There are three
Ministerio
de Turismo
tourism offices
in Quito, email
ecuainfo@interactive.net
[
authorised].
The
main
office
[+593
2 224972 or
507559],
Avenida Eloy
Alfaro 1214
and Carlos Tovar
is open from
8:30am to 5pm,
Monday to Friday,
with a break
for lunch. Similar
hours apply
for the office
in the
old
town
[+593
2 514044],
on Venezuela
and Chile, but
the
airport
office
[+593
2 246232],
is open from
7am to 7pm.
Hotel reservations
can be made
from the offices
in the old town
and at the airport.
The
Ministerio
del Ambiente
[+593
2 548924],
is in the monolithic
building at
the corner of
Eloy Alfaro
and Amazonas.
It's pretty
hard to get
some sense from
anyone there,
but someone
in the building
will eventually
be able to sell
you books, leaflets
and CD-ROMs
about Ecuador's
national parks
and natural
wonders. Good
Spanish helps!
Topographical maps of Ecuador are available from the
Instituto Geografico Militar [
IGM], Venezuela 573 and Sucre [
by the Casa Museo de Sucre, old town] or Senierges and Paz y Mino [
above Parque El Ejido] email
igm@mil.ec.
Places
to avoid
As in all
big cities
pickpockets
proliferate
in parks,
crowded market
areas of the
south and
bus stations,
especially
at night.
The main tourist
area is the
Mariscal
district.
The main streets
around Calama
and Juan Leon
Mera are fairly
safe as they're
full of people,
but don't
wander down
nearby dark
streets on
your own -
mugging and
bag theft
are common.
The Policia
de Turismo
is on Reina
Victoria and
Roca but is
ineffective
for pickpockets.
If you're
in the historical
centre and
want to visit
the winged
angel monument
on top of
the Panecillo
always take
a taxi as
it's not safe
to walk.
Last
updated 21st
July 2006
| |Article contributed by Dominic Hamilton||| |
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