Mietwagenrundreise "Ecuador kompakt: Vulkane, Amazonas, Anden & Indios"

About the destination: Quito, formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador. Quito is beautifully situated in a valley on the eastern slopes of Pichincha Volcano. Situated at an altitude of 2850 metres above sea level, Quito is the highest capital in the world. Quito’s Centro Histórico is a lovely area with colonial architecture, cobbled plazas, majestic churches and many interesting museums. Centro Histórico is a Unesco World Heritage Site. One of the prettiest spots in the old centre of Quito is the Plaza de la Independencia, beautifully landscaped with flowers and trees. The buildings around the plaza include the pink confection that is the Hotel Plaza Grande, the Catedral Metropolitana de Quito, and the Presidential Palace. In the centre of the plaza there is the memorial to independence. Plaza San Francisco is one of the most beautiful places in Quito. It is a cobbled square with the whitewashed church and monastery of San Francisco standing along its north-western side. The Monastery of San Diego, situated southwest of Centro Histórico, is a lovely monastery from the 17th century, full of outstanding colonial religious art. It is absolutely worth a visit even if it is a little bit further away from the Centro Histórico. North of Centro Histórico we have the colourful Mariscal neighbourhood where there are many hotels, international restaurants, bars and trendy cafés.Quito is a friendly and fun city. With a superb Old Quarter and a dramatic setting, Quito is a place that grows on anyone.

About the destination: Cotopaxi is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located in the Latacunga canton of Cotopaxi Province, about 50 km south of Quito, and 33 km northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching a height of 5,897 m. It is one of the world's highest volcanoes. Since 1738, Cotopaxi has erupted more than 50 times, resulting in the creation of numerous valleys formed by lahars around the volcano. The last eruption lasted from August 2015 to January 2016. Cotopaxi had been officially closed for climbing by authorities until it reopened on October 7, 2017.

About the destination: The canton Riobamba is an Ecuadorian subnational territorial entity, from the Province of Chimborazo. Its cantonal headwaters are the city of Riobamba, where most of its total population is grouped.

About the destination: The province of Chimborazo is one of the 24 provinces that make up the Republic of Ecuador, located in the center south of the country, in the geographical area known as the inter-Andean region or sierra, mainly on the Chambo hole in the northeast and the Chimbo and Chanchán pits in the southwest. . It has a very unique importance for the history of central Ecuador, for being a midpoint between the coast and the Amazon, since ancient times it was constituted as a meeting place between cultures, merchants and events of religious connotation.

About the destination: Baños de Agua Santa commonly referred to as Baños, is a city in eastern Tungurahua Province, in central Ecuador. Baños is the second most populous city in Tungurahua, after Ambato, the capital, and is a major tourist center. It is known as the "Gateway to the Amazon", as it's the last big city still located in the mountains before reaching the jungle and other towns that are located in the Amazon River basin. Baños is located on the northern foothills of the Tungurahua volcano, at an elevation of 1,820 metres whose activity has been characterized by frequent powerful ash explosions and lava flows can be seen from Banos.

About the destination: Napo is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Tena. The province contains the Napo River. The province is low developed without much industrial presence. The thick rainforest is home to many natives that remain isolated by preference, descendants of those who fled the Spanish invasion in the Andes, and the Incas years before. In 2000, the province was the sole remaining majority-indigenous province of Ecuador, with 56.3% of the province either claiming indigenous identity or speaking an indigenous language. This province is one of the many located in Ecuador's section of the Amazon Rainforest. In Napo province are also Antisana Ecological Reserve and Limoncocha National Biological Reserve.

About the destination: Papallacta is a small village in Napo Province, Ecuador located at an altitude of 3,300 m in the Andes just off the Eastern Cordilleras on the road from Quito which leads into the Amazon jungle. The scenic drive from Quito to Papallacta passes through several towns and small villages before ascending to a peak of over 4,000 m, from where mountains and glaciers are visible. Descending from the peak to Papallacta, the ecosystems transform from alpine to tropical jungle. Several hot springs and spas are located in Papallacta. Many of the local restaurants are known for their steamed trout. For lodging, there are several hotels and a resort.

About the destination: Yaruquí is one of the 33 rural parishes of the Metropolitan District of Quito, Ecuador. Yaruquí, Checa, El Quinche, Cumbayá, Tumbaco, were the seat of pre-Inca settlers, which is demonstrated by the objects found in the sector, such as vessels, ceramic objects, obsidian, quartz, basalt utensils, spears, knives. (Karen Pawer. Clothes with Feet). According to historians, it is one of the forty indigenous groups that formed the kingdom of the Quitus and then that of the Shyris, with the influx of the Caras in the 10th century of the Christian era. The original tribes that dominated this region were Puembos, Yaruquíes, Quinches and Cayammbis; When the conquest of the Caras Shiyris took place, a tribe from Bahía de Caráquez, they presented a singular resistance, not the rest were dominated by this people that became one of the four main nations settled in the current Ecuadorian territory: the Shirys, the Puruhaes , the Avocados and the Brambles.

About the destination: Otavalo is a city in the Andean highlands of the province of Imbabura, north of Ecuador. It is surrounded by volcanoes, such as the Imbabura volcano. It is known for its Otavalo market in the central Plaza de Ponchos, where locals dressed in traditional indigenous clothing sell colorful textiles and handicrafts. Nearby is the El Obraje Textiles Museum, which displays textile exhibitions and fabric demonstrations. Near the city is Peguche, one of the many surrounding villages and known for its traditional fabrics. On the outskirts of Peguche and between the eucalyptus trees, the Peguche Waterfall is located. A place that was considered sacred in the time of the Incas and is now a famous site for picnics. Near this place is the Condor Park, a bird sanctuary and home to Andean condors and owls. North of Otavalo is the city of Cotacachi, known for its leather products. The trails on the shores of Lake Cuicocha, which was formed from a crater, have panoramic views of the surrounding peaks. To the south of Otavalo, the Mojanda lakes are attractive for hikers and bird watchers.