1 month from north to south, between February and March 2011.
Route:
- Border Bridge Rumichaca (Colombia) - Tulcán.
- Otavalo-Laguna-Laguna Cuicocha Mojanda / volcano-Peguche Fuya Fuya
- Quito-Pichincha-Pululahoa.
- Latacunga-Quilotoa-Chugchilan-Sigchos.
- Bathrooms.
- Alausí.
- Chimborazo / community Pulingui San Pablo.
- Cuenca-Gualaceo / Chordeleg / Sigsig-PN Cajas.
- Vilcabamba
- Border La Balsa - Zumba
Approximate total distance:
TULCAN
worth stopping in this city for its cemetery is a good call after (or before) to cross the border from Colombia.
- Hotel : In Sucre street in front of the clothing market. $ 14, wifi. The city hotels are more expensive because it is the border area.
- Food : many restaurants. Quimbolitos.
- Transportation :
- Rumichaca (border Colombia) - Tulcán: collective 2.500 pesos or $ 1.50.
- Tulcán-Otavalo: $ 4. Miscellaneous. 4 h.
- Tulcán taxi central terminal: $ 1.
- Views : cemetery, decorated with hedges. Free. Highly recommended.
- Landscape : almost3,000 m tall, cold weather.
OTAVALO
Is a popular tourist city, known for its Saturday market, so there are good hotels. There seems to be an agreement between the hotels for rates, so the difference is in quality and services. It's good to find out more and you can always negotiate, but they are quite hard to lower the price.
The market is well varied, but we liked the environment, there are some good hiking nearby.
- Hotel : Samay Inn. $ 10. Wi-Fi. Very carefully. Hernan, the owner, a painter. Give good information.
- Transportation :
- Otavalo-Quito: $ 2. Miscellaneous. Duration: 2.50 hours until Carcelén North Terminal.
- Otavalo-Cuicocha: bus Quiroga (0.40 $ - 30 min) + shared taxi (5 $ in total-30 min).
- Otavalo- lagunas Mojanda: taxi compartido 10 $- 1h.
- Otavalo-Peguche: $ 0.40 - 15 min.
- Food : Several restaurants and cafes. Market. Moving away from downtown restaurants are cheaper.
- Laundry : There are a couple, like fee.
- Views :
- Market Saturday. In the morning until 12.
- Laguna Cuicocha (3.000-3,300 m ) Around the crater, 3-4 hours walking. Spectacular. Under the Volcano Cotacachi (4,900 m ).
- Gaps Mojanda (3,800 m ) - Volcano Fuya Fuya (4270 m ): 2 h up hill.
- Peguche: waterfall. Workshop of musical instruments. 1 hour walk from Otavalo
- Park Condors (payment, enter free): San Juan overlooking Lake and Imbabura volcano (4,600 m ), 1 h walk from Otavalo.
- Landscape : Green, volcanoes, lagoons. Cold weather, height Otavalo2,600 m . Potato, corn. Indigenous. Health. Market. City well prepared for tourism. Tranquilo. Multiple excursions.
QUITO
We were surprised colonial hand, large, well maintained, clean and no tourism. It is not advisable to walk in certain streets after dark.
Although the guidelines recommend that tourists stay in the area known as "gringolandia" in the modern, when we passed there in the taxi and saw the environment, prefer to go to the colonial. The hotels are more basic but much cheaper. Is safe. Furthermore, it is close to La Ronda, a street-enabled tourism nightlife.
- Hotel :
- Transportation :
- Uubano: see www.trolebus.com.ec
- North Terminal Carcelén: connected Ecovía. Taxi $ 8 to the center.
- South Terminal Quitumbe: connected to Trolley.
- Price Ecovía / Trolley: $ 0.25. Good connections fromThe Marin (Center).
- Aerial Pichincha (4,100 m ): $ 9 foreign, national $ 4.
- Views :
- Museum-Capilla del Hombre Guayasamín: Barrio Bellavista Ecovía connected to +30 min walk. Closed Mondays. $ 5 entry each site, a joint $ 8 (approx prices).. We went to chapel only, free, special event as shooting.
- Volcán Pichincha. Mirador. Up top (4.600 m ), Road (we did the wrong time).
- Historical Center: Many churches charge admission, visit gartis during Masses. Government Palace: visit free. Mirador In Roll (note: theft).
- Round (Center): tourist street. Nightlife. Canelazo. Pie wind.
- Pululahua: crater cultivated. From Highway 30 minute walk. NearHalf World's very touristy, not enter. Bus from Terminal "Y "(30 min), connected to Ecovia (30 min).
- Landscape : 2,850 m high. The 4 seasons in one day. Hills and volcanoes.
LATACUNGA
This city is a good base for the tour Quilotoa. It is an ugly city, commercial and chaotic. Hotels near the market are the cheapest. Basic.
We left our backpacks in the hotel and carry only necessary for multi-day excursion Quilotoa and surrounding areas.
- Hotel : Flores. $ 10. Shared bathroom. Free luggage storage while Quilotoa.
- Food : restaurants. Market.
- Transportation :
- Quito-Latacunga: $ 1.50. A number from South Terminal Quitumbe. Duration 1h30.
- Latacunga-Pujilí: $ 1. Miscellaneous. Duration 30 min.
- Pujilí-Quilotoa: $ 3. Approx. 10AM. Duration 2h30. (Also a direct bus daily).
- Tours : Cotopaxi from $ 160 in low season.
The climb starts at 12 midnight for the summit at 6 am. We did not.
Loved this place. It is a lake in a crater of an ancient volcano. Wonderful view. Although tourism, tourists usually do not stay there. The place and hostels are run by Indians.
No need to hire a guide, is supposed to be signaling, but sometimes removed. Although we lost a bit, we reached our destination. Beautiful scenery and good hiking.
- Hotel : La Chosita. $ 8/person. Dinner + breakfast. Simple, familiar.
- Hiking :
- Around the crater: the way in height, well marked. 5 h approx. (Only did half to the summit, more than4,000 m ). Mists.
- Descend to the crater (did not). Horses.
- Quilotoa-Chugchilan: 5-6 h. Many roads. Ask. Toachi River Canyon. Very hilly.
- Recommendations : leave large luggage in Latacunga. Backpack with just enough. Take warm clothes. Very cold at night, so check that the hostel has a fireplace and plenty of blankets.
- Landscape :
- Spectacular. Color of the lagoon. Vistas. Indigenous. Height almost4,000 m . Frio.
- Pujilí: Saturday market.
Here are 3 flights, good jobs, not very cheap. Offer food, and there are no restaurants in town. We stayed in the cheapest, where we could get a discount.
Many people will then Isinlivi, but there is only 1 hostel (run by a Spanish) and takes what he wants. We prefer to go to Sigchos and change of scenery, we went on the moor, not recommended if you want to walk over the canyon.
- Hotel : Cloud Forest. $ 8/person. Dinner + breakfast (good food). Shared bathroom.
- Transportation :
- Bus Sigchos / Latacunga: very early, at dawn (not caught).
- Sigchos-Latacunga: last bus at 4pm. Duration 2h. Price $ 2.50.
- Hiking :
- Chugchilan-Sigchos: the moor. 6 h. Track. Ask.
- Chugchilan-Isinlivi-Sigchos: we did not. Approx. 4 h +2 h. Toachi down the canyon. Accommodation Isinlivi expensive (approx. $ 14 / pna).
- Landscape : crops. Cattle. Height3,800 m . Sigchos3,000 m
BAÑOS
It is one the most tourist places for Ecuadorians in the mountains. Very good hotel infrastructure. As always in Ecuador, difficult to negotiate prices, but as it was low season we got a good price ... until it was a holiday weekend and we had to leave because the price is multipliplied by four. We rented bicycle for the tour of the waterfalls. The trouble is that the route is mostly on the road and is not pleasant, there are only few stretches of bike lanes. In addition, access to the waterfalls charges. We did not like much. For the return, which is all uphill, pay transportation (including bike).
- Hotel : Valverde's. $ 8. New. Wi-Fi. Kitchen. Laundry.
- Food : many restaurants. Very touristy.
- Transportation :
- Latacunga-Ambato: $ 1. Miscellaneous. Duration: 1 hour
- Ambato-Baños: $ 1. Miscellaneous. Duration: 1 hour
- Visits, walks :
- Mirador Volcano Tungurahua5020 m (Tree house, 2,600 m ): Walking, climbing to the viewpoint of Virgin (30 min) and from there the steep road (1.30). Down Bellavista (2 h), road and shortcuts to view over Bath and descending path.
- Road to Puyo, path of the shell just outside a main road sections with traffic. Falls approx.16 km . Cable car. Access payment Pailón del Diablo waterfall: $ 1. Bike rental: $ 4 / day. Also in goats or rental of boogie.
- Adventure sports: Canopy (15 $), jumping, etc.. Many companies. We do not hire.
- Springs: PoolVirgin and others. Small installations. $ 4. We did not go.
- Landscape : a1,800 m tall, warm climate. Fruit trees, crops. Tourism. Big choice.
ALAUSI
Its attraction is the train that have been recovered for tourism. Not supposed to stop walking the track, but we did and we liked it. Good hiking and beautiful scenery. Alone all the way, we just came across some natives.
- Hotel : Pan. $ 10 with shared bath (Carnival).
- Transportation :
- Riobamba-Alausí: $ 2. Miscellaneous. Duration: 2 hours.
- Views :
- Train Sibambe Alausí-i + v $ 20. To save, take the rail car ($ 6.50), the via is the same. Monday does not work. Several a day (8am, 11am, 2:00 p.m.). Not caught.
- Walk: following the railroad and then in height. In t otal are about 5 h i + v. . Ask. Quite a few crops.
CHIMBORAZO
The highest volcano in Ecuador. Spectacular scenery. The most popular accommodation is the Condor House, managed by Indians. At the front there is another community that also offers accommodation for the same price but more basic. We must carry the food (no kitchen) because there is no restaurant or sold.
There is another hotel nearby, expensive and subject only.
- Hotel : Casa Condor. $ 8/person. Bunk beds, common. Shared bathroom. Kind mountain retreat. No food. Use of kitchen, but no sale of food. Solitaire.
- Transportation :
- Ambato-Guaranda (views Carihuarazo), getting off at junction towards Riobamba Chimborazo crta approx.4,000 m high. Several buses. $ 2. Duration 1h30.
- Cross-Casa Condor: hitchhike or bus passes. 30 min.
- Condor House-Riobamba: $ 1.50. Miscellaneous. Duration: 1 hour
- Hiking : provide a map with routes. More or less marked paths. Times indicated.
- Recommendation : No food. Bring food. It is very cold, so you have to bring warm clothing. No need to pay entrance to the PN Chimborazo. Only those who want to pay go to the shelter to make the ascent of Chimborazo (6,310 m ). Climate is changing.
- Landscape : Height: approx.4,000 m . cold. Climate is changing. Mountain highlands. Llamas, vicuna. Indigenous communities. Isolated.
CUENCA
The city is very nice. It's famous face. Good hotels but at high prices. We stayed in the cheapest.
Advisable to go to the National Park of Cajas, we liked, spectacular scenery.
- Hotel : Perla Cuencana. $ 10. Shared bathroom. Wi-Fi. Kitchen. Laundry.
- Transportation :
- Riobamba-Cuenca: $ 8. Rarely a day. Duration: 5 hours
- Cuenca-PN Boxes: take bus to Guayaquil. $ 2. Duration: 1 hour
- Cuenca-Gualaceo-Chordeleg-Sigsig: several. Duration: 2 h to Sigsig.
- Views :
- Centre colonial plazas, churches. Rio. Panama Hat Factory in Long Street (free). Folk Art Museum (free). Museum of Modern Art (free).
- Small villages, without much interest, at the architectural level. Gualaceo: market. Chordeleg jewels. Sigsig: hats.
- PN Boxes: $ 2 entry. Delivery route guidance. Very complete. Times given erroneous. Route 1 gaps: 2 h, Route 2 Cerro San Luis: 2h30. Lagunas. Spectacular. Cold weather.
- Landscape : tourist town, great, 3 rd in the country. Cool climate, high2,500 m .
VILCABAMBA
We do not understand the fame of this place. They have become known as the Valley of Longevity. Too many tourists. The place is okay but nothing spectacular. For many hippies (especially Argentina) is a good place to stop because in the Parador is possible to camp for only $ 1 / person.
- Hotel: Parador Turistico. $ 10. Use of kitchen. Swimming pool. Camping possibility for 1 / pna. It is the cheapest.
- Transportation :
- Cuenca-Loja infrequently. $ 7.5. Duration: 4 h.
- Loja-Vilcabamba: several. $ 1.50. 1 h.
- Food : restaurants.
- Views :
- Cerro Mandango: panoramic view. 2h30 walking up. The beginning of the road is not too obvious, you have to jump a fence, so best to ask to find it is easier as bushes.
- Cascada Yamburara: follow the road. Far from Vilcabamba (over 1 h from Yamburara cottages to cabins and 1 hour walking). We did not. Ability to taxi to cabins.
- Well Water: no interest. 1 hour walk. A woman charged access.
- Landscape : green, coffee crops, fruit trees. Height1,800 m , Temperate climate. "Valley of Longevity." Alternative route to enter Peru.
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