Bookmark this:
About Us
- Hi from Chris, Susana, James
and Maria. We are an Anglo-Ecuadorean family, living in Bristol,
UK.
- My-Quito.com is a personal
description of places we know in Quito and Ecuador. We have been
regular visitors to Quito for a number or years and have many
good friends in the city. In 2004 we bought an apartment in in
the Gonzales Suarez area, overlooking the historic village of
Guapulo and thought it might be useful to describe some of our
favourite places in Ecuador for others wishing to visit this
fascinating country.
- This website is very much
a personal view, but hopefully if you are planning a visit to
Ecuador, you will find something useful here. Each page starts
with some notes based on our own experience, and then weblinks
that we have collected. We have not necessarily visited all the
places listed in the external websites, so you will have to form
you own view on these. Things do change and we welcome feedback
from others on the places we describe.
- You can navigate this site
by following the coloured subject headings at the top of each
page.
|
|
-
| My-Quito.com : a
visitors guide |
A guide to visiting Quito in Ecuador
and the Galapagos
- Ecuador is an extraordinary
destination, combining enormous biological diversity with a range
of very different landscapes. Quito, at nearly 10,000 feet altitude,
was designated the first UNESCO World Heritage City in 1978 in
recognition of its colonial architecture. The country has many
of the worlds highest volcanos, including Cotopaxi, alledgedly
the worlds highest active volcano at 5897m, and presents wonderful
opportunities for climbing, trekking, horse riding and white
water rafting.
- The Galapagos islands were inspiration
for Darwin's "Origin of the Species" and as another
World Heritage site present an opportunity to observe giant tortoises
and many other endangered species at close quarters. On the tropical
Pacific coast you can enjoy tropical beaches and go whale watching,
while on the other side of the country in the Amazon rainforest
you will discover the biggest bio diversity to be experienced
in a small area of the world. In fact Ecuador possesses some
1640 species of birds (double Europe or North America), 4500
species of butterflies, 345 species of reptile, 258 species of
mammal and 358 species of amphibian (15% of the worlds total)
.
- You can also visit the world's
most famous Indian market at Otavalo, stay at beautiful haciendas
or eco lodges in the cloud forest and eat out in top class restaurants
in Quito at reasonable prices.
- All this in a country the size
of Nevada.
- I hope that you find something
of interest in our account, and enjoy our photos. Should you
decide to visit the country, our own apartment
in Quito is available to rent for short visits.
Site Map:
- Index -home page and contents list.
- Useful
information
-everything from geography to health issues.
- Image
Bank -our
own library of photos of scenes in Ecuador -Quito, Otavalo, Cuenca,
Galapagos, Manabi.
- Ecuador
books -further
reading on travelling in Ecuador.
- Galapagos
books -dvds
and books about the island and its wildlife.
- Contact -getting in touch with us.
Copyright and Privacy Policy.
-
- Apartment -details about renting our Quito apartment.
- Guapulo -the surrounding area around the apartment
-Guapulo and Gonzales Suarez.
- Practical
matters -general information
about the apartment.
- Inventory -furniture and equipment.
- Picture
gallery -some pictures
of the apartment and Guapulo.
- Bookings -online booking form and rental calendar.
- Contact -get in touch with us. Also has a notice
about copyright and our privacy policy.
-
- Travel -getting to Ecuador and travelling
around in the country
- Flights -airlines serving Ecuador and the Galapagos.
- Car
hire -hire companies
in Quito plus general tips on driving in Ecuador.
- Buses -travelling around on public transport.
- Trains -the fantastic old steam railways of
Ecuador -the most difficult railway in the world.
- Yachts
and Cruises -yachts and
cruise ships serving the Galapagos Islands.
-
- Sightseeing
In Quito - colonial architecture, parks, churches
museums & galleries.
- Local
Trips -day trips or weekends
to Otavalo, Mitad del Mundo, Pululahua, Pasachoa, Cotopaxi, Papallacta
and Mindo.
- Northern
Andes -Baños and
Ambato -national parks and great volcanos -Tunguruahua, Sangay,
Chimborazo.
- Baños -in 2006 we went back to the beautiful
spa town -known as the gateway to the jungle, the town is overshadowed
by the active volcano Tungurahua.
- Southern
Andes -the
provinces of Canar, Azuay and Loja -cloud forest, Inca ruins
at Ingapirca, the valley of Longetivity at Vilcabamba and the
city of Cuenca.
- Cuenca -from our 2005 trip -Ecuador's
other world heritage city -beautiful colonial architecture, arts
and handicrafts.
- Oriente -the amazonian provinces in the east
-vast areas of sparsely populated, largely unspoilt rainforest.
- Pacific
Coast -the coastal lowlands
-beaches, sea food, whale watching and parties -Esmeraldas, Manabi,
Guayas and El Oro.
- Manabi -Manta, the Ruta del Sol and Machalilla
National Park
- Galapagos -the enchanted isles -inspiration to
Darwin and perhaps the greatest living museum of evolution -iguanas,
tortoises, turtles, sea lions, whales, frigate birds, boobies
and albatross.
-
- Activities -there are a huge range of things to
do in Ecuador.
- Trekking -walks in the high andes.
- Biking -get around by bicycle or mountain bike
down Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and the other volcanoes.
- Climbing -mountain climbing in the great volcanoes
of the Ecuadorean Andes.
- White
water rafting -rafting,
canoeing and kayaking in the mountain and jungle rivers.
- Scuba
diving -sub aqua possibilities
on the coast and the Galapagos Islands.
- Eco
tourism -volunteer and
gap year opportunities; consevation projects.
- Birdwatching -Ecuador
is described as a birdwatchers paradise with great opportunities
in the jungle, cloud forest and the Galapagos Islands.
- Whalewatching -watching
humpback and other whales on the mainlaind or Galapagagos
- Learn
spanish -improve your
Spanish in Quito or Cuenca.
- Tour
Operators -tour organisers
specialising in Ecuador and the Galapagos.
-
- Accommodation -our guide to places to stay.
- Hotels -for those looking for comfortable travel
Ecuador has a great range of hotels and hosteria -Quito,
Imbabura, Baños,
Riobamba, Cuenca,
Pacific Coast, Guayaquil
and Galapagos.
- Haciendas -the finest accommodation on the great
old estates of Ecuador.
- Hostels -for those on a budget, there is plenty
of cut price accomodation too -listings of hostels in Quito,
Otavalo, Baños, Mindo, Cuenca, the Oriente, Pacific Coast,
Guayaquil and Galapagos.
- Lodges -off the beaten track in the mountains
and the jungle there are plenty of lodges to stay in.
- Quito
apartments -for a longer
stay, our listing of apart hotels and short stay apartments in
Quito and Ecuador.
- Yachts
& Cruises -listing
of yachts and cruise boats plying the Galapagos islands.
-
- Restaurants
and Shops -places
to eat out, bars, clubs and shops in Quito.
-
- See also BishKrew
on Tour for James' travels around the world, including volunteering
in Esmeraldas.
-
Bookmark this: digg
|  Stumbleupon |  del.icio.us
Search this site with Google:
|
|
- Quito Apartment
-
- Our Quito apartment is available
to rent on a short term basis for holiday lets -click on apartment for more details.
-
- The one-bedroom apartment
is well equipped and enjoys beautiful views over the historic
village of Guapulo in the north of Quito.
-
- Latest news:
- Now with wifi internet access.
-
- See the Bookings
Calendar for availability and prices.
-
- Visitors review:
- "My wife and I have just
returned to Canada from a wonderful visit with great friends
in Quito. They rented for us this fabulous apartment. Very comfortable.
Incredible views. The apartment itself is well equipped, very
spacious yet cozy, quiet, secure. Safe neighbourhood. We miss
Jose who watched over the building and helped us flag taxis and
carry luggage. We wanted to take him home with us.
Thank you,"
JU and CP
|
- Ecuador
Volcanoes
 Ecuador has many of the worlds highest
active volcanoes. In Feb 2008 the Volcano Tungurahua (above)
entered a new and more violent eruption, throwing out pyroclastic
flows and emitting a column of ash. If you are planning to travel
in the Baños area, you may wish to check on the latest
status -up to date information can be obtained from the
- Instituto Geofisico
-
- The Reventador also entered
a period of eruption in late March 07, but is not seen likely
to impact on Quito -Reventador lies in the jungle to the east
of Quito and when it erupted in 2002, the city was showered with
ash.
|
|