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León Dormido
About an hour’s boat ride northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is León Dormido (Kicker Rock), so named because of its resemblance to a sleeping lion. León Dormido is an imposing, vertical, sheer-walled tuff cone that has been eroded in half; smaller boats can sail between the two r
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Museo del Carmen Alto
This year-old museum housed in a former Carmelite monastery called Monasterio del Carmen de San Jose (or Carmen Alto) has fascinating exhibits exploring the daily routines of the nuns who made their lives here including Marianita de Jesus (1618–1645), the citys patron saint and ref
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La Lobería
Southwest of town, a road leads 2.5km (about a 30-minute walk) to La Lobería, a rocky beach with a lazy sea-lion colony. It’s good for year-round surfing, and there are lots of iguanas along the trail leading past the beach. Bring water and sun protection. Taxis charge about $3 to
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Parque Itchimbia
High on a hill of the old town, this grassy park boasts magnificent views of the city. It’s the perfect spot to spread out a picnic lunch, soak up the sun and take in the views. The park’s centerpiece is the Centro Cultural Itchimbia , in a large glass-and-iron building modeled aft
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Laguna de Colta
About 4km south of Cajabamba, the waters of Laguna de Colta appear choked with a golden reed called totora. For anyone who has ever visited Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, this setting and the small totora rafts used to sail around Laguna Colta will look familiar. Ethnobiologists believ
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El Lechero
While this tree outside Otavalo is famous for its magical healing powers, its much more reliable as a great picnic spot, romantic or otherwise, and for fresh air and great views of town. It’s a steep 4km walk or a $4 taxi ride; ask the driver to wait if you don’t want to walk back.
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Isla Santa Fé
This petite island (24 sq km/15 sq mi) is a popular destination for day trips. Theres good anchorage in an attractive bay on the northeast coast and a choice of two trails. One leads to a towering stand of opuntia cactus - some are over 10m (33ft) high. The other, more strenous, tr
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Tapichalaca Reserve
The small Tapichalaca Reserve, 75km south of Vilcabamba, protects one of Ecuador’s most rare and endangered birds, the Jocotoco Antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi), which has under 20 known breeding pairs. Some of the birds have been habituated to eating grubs put out by the caretaker, h
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Daily Market
During our visit, a large, covered complex was being built just west of the Panamericana. When finished (the opening has been repeatedly delayed due to corruption scandals involving construction contracts), it will house the vendors who previously plied their trade in a messy overf
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Parque Nacional Yasuní
Yasuní is Ecuador’s largest mainland park, a massive 9620-sq-km section of wetlands, marshes, swamps, lakes, rivers and tropical rainforest. Its staggering biodiversity led Unesco to declare it an international biosphere reserve and it was established as a national park shortly aft
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Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco
Construction of the monastery, the city’s largest colonial structure, began only a few weeks after the founding of Quito in 1534, but wasnt finished for another 70 years. Although much of the church has been rebuilt because of earthquake damage, some is original. The chapel of Seño
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San Rafael Falls
Beyond El Chaco you’ll pass thick patches of cloud forest harboring strange species of birds and plants. San Rafael Falls and a sash of Río Quijos can be glimpsed from the road. The entrance fee is steep, but visitors earn bragging rights to witnessing Ecuador’s largest falls. To v
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El Progreso
A road leads from the capital to the village of El Progreso, about 6km to the east and at the base of the 896m-high Cerro San Joaquín, the highest point on San Cristóbal. It’s a sleepy, ramshackle village with nothing much to see. Buses go here several times a day from Puerto Baque
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Loma Alta
A 40-minute, 17km bus ride from the coastal village of Valdivia will bring you to Loma Alta, a community-protected, 2428-hectare cloud forest (for overnight visits, call several days in advance for planning and coordination). The ride passes through the villages of Sinchal and Barc
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Parque Nacional Sangay
Most access to the park is from the north and west; access from the south and east is difficult. If starting from Macas, make your goal the alpine lakes, including the scenic Lagunas de Tinguichaca or the popular Sardina Yaca lagoons, which are teeming with wildlife. The volcano i
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Monasterio de Carmen Alto
On one side of the Arco de la Reina stands the Monasterio de Carmen Alto . Inside this fully functioning convent, cloistered nuns stay busy producing some of Quito’s tastiest traditional sweets. Top picks include the limones desamargados (literally ‘de-soured lemons’), made by holl
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Darwin Lake
A dry landing deposits you at the beginning of a 2km-long trail that brings you past this postcard-perfect saltwater lagoon. It has twice the salinity of the ocean, and is a tuff cone, like a chimney from the main volcano. The trail leads to the lower lava slopes of Volcán Darwin (
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Museo Solar Inti Ñan
More interesting than the official complex a few hundred meters away, this amusing museum has meandering outdoor exhibits of astronomical geography and explanations of the importance of Ecuador’s geographical location. One of the highlights is the ‘solar chronometer,’ a unique inst
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Mirador de Guápulo
If you follow Avenida 12 de Octubre up the hill from the Mariscal, you’ll reach the Hotel Quito at the top. Behind the hotel, stairs lead steeply down the other side of the hill to the historic neighborhood of Guápulo. The views from the lookout platform are magnificent. On a clear
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Monastery of San Diego
Northwest of El Panecillo, this beautiful 17th-century monastery sits in a quiet courtyard behind thick walls above the Old Town. Inside, you’ll find outstanding colonial works from both the Quito and Cusco schools, including one of Quito’s finest pulpits, carved by the notable ind
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