One of the newest and biggest of attractions of Quito is the Teleferico. The cable car takes visitors up to the top of Volcano Pichincha - the huge volcano overlooking Quito. From the giddy 4000m above sea level, you can see the whole of the city stretching out in the valley below. On a clear day the region's other volcanoes - including the mighty Cotopaxi - are also visible. The ride up to the top and back costs between $3 - $7, depending if you want a fast-track ticket to jump the queues. At the top of the mountain there are cafes, restaurants and tourist shops. There are also walking trails towards the volcano's crater, but it's a tough hike if you're not used to the altitude. At the bottom of the cable car there's an amusement park including a minature rollercoaster, dodgems and a go-karting track. El Vulkano nightclub features techno events and is open til late.

 

Parque La Alameda marks the beginning of the new town. At its southern end stands a dashing statue of Simon Bolivar. In the middle of the park stands the Quito Observatory, the oldest on the continent and still in use. Visit on Saturday mornings. On Juan Montalvo, by the park, the Palacio Legislativo is where elected representatives debate national issues and where ex-President Abdala Bucaram barricaded himself in, in an unsuccessful bid to hold on to power in 1997.

Just beyond the government building is Parque El Ejido. It's a good spot to take a break, maybe have an ice-cream or a hot sweet potato and watch a game of football or volleyball. This is a popular place for Quitenos, especially at weekends when an open-air art market descends on the northern end of the park. It's also a transition point from the old to the new town. From here traffic and pedestrians flow down the wide Avenida Rio Amazonas, lined with sidewalk cafes, modern shopping malls, luxury hotels and travel agents.

Don't miss the Casa de la Cultura museum complex, housed in its striking circular building, largely made of glass. It's next to Parque El Ejido on the corner of Avenida Patria and 12 de Octubre. As part of the complex the Museo Nacional del Banco Central del Ecuador is a great place to start understanding Ecuador's culture. It offers a wide cultural and artistic perspective on Ecuador's history. Exhibits include an extraordinary ceremonial gold mask and the Sala de Arqueologia that displays well-presented artifacts from the pre-ceramic era [4000 BC] to the end of the Inca era [1533 AD]. Techniques for working gold and platinum were astoundingly advanced for their times. Also fascinating is the uncanny similarity of some of the museum's objects to those found in Asia, in particular Japanese objects.   This leads to speculation that in ancient times there were links between the cultures across the Pacific Ocean. As for Incan gold itself, in the Sala de Oro, nobody can fail to be impressed by the beauty and sheer weight of the body adornments. Further sections on colonial, Republican and contemporary art give a quite different perspective on Ecuadorean culture, as do the separate Casa de la Cultura museums of musical instruments, Ecuadorean art [particularly Eduardo Kingman's indigenismo canvases] and traditional dress from indigenous cultures. Opening hours at the Museo Nacional del Banco Central del Ecuador are Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 5pm; Saturday - Sunday: 10am to 3pm. The Casa de la Cultura is open Tuesday - Friday 10am to 6pm; Saturday -Sunday, 10am to 3pm. The cultural complex also has a movie theatre and a concert hall.

More masters of the Quito School are exhibited in an excellent little museum attached to the Catholic University on 12  de Octubre, opposite Calle J. Carrion, a short walk northeast from the park. The main focus of Museo de Jacinto Jijon y Caamano, extension 128 or 242, is the archaeological collection bequeathed by the estate of the renowned eponymous Ecuadorean archaeologist. It is open weekdays 9am to 4pm.

Back south of the Casa de la Cultura, you'll find the the Museo del Instituto Geografico Militar, which includes a geographical museum and a planetarium with shows several times a day. The Ecuadorean military make excellent and detailed country maps for sale at the institute (open Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm). The institute is on top of a hill at the end of Paz and Mino southeast of Parque El Ejido. Take a taxi or hike up the hill and don't forget to bring your passport which you have to leave at the gate. Entrance to the museum is free, but there is a small charge for the planetarium.

The other museum not to be missed in the new town is the outstanding Museo Guayasamin, Jose Bosmediano 543, Bellavista, a cultural multiplex covering pre--Columbian, colonial and contemporary art but on a smaller and more personal scale than the Banco Central or Casa de la Cultura. The best of the museum is the powerful, harrowing paintings of the internationally-known artist, Oswaldo Guayasamin, while the pre-Columbian and colonial sections belonged to his private collection. The museum is housed in a private compound in the exclusive Bellavista area of the city, and the pretty garden is embellished with Guayasamin's bronze sculptures. High-quality prints, posters and jewellery are for sale. It is open 9:30am to 1pm and 3pm to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, and 9:30am to 1pm on Saturdays. To get there, either walk, take a taxi, or take the a Bellavista-bound bus from the junction of 6 de Diciembre and Eloy Alfaro .

While up in the hills, you could consider combining Guayasamin with one of Quito's churches. It stands in the old village of Guapulo, right on the edge of the city looking down over Los Chillos valley. Peace and tranquility pervade the seventeenth century Santuario de Guapulo with its beautiful paintings and sculpture, and a superb carved pulpit. Open 8 to 11am and 3 to 6pm. From this church Francisco de Orellana set off on the expedition which eventually took him down the Amazon river and across the South American continent to the Atlantic, making him the first to complete such an odyssey. From here you get a sense of the scale of the “earthly paradise” of South America, as Christopher Columbus put it, “which no one can enter except by God's leave.” A statue of Orellana stands far above the church, on Larrea at the end of Gonzalez Suarez. Ask to be dropped off here, and walk down the winding cobbled streets to the sanctuary.

Another unusual institute in the new town, which appeals to those who love reptiles, is the Vivarium Z  (Tel. 02 210863 or 230988). It's in the heart of the Mariscal tourist area on Reina Victoria 1576 and Santa Maria, and provides a living showcase of many of the species found in Ecuador. These include deadly fer-de-lances and anacondas as well as iguanas, turtles and tortoises [a vivarium is an artificial enclosure for keeping or raising living animals]. The slinky beauties welcome visitors every day except Mondays but take a rest at lunch time. Call in advance to check opening times.

The best natural history museum in Ecuador, but sadly not equal to the splendor of the country's wildlife, is the Museo de Ciencias Naturales on the east side of Parque La Carolina on Rumipamba 341 and Los Shyris. It is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm and weekend mornings.

Unfortunately, Indian tribes from the Amazon aren't well-represented in Quito 's museums. The Museo Amazonica, 12 de Octubre 1430 and Wilson, has a small but interesting collection of artifacts, weapons, costumes, photographs, videos and books on Indian cultures. It is open mornings and afternoons from Monday to Friday, but closed at lunchtime. The collection is housed within the Abya-Yala building, which includes an unsurpassed bookshop on indigenous issues [mainly in Spanish]. The museum of the Fundacion Sincha Sacha, a non-profit organisation supporting Amazonian cultures on Reina Victoria 1780 and La Nina has ethnographic artifacts, information on the peoples of the rainforest and a gift shop. It is open all day from Monday to Friday, the gift shop from 10am to 6pm Saturday.

Last updated 24th July 2006

 

|Article contributed by Dominic Hamilton|||