled with ancient ceramics, burials, cooking areas, garbage dumps and jewelry, dating mainly from the Bahía culture (500 BC to AD 500).The site is owned by Bahía Dolphin Tours, and to visit you must arrange a guided trip through the agency.
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Museo de la Cultura Lojana
On the south side of Parque Central, a characterful republican-era building houses this museum and its exhibits which include good local art, archaeology and ethnography. Most interesting are the old photographs of Loja and the room devoted to the Saraguro culture.
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Paseo de los Monos
At Paseo de los Monos you can see a variety of rescued animals, including six kinds of monkeys, turtles and birds. Some animals are caged, while others run free. For an extra $2, guides lead four-hour walks into the surrounding jungle to see more of the center’s animals.
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Parque Pedro Moncayo
This gorgeous palm-filled plaza is dominated by the baroque-influenced cathedral . The altars are covered in gold leaf, and Troya’s paintings of the 12 apostles adorn the pillars. The park itself is named after locally born Pedro Moncayo (1807–88), a journalist and diplomat.
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El Garrapatero Beach
A 30-minute taxi ride from Puerto Ayora through the highlands, plus a 15-minute walk, brings you to this beautiful beach. It has tidal pools that are good for exploring and snorkeling on calm days, and a lagoon with flamingos, white-cheeked ducks and black-necked stilts.
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Tagus Cove
Just south of Punta Tortuga is this cove where early sailors frequently anchored and scratched the names of their vessels into the cliffs. It’s a strange sight to behold graffiti, the oldest from 1836, in an otherwise pristine environment next to where sea lions lazily roam.
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Saturday Market
Zumbahua has a wonderfully authentic Saturday market that draws indigenous vendors from the mountains. Check out the men on the south side of the market, who use old Singer sewing machines to tailor clothes, and the cuddly cuy (guinea pig) trade, which is fun to watch.
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Reserva Buenaventura
Run by the Fundación Jocotoco, this 2700-hectare cloud-forest reserve is a fantastic spot for bird-watching. There are several short trails, simple wooden cabins and a pricey restaurant (meals $20) with hummingbirds whirring about. Its located about 9km from Piñas.
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Markets
Latacunga’s huge and completely untouristy markets are quite utilitarian, but that’s what makes them interesting. The three sweeping market plazas around the intersection of Echeverría and Amazonas are busy every day, but especially on market days: Tuesday and Saturday.
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Santuario de Guápulo
At the bottom of the hill above Guápulo stands the neighborhood’s centerpiece, the 17th-century Santuario de Guápalo. It has an excellent collection of Quito School art and sculpture, and a stunning 18th-century pulpit carved by master wood-carver Juan Bautista Menacho.
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Puerto Grande
Smaller than its name suggests, Puerto Grande is a well-protected little cove on San Cristóbal’s northwestern coast. There is a good, sandy beach suitable for swimming, and various seabirds can be seen. It’s reachable by kayak, and camping is allowed with prior permission.
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La Rotonda
Around halfway along the malecón you’ll soon come to one of Guayaquil’s more impressive monuments, particularly when illuminated at night. Flanked by small fountains, it depicts the historic but enigmatic meeting between Bolívar and San Martín that took place here in 1822.
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Monastery of San Agustín
Two blocks from the Plaza Grande, this monastery is a fine example of 17th-century architecture. Many of the heroes of the battles for Ecuador’s independence are buried here, and it is the site of the signing of Ecuador’s declaration of independence on August 10, 1809.
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Museo Arqueológico y Etnográfico Atahualpa
Several small galleries with a fascinating pre-Columbian artifacts unearthed in the area. The majority of objects, including ceramic ceremonial pieces and sculptures and armaments, as well as intentionally deformed skulls, are from the Caranqui, who were ascendant before the Inca.
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Galería Luís Potosí
This small village near Ibarra specializes in woodcarvings. The most renowned gallery in San Antonio de Ibarra is Galería Luís Potosí . Potosí has achieved fame throughout Ecuador and abroad. Ask to see the workspace he shares with other woodworkers when you visit the gallery.
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Museo Manuel Agustín Landivar
At the east end of Calle Larga, this museum has archaeological exhibits and tours of the Ruinas de Todos Santos , which reveal Cañari, Inca and Spanish ruins, layered one over the other. If you don’t want a guide, you can also look at them from below on Avenida de Todos Santos.
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Jorupe Reserve
The Jorupe Reserve is run by Fundación Jocotoco outside of Macará. Primarily a bird-watching reserve, Jorupe is home to the white-tailed jay, blue-crowned motmot, and Ecuadorian trogan. Hire a taxi ($3) to take you to the reserve about 5km down the road from Macará toward Sozorongo
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Mirador de Turi
For a lovely view of Cuenca, take a taxi ($5) 4km south of town along Avenida Solano to the stark, white Church of Turi. The views of Cuenca’s famous, romantic skyline are especially pretty at sunset and on November and December evenings, when the city fires up the Christmas lights
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Río Yanuncay
About 1km south of the Old Towns La Escalinita staircase, this peacefully wending river has tree-clad bank-side green space perfect for a picnic. Upriver, at the confluence with the citys third waterway, Río Tarqui, is a diverting botanical garden . A taxi here costs $1.50.
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Quito Zoo
About 3km before you reach Guayllabamba, you’ll pass the Quito Zoo . There are a few African and Asian species but the highlight is the Ecuadorian animals including the rare Andean spectacled bear and Galápagos turtles. Buses from Quito’s Plaza Italia to Guayllabamba make the trip.
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