Ecuador travel
Tourist attractions in Ecuador
Explore the tourist attractions of Ecuador.
Nariz del Diablo (Devil's Nose) Train
The 13 km Alausí-Sibambe section of the Ecuadorian Railroad, tells its history by itself. The emotion overwhelms the visitor when he embarks on this railway adventure from the Alausí canton. It is like taking a trip back in time. The machine represents the backbone of the local economy. Craftsmen and street traders take advantage of the waiting time of national and foreign tourists to sell their products. It is also the opportunity to offer all the gastronomy of Chimborazo. A good picture is not missing. The time has come to board the train for a journey from 2800 meters above sea level to the depths of the Chanchan River valley, Simbambe station, at 1400 meters above sea level. Throughout the journey, the traveler feels vertigo because of the constant presence of the adjacent cliff. The legends that accompany the train, as told to the tourists, are part of its attraction. The story about how the zigzag was built is the most important of all. "The world's toughest train" was the name well earned for the work that 100 years ago cost the lives of 2,500 people, including the chief engineer, the American John Harman. In a few kilometers the railway descends 270 meters through the Devil's Nose, an imposing rock formation in the shape of a nose. The original name of the hill is "Condor Puñuña" or "Place where the condor sleeps". The arrival point, before the return to Alausí, is the Simbambe station. Cafeteria service, stories, traditional dances, folklore and handicrafts are waiting for the tourists. The Center of Interpretation and the Museum of the "most difficult train in the world" Cóndor Puñuna, has native guides of the Puruhuá nationality, who live in the Nizag community. They tell the stories of the train, its lifestyle and customs. Spectacular and unforgettable Andean landscapes, culture in its pure state, are waiting to delight the adventurous travelers. In 1895, President Eloy Alfaro, hired the Americans Archer Harman and Edward Morley, for the construction of the "most difficult railway in the world". The "Compañía de Ferrocarriles de Quito y Guayaquil" began the task in 1899. The railroad arrived in Alausí in 1902, to Riobamba in 1905. Finally to Quito in 1908. The parish of Pistishí, in Alausí, was named Parroquia La Nariz del Diablo on May 21, 1941.
233.97 Km.
Quilamo tourist viewpoint
It is a fascinating viewpoint that makes it easy to have a panoramic view of the city of Macas, the Upano Valley and part of the Palora Valley. The Mirador as the monument of the Purest Virgin of Macas is a great icon of the city, its location is conducive to people who like adventure, landscapes and nature, being ideal for hiking, hiking, observing the panoramic view of the river Upano and its large part of the extensive Upano valley with its beaches and all its flora, in addition to the Kutukú mountain range and towns near the city, in its surroundings it has a traditional Macas food restaurant service. Location Quilamo Viewpoint It is located at the end of the city, approximately 5.9 km from the city of Macas, near the Upano River. Recommendations to visit the Quilamo viewpoint Requirements for the visit Clothing suitable for hot humid weather, cycling equipment, swimwear, hat, rubber boots. Sun protection, repellent. Regulations Do not deviate from the path Do not throw garbage in the visited sites Do not collect plants and other specimens such as animals.
239.19 Km.
Municipal Museum of Macas
The area of the facilities is 100 m2. and is divided into 4 four rooms, in which it tells the history of the place. In the main room we can see evidence of the Upano culture, lithics such as axes, skinners, petrified shells, stones used in cooking, axes with handles and a bow. In the second room in this we find a model in the central part where the ceremonial site of Huapula is represented, which consists of the stylization of a jaguar with a man simulating a copula, around the walls we see photographs of the place. In the third room there is evidence of the Shuar culture, there is a tsantsa (shrunken head) symbolizes the prize when they killed their enemies, the same one that cut off his head and took out his skull, they put ash on it after a cooking process so that is reduced, there are also ceramic objects. In the fourth room we find photographs of macas and some outstanding people. Schedules Open from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
240.09 Km.
Cathedral of the Purisima of Macas
The Sanctuary is located in the central park of Macas - Morona Santiago. The first Sanctuary was not a great church, it was a cave carved into a mountain in 1591, it was adapted to serve as a dwelling for Mr. Juan de la Cruz. The sanctuary has a single nave and its front part is made up of three levels, in the center there is a white image of Christ and six meters high, one of its most important elements are the stained glass windows, made in Cali, Colombia , which allow visualizing the history of the city of Macas and the history of the Virgin. Festivities of the Purisima de Macas Which represent the history in the transformation of the Purisima de Macas, venerated by Catholics for two sworn holidays, that of August 5 is celebrated with walks and pilgrimages carried out by her faithful and that of February 18. How to get? It is located in the streets don bosco and bolívar Morona Santiago Schedule: From 08:00 a.m. to 08:00 p.m. every day.
240.10 Km.
Samikim Waterfall
The Samikim waterfall is a beautiful natural attraction that the Taisha canton has, on its way you will be able to observe the specific fauna and flora of the place. You can take a nice bath in its completely crystal clear waters, with a nice view to take pictures in it with the beautiful fall of 60 meters that the waterfall has. Location: 1 hour 20 minutes from the city of Macas, on the Ebenezer-Macuma-Taisha road, is the Samikim waterfall.
247.02 Km.
Tres Cruces (Three Crosses) Hill
The Tres Cruces Hill, in Cajas National Park, is many things at once. Viewpoint, continental water divide, crossroads. It is located at 38 kilometers from Cuenca, a city declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The trip by car to its summit takes 40 minutes on the paved road to Molleturo. Its Quichua name is Kimsa Cruz. The hill is at an altitude of 4,167 meters above sea level. It is an obligatory stop for national and foreign travelers. It has spectacular views to both East and West of the lagoons and moors of the Cajas National Park. Here photography and video are unavoidable activities. You have to be well prepared to withstand the wind and cold. For those visitors who want more adventure, they can reach a second viewpoint on Tres Cruces hill, after climbing 300 steps, above 4,200 meters above sea level. As a landmark, it is the water divide, between the Pacific and the Atlantic, closest to the Pacific Ocean in South America. From here you can also see the last remnants of Andean forest. As a crossroads, the recently built Cuenca-Molleturo cement road, the García Moreno road from the Republican era, and the ancestral Qhapaq Ñan (Camino Real Andino), declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014, all go up the Andes in Tres Cruces. Therefore, Tres Cruces is a historical place of contact between the Sierra and the Coast and of contact between sky and earth, in the south of Ecuador. One more characteristic makes Tres Cruces a very special place: its "apachita" which translates as "the one who helps to carry". In the place there are three marble crosses, they are his particular mark, which over the years have been buried by the stones accumulated (apachita) on them by travelers. This custom goes back to the ancient Andean walkers, who carried small stones to the most difficult mountain passes and left them there, as an offering so that the "apus" or hills would allow them to continue the journey. As a result of these offerings to the gods, three large stone mounds were formed. In an attempt at Christianization, the mounds were replaced by crosses. But it didn't work. On the contrary, the three crosses were merged with the "apachita", because the travelers gave continuity to the custom. For all these reasons, Tres Cruces is a mandatory stop when travelling to Cuenca from Guayaquil by land.
249.04 Km.
Culebrillas Lagoon
It is a sacred lagoon for the Cañari culture, located in a hole at the foot of the Yanahurco hill or "Cerro Negro", in the Province of Cañar. The river that feeds the lagoon has the shape of a path traced by the mythical Cañari snake. The landscape that surrounds the Culebrillas lagoon is made up of pine trees and a path full of grasslands, chuquiraguas, brooms and wild flowers. In the vicinity of the lagoon is the Inca Trail and the archaeological complex Tambo de Paredones This is a complex that presents archaeological, anthropological, ecological and landscape content. It is a mythical place where, according to religious tradition, the leoquina lives there, a progenitor snake of the Cañari ethnic group. In the surroundings there are several stone housing foundations that testify to the presence of the Cañari-Inca cultures. In addition to the recreation and relaxation offered by the landscape and its lagoons, visitors can practice sport fishing and for those who like hunting, wild ducks and Andean gulls abound. Location Culebrillas is located in the Juncal parish, in the adjoining paramos to the Azuay knot and approximately 40 kilometers from the Cañar Canton, entering through Altarurco, on the Durán-El Tambo road. Legends The Laguna de Culebrillas is a mythical site, because according to religious tradition, the leoquina lives there, a progenitor snake of the Cañari ethnic group. According to tradition, the Culebrillas lagoon was a sacred place of the Great Cañari Confederation, which at certain times of the year and in splendor ceremonies of the tribal heliolatric rite, threw symbolic pieces of gold and silver there. Due to this, several landowners of the place indicate the existence of stone steps in the western sector, that is, where the waters of the lagoon come out, to form the San Antonio River below.
253.57 Km.
Sucúa Botanical Park
This tourist attraction is made up of an environmental interpretation center; which consists of a sample of panels with messages of environmental awareness, and a sample of animal bones and skins with the purpose of making known the purpose of the species when they are hunted and how this contributes to the degradation of the biodiversity. This botanical park Offers You can take a walk on the Botanical Park Trail, whose length is 1,200 meters with a "Very Easy" level of difficulty. Along the way, tourists can recognize and spot birds and timber species until they reach the Bird Watching Tower: this tower is 14 meters high and has 4 floors, from where you can watch birds. In addition to these implementations, there is an Orchid Garden Location This tourist attraction is located 2.80 km from the city of Sucúa along the road to the community of Sera. Entrance cost: Nationals $1/pax. Foreigners $2/pax. Primary students $0.20/pax. Schedule: From Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
257.56 Km.
MANTA Shipyard
It is a very colorful place for all the people who pass through the avenue, you can see boats under construction and in this way observe a typical manifestation of the inhabitants of the coastal areas of Manabí. The quality of the product is good, most of the boats are owned by the same people who repair them, they are made by family groups. The Manta shipyard, in addition to being a place where countless artisanal boats are built, is now a tourist spot. Few shipowners come to ask for help from the cabinetmakers' naval services. Artisanal fishing boats must be given maintenance every two years and routine maintenance every 6 months, for example, the construction of a 60-ton boat lasts between 6 and 10 months after it is ready, a short time must be left for the wood to of the boat to dry. In the shipyard there are approximately nine positions for the elaboration of artisanal fishing boats and more or less 15 workers are employed for this task. Location It is located on the Tarqui beach, on the Port-Airport road. Manta Shipyard The highlights of the Manta Shipyard Parque del Marisco: Located at the foot of the urban beach of Tarqui, it is a set of restaurants built and decorated in a rustic style. Here the visitor will enjoy a very fresh and pleasant atmosphere, and will be able to please the palate with the best coastal food in Manabí, prepared with fresh seafood. The ceviches, casseroles, viches, seafood soups and the delicious "camotillo" (whole fried fish) are traditional. A few minutes away, between the Tarqui beach and the Esteros beach, are the Seafood Market and the Shipyard, where you can see the traditional way of building fishing boats. The Monument to the Fisherman: It is the main link of the Puerto-Airport road, it has always been the strategic point of arrival of the fishing fibers of the artisanal fishermen, from this beach you can see the main view of the Port of Manta.
258.41 Km.
Grandfather Petroglyphs
The El Abuelo archaeological complex owes its name to its owner, Mr. Morocho, and is part of an important Ecotourism project. These petroglyphs are ancient representations engraved on the surface of a rock, they allow us to have a clearer vision of the culture that inhabited these sectors. According to investigations, it could be mentioned that these archaeological remains from the synchronic point of view belong approximately to the Upano phase 1100 a. C. to 1120 a. C. end of the early formative period, ceramics with geometric designs, zonal red decoration, from the diachronic point of view the petroglyphs date back 2500 years, it is assumed that at least part of the area currently inhabited by the Shuar was populated by potter tribes and possibly horticultural. Location: It is located in the Sucúa parish, in the South neighborhood, about 800 m away, on the left side of the road that leads from Sucúa to Huambinimi. attractions Petroglyphs: On a stone where a series of anthropomorphic figures can be seen; There are various representations of human faces drawn indistinctly on the stones, measuring 0.6 m long and 0.4 m wide, zoomorphic figures, coiled snakes measuring 0.5 m long and 0.33 m wide, monkeys and a large frog with its head crowned like a sun. The sacrificial stone: The sacrificial stone owes its name to the use that is presumed to have been given to the great stone, due to the peculiar characteristics it presents. The stone measures 2 meters long, 1.58 m wide and 0.70 m high. On its upper face you can see holes similar to grinding stones, but unlike these there are several holes, a very pronounced central one in which the victim sat; two lower ones in which the feet were located and an upper one in which the head was placed.
258.81 Km.
Monkey Stone
Zoomorphic figures are engraved on the stone of the Monkey, the stone has the following dimensions: 4 meters high by 9 meters long and 5 meters wide, the figures are drawn on the upper part of the stone, 15 figures of different size, dimensions vary between 35 to 15 cm long and 22 to 10 cm wide, six figures are deeply engraved and have a long mono tail. In the Santa Teresita sector, the Tutanangoza river forms a beautiful backwater, the river is not that big or dangerous, it forms a small arm that goes to the Mono stone, the water arm irrigates the stone forming an island, the river it has a width of approximately 12 m. The stone is on one side of the river 3 m from the shore, to access to observe the figures you must swim across the stone and with some difficulty you can climb it especially when the river does not have much water. On the surface of the stone you can see many hieroglyphs in the form of monkeys and human bodies. Location It is located in the Asunción parish of the Sucúa canton, in the Tutanangoza river beach sector of the Santa Teresita community, 7 kilometers from the Sucúa parish. Legend Many locals believe that this stone was brought from space by green aliens, similar to these monkeys drawn on the surface. They could bring large rocks in their small ships, or also move from one place to another despite their small machines, because in space there is no gravity, they can rise or fall without problem. But to enter the earth they invented a device that counteracts this phenomenon. In a distant star fifty extraterrestrials carved and fifty painted it, among the hundred who built it they came from a distance to leave it on earth, they looked for a beautiful place, where many people come to visit and they chose precisely the sector where one day Sucúa would be located. This happened millions of years ago so the paintings were erased, but the carving remains intact until today. This belief has allowed many people to come and visit this stone since it has a lot of scientific, archaeological and tourist interest.
258.83 Km.
Tuntiak Nunkeé Ecological Conservation
Ecological Conservation Tuntiak Nunkee is a reserve located in the Amazon Region in the Ecuadorian jungle, where we welcome visitors to learn about our Shuar culture and the beauty of nature embodied through its fauna and flora. The adventure begins in the central park of the city of Sucúa; called the "Paradise of the Amazon", then we have a car tour on the banks of the Tutanangoza River giving it that freshness and beauty of the existing landscapes. After a short walk we will arrive at the Reserve. here you can have varied experiences predominating flora and fauna of the area, Shuar customs and gastronomy. Enjoy a delicious ayampaco, which is the typical food, Shuar accompanied by handicrafts, stories and Shuar songs exposed by an old Shuar woman full of ancestral knowledge. And finally we will visit the waterfall in which the rituals and cleaning of her body are performed with the shaman of the reserve. Reserve location: Located in Morona Santiago Canton Sucua Asuncion Parish, 20 minutes walk from the road to Santa Teresita. ACTIVITIES sale of handicrafts Shuar gastronomy traditional lodging Shuar rituals and ancestral medicine Shuar dances bird watching Hiking family agriculture Excursions in waterfalls and camping mud therapy PRICE 2020 $18 dollars for person minimum 3 people IT INCLUDES Meals as mentioned in the itinerary Activities mentioned in the itinerary Shuar native guide DOES NOT INCLUDE Transportation from / to the Reserve Alcoholic drinks tips Personal expenses
259.50 Km.
We have 413 tourist attractions listed in Ecuador.