Ecuador - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 572

Guápulo
Northeast of the New Town, this pretty
hillside neighbourhood is a world away
from the city. With cobbled streets, historic
houses and pleasant cafés, it's a relaxing
place. The focal point is the beautiful
seventeenth-century Iglésia de Guápulo
which houses a collection of colonial art.

from these stations by Metrobus or taxi ($5-7). However,
some private bus companies have o ces in the New Town,
which is more convenient. The biggest is Panamericana
(Reina Victoria, on Colon T 02 255 7133).
Destinations from Quitumbe Ambato (hourly; 2hr 30min);
Atacames (daily; 7hr); Baños (hourly; 3hr); Coca (daily; 9hr);
Cuenca (hourly; 9hr); Guaranda (daily; 5hr); Guayaquil
(hourly; 8hr); Lago Agrio (daily; 9hr); Latacunga (hourly; 1hr
30min); Santo Domingo (hourly; 3hr); Tena (hourly; 5hr).
Destinations from Carcelén Atacames (daily; 7hr); Ibarra
(hourly; 2hr 30min); Los Bancos (indirect to Mindo, daily;
2hr); Otavalo (hourly; 2hr); Tulcan (hourly; 5hr).
Destinations from Ofelia Cayambe (hourly; 1hr 30min);
Mindo (direct, daily; 2hr); Mitad del Mundo (via Metrobus
line, hourly; 1hr 30min).

6

The Teleférico
Quito's most dizzying tourist attraction is
the Teleférico (Sun-Thurs 10am-7pm, Fri
& Sat 10am-10pm; $4), a cable-car ride
high above the city. The main attraction
is the fifteen-minute ride up to 4100m,
from where the views are spectacular on
a clear day. At the top, take in the views,
relax in the café or tackle the hike to
Ruca Pichincha, 3km away (do not
attempt this walk alone as robberies have
been reported). Bring warm clothes and
take care not to over-exert yourself at this
altitude if you've just arrived in Quito.
Teleférico shuttles run from Rio Coca,
at 6 Diciembre (Ecovía) and Estación
Norte (Trole).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre ( T 02
294 4900, W quiport.com) is in the town of Tababela 18km
to the northeast of Quito. This brand-new airport has
regular flights to Europe, North America, Central America
and other destinations in South America. The journey from
Quito (30min) costs $20-25 by taxi. At the time of writing,
it is unconfirmed whether there will be any specific airport
bus services.
By train Trains from Quito leave from Chimbacalle station,
south of the old town, which can be reached on the trolleybus
or via a taxi from La Mariscal District ($4-5). Advanced
booking is advised, as the services are very popular. The
Latacunga service (Thurs-Sun 8am; 4hr) passes through
Machachi and Boliche, but there are separate services to each
of these towns on weekends (see W ferrocarrilesdelecuador
.gob.ec). The train (see box, p.591) should run to Riobamba
and all the way to Guayaquil by 2014.
By bus Quito has three bus terminals. For all destinations
from the south, including the coast and jungle, use the
main terminal, Quitumbe, in the far south of Quito. It's
complicated, involves changes and takes over an hour to
reach the New Town by trolleybus, so consider a taxi ($8-
10). From Otavalo and the northern highlands, you arrive
at Carcelén terminal, at the northern end of the Metrobus
line. From Mindo, you arrive at Ofelia in the far north on
the Metrobus line. It takes an hour to get to the New Town

INFORMATION
Tourist information The Quito Visitors Bureau ( W quito
.com.ec) has several o ces in the city with brochures,
maps and information on Ecuador. In the Old Town the
o ce is on Venezuela, at Espejo, on Plaza Grande (Mon-Fri
9am-6pm, Sat 10.30am-9.30pm, Sun 9am-5pm; T 02
257 2445). In the New Town there's an o ce in the Casa de
La Cultura Ecuatoriana (6 de Diciembre, at Patria; Mon-Fri
9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; T 02 222 1116) and in
Mariscal Sucre (Reina Victoria, at Luis Cordero; T 02 255
1566). Also check out the travellers' club South American
Explorers on Jorge Washington 311, at Leonidas Plaza
(Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm & Sat 9am-noon, open until 8pm
Thurs; T 02 222 5228, W saexplorers.org), which has a huge
amount of information on Quito and Ecuador in the form of
trip reports, and free information sheets for non-members.
Membership costs from $60 per year ($90 for couples).

GETTING AROUND
By bus These are very hit and miss but useful for travelling
short distances up main avenues such as 12 de Octubre,
Amazonas, 10 de Agosto and Colón.
By electric bus There are three main electric bus routes
running north to south, with designated stations and car-
free lanes, making them the most e cient way to get
around. All charge $0.25 flat fare (bought at kiosks or
machines in advance). Note that the three services rarely
link up, so changing routes often involves walking a few
blocks. They generally run every 10min Mon-Fri 6am-
midnight, Sat & Sun 6am-10pm. El Trole is the modern
trolleybus system that runs down 10 de Agosto to the Old
Town; stops are easy to spot because of their distinctive
green raised platforms. In the Old Town buses travel south
along Guayaquil and return north on Flores and Montufar.
Ecovía are dark red buses that run mainly along 6 de
Diciembre from Río Coca in the north to Plaza la Marín in
the Old Town. Metrobus runs from Carcelén bus terminal
down Avenida América to Universidad Central. Note that