Ecuador - Quito Excursion

Quito

Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. It is a big city to explore with 32 different sections such as the Old Town, the New Town, Mariscal Sucre, etc. I visited the Old Town, which is a colonial section full of ancient architectures. 

Quito from hostel Secret Garden's terrace

Quito Old Town map

There are many tours going out of Quito to the nearby attractions. There are also long-distance buses going to other cities such as Banos, Guayaquil, Cuenca, etc. If you only have a couple days at Quito. I would recommend taking a very informative Quito Old Town free walking tour and take a one-day excursion to Quilotoa or Cotopaxi.   

Quito Old Town free walking tour

I'm aware of two gathering points which offer free walking tour around the Old Town section. One is at hostel Secret Garden. Another one is at Community Hostel. I joined the one hosted by the in-house tour company, Carpedm, at Secret Garden. Signing up in advance is recommended so that they can better manage the number of people in a group. The walking tour was not only a good introduction to Quito, it was also a relax way to explore the city. This was especially good for the first day after arrival while you adjusting to the altitude. 

Walking through local streets

The guides provided details about the city, the history, the people, and the culture. We walked through local streets to one of the most famous church, La Basilica, then to the Plaza Grande, then to the top of a building overlooking the city and the presidential residence, then to the inside of a cathedral that was full of gold, then we walked to the south end of the Old Town called Calle La Ronda to taste and learn about Ecuador chocolate and the production of cocoa. We went uphill and downhill throughout the city and tried some unique Ecuadorian snacks. We ended the tour at Mercado Central to enjoy our local dish in a supermarket food court. It was surprising to me that a free tour can take up to 4 hours long.  

Visiting La Basilica

Quiet and pretty Calle La Ronda

Learning about Ecuadorian cocoa

Meeting time and location:
10:30am every Mondays to Fridays in front of hostel Secret Garden 

Cost:
0 USD

Tips and Suggestions:

• Wear or bring a rain jacket. Umbrella is not ideal because there are a lot of people on the streets
• Watch the traffic. The drivers do see you cross the streets, but they probably won't slow down to wait for you unless they are on a red light
• Carry as little as possible and have your belongings close to your body
• Bring cash in small dollar bills

Have lunch at Mercado Central for a real local experience

One-Day Tour to Quilotoa / Saquilili with Carpedm

Another very well worth tour to join during your stay at Quito. The tour was offered by Carpedm. It started at 6:30 in the morning and ended around 7 in the evening. We waited in front of the hostel Secret Garden and a bus came by to pick us up. We drove off and headed south of Quito. Along the way was beautiful views of Quito and its surrounding mountains. Soon enough you could see the amazing active volcano, Cotopaxi, in the background. We stopped at a restaurant near the town Latacunga to have our breakfast. 

The first place to explore on the tour was the Saquisili market. It is a traditional market only opens on Thursdays. This was a great way to experience the local culture. There are two separate sections of the Saquisili market. It's a short ride from one to another. The first section we visited was a large live market. If you are from a western country, it's probably eye-opening to see a market as large as a shopping mall's parking lot full of pigs, sheep, cows, llamas, alpacas, and other animals.

Entrance to Saquisili Market

Alpaca

Locals visiting the live market

So how do you shop here? The locals all carried some big polyester bags with them. They examined the animals closely and agreed on a price, then simply dropped the smaller animals into the polyester bags to take home. If you are an animal advocate, you probably won't feel so comfortable watching the way they handle the animals. However, I would suggest keeping an open mind. This is how the locals live and tourists should respect them, not judging them by the western standards. It was also interesting to learn that an alpaca can cost 400 USD while its cousin, llamas, only cost 80 USD. Why? The soft fur of alpaca can be made into high quality sweaters.    

Another side of Saquisili Market

We then visited the other section of the market. It's more of a variety than the first live market. This market had the smaller live animals such as chickens, pigeons, guinea pigs, and pets like kitties and puppies. You would also see vendors selling vegetables and fruits. Similar to the first live market, the locals will bring their big polyester bags and walk through the crowded market, spot the animals or fruits, or vegetables they want, negotiate a price, then put them into the polyester bags. What an interesting way to do grocery shopping! Another interesting fact I learned was that the locals in Andes mountains raise animals for sale and grow vegetables for sale, however, the mountains are not the right environment to grow fruits. So where do the fruits in the market come from? The fruits come from the lower grounds and some even by the coast. The Thursday Saquisili market is where people gather and bring their local produces to exchange.

Vendor selling not just animals but also fruits

The next part of journey is getting to the highlight of the tour, Quilotoa. It's another one-hour drive from the Saquisili market. On the way we visited a local family which they build their own little huts, raise guinea pigs themselves, and grow vegetables on the hills themselves. You would think that if you are constantly moving around, eating the food you grow, you should be fairly healthy and live long. However, that is not exactly true. Because of the environment, the locals often lack essential vitamins to sustain their body health. The average life expectancy is not much longer than 70s. 

Nice local family holding their local produces

Ecuador's rolling mountains

The scenery on the way was absolutely gorgeous. One interesting aspect is land management. I see the vast open land and wonder how real estate works in the Andes. Would it be possible to simply ask to purchase a piece of land in the mountains? The answer is no because the land either belongs to the locals where it is passed down from generations or it belongs to the government. On our way to Quilotoa, we also saw a few land slides. The maintenance of the hills is interesting as well. Based on the amount of rainfall during the wet season and the fact that there are no trees to hold the soils, you would think there should be some kind of protective walls to prevent landslides. However, there weren't any. My guess is although Ecuador has a wet season, the amount of rainfall each time is not too much. Therefore, the soil is still able to absorb the water and hold itself. 

Beautiful scenery

At last, we reached the famous Quilotoa. It is really high up in the mountains at 4000 meters high. It can get cloudy and weather can change at a blink of an eye. As you walk through the main entrance, right away there is that gorgeous huge crater lake present itself in front of you. The water is light green due to the alkaline minerals in the water. The lake itself is about 300 meters deep. 

Entrance to Laguna Quilotoa

Laguna Quilotoa

You have several options here. You can walk down to the lake, which takes about 30 to 40 minutes downhill. Or you can walk around the crater lake, which I heard it will take about 4 hours. Or you can just enjoy the view at the top. 

We decided the walk down to the lake. Although it was downhill, it was no easy job. The path was not paved and often with little gravels. It could get slippery at certain steep sections. The view along the way was beautiful though. As you walk, you will encounter some mules which you can hire at the bottom to get a ride up. Be aware that you are at 4000 meters high above sea level, so even downhill is difficult, you can imagine how much more challenging it would be to go uphill. If you take the mule ride, it will take about 40 minutes to come back up and cost you 10 USD.  

Taking a mule ride up

Finally arrive at the laguna. You can hire a kayak here

Beautiful green water

Itinerary - please check their website for recent updates

6:30 - Meet at meeting point and heading to breakfast at Latacunga
9:30 - Explore Saquisili market (Thursday)
10:30 - Depart for Laguna Quilotoa
11:30 - Visit the local family
13:00 - Descent to laguna
14:00 - At the laguna
14:30 - Begin climbing back up
15:30 - Lunch
16:00 - Drive back to Quito
18:30 - Arrival in Quito

Cost:
50 USD - Transportation / breakfast / lunch / English speaking tour guide included

Tips and Suggestions:

• This tour requires a minimum of 4 people and usually confirm a day or 2 before the tour day. However, Carpedm is really good at giving you a heads up when tour is confirmed to go
• Do be aware and careful about the altitude. If you have medical condition, talk to the tour guide ahead of time
• You can kayak for 5 USD at Quilotoa
• I found the passenger side (the same side as the bus door) is better for pictures
• It's better to join the tour on Thursdays. This way you will get to visit the traditional market as a part of the tour

Ecuadorian valleys