Ecuador – Quito

by Kerry · 3 December 2025

Two days in the capital of Ecuador while travelling the globe in our gap year.

We got the overnight bus again from Manta to Quito, arriving at 7am and were met by a taxi driver – all organised by the incredibly kind and helpful Diana and Santiago from Villa Kite in Santa Marionita.

Quito is a colourful city in a multitude of ways.

with brightly painted colonial architecture

and a growing street art scene,

to the indigenous street sellers, with an abundance of avocados, cherries, apples and mangos. There are street sellers on virtually every pavement in the centre. Sometimes standing outside other shops, and ready to move in a hurry.

Everywhere you look there is a higher visual layer of interest provided by a cathedral and an enormous angel statue and, of course, the surrounding Andes mountains.

The Plaza Grande in the historic centre was just 10 minutes walk from our hotel.

Everywhere seems to have an umbrella street now… But I absolutely loved this shoemaker/mender’s shop. He was using this machine when we first passed by, so I went back to take this photo when he wasnt.

Quito is 2,850m above sea level, making it the 2nd highest city in the world, after

We had booked a city walking tour for the afternoon and spent an hour waiting for the guide with the yellow umbrella who didnt appear. So we looked around the Basilica del Voto Nacional instead.

This happens to be the largest neo-gothic church in the Americas, and is unusual in that the gargoyles take the form of animals found in Ecuador, including iguanas, tortoises, armadillos and condors.

Inside there is one long central nave with two smaller adjoining naves, with a dome and stained glass windows. 24 small chapels also surround the central knave, each dedicated to a province of Ecuador – so it is huge.

I have to admit that I’ve always liked the way sunlight shines beautiful colours through stained glass onto walls, and often thought I would like to utilise this in my own home in some small way.

The basilica is not officially complete even after all this time, mainly because local legend states that the world will end once the building work finishes.

We had booked a whole day tour for our 2nd day in Quito. First stop was the Pululahua volcano crater, which is inhabited and farmed, and is now a protected natural reserve.

The weather was not kind to us on this morning.

2nd stop was the Intinan Equater Museum where we learned about chocolate growing and making, the native tribes of Ecuador, burial caves, and how to make a shrunken head…

Some very shiny and large gourd pots found in a burial chamber.

It also houses the site of the scientific equater line.

There are some fun activities to try such as walking the equator line with your eyes closed – surprisingly difficult.

and trying to balance an egg on the head of a nail, which we both managed quite easily.

Officially on the middle line of the earth.

The Mitad del Mundo monument marking the divide between the northern and southern hemispheres.

After a quick sandwich in the car for lunch our 3rd stop was a trip up in the TeleferiQo Cable Car.

When we got in we didnt realise how high it was going. It got really foggy as we went through the cloud.

but then we came out the other side of the cloud and it just kept going – up to 4,050m above sea level…

Amazing views of the sprawling city below.

Then we spotted a sign for a swing further up…

More street art

Last stop of the day was to the Virgen del Panecillo, which is made of aluminium and is located on top of panecillo hill.

The statue represents the “Woman of the Apocalypse” from the Book of Revelation, with features like wings, a crown of 12 stars, and a globe with a serpent under her feet.