Galapagos & Ecuador
Quito
Quito is the capital of Ecuador and was founded on the ruins of an ancient Inca city. The city lies between two mountain ranges and sits at an altitude of 2,800m. It's actually the highest legal capital in the world.
It was also the first city to be named UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Old City has the largest, least-altered and best-preserved historic centre in the Americas. It has undergone massive restoration work and is nowadays a wonderful place to stroll around. The architecture, along with museums, churches, little squares and convents, make for a very pleasant afternoon.
The rest of the town is modern and has anything you would expect from a capital city: shopping centres, museums & art galleries, restaurants & clubs and much more.
The city is also ideally located to explore the rest of Ecuador and after only a few hours ride in a bus, you will already start to discover the wonders that this tiny country can offer.
Diving...
Quito is land-locked in the centre of Ecuador and does not actually offer diving opportunities. However, the city is the perfect point to start your trip of a lifetime to the Galapagos Islands.
Liveaboards
Your diving adventure onboard M/V Humboldt Explorer, M/Y Wolf Buddy and M/Y Darwin Buddy will actually commence in Quito when you board your domestic flight to San Cristobal, Galapagos.
Land based attractions...
Quito offers a lot to visitors both in the city itself and in the surrounding areas. The city is an historical site and worth spending a few days exploring its Old Town Centre. The architecture is very surprising and every effort has been put into to ensuring that the museums, art galleries, churches and monasteries are open for all the enjoy.
A few hours out of the city, you will find a variety of places which might be of interest and would be perfect for day tour or even an overnight stay. Climbing and hiking the Cayambe Volcano, shopping at the beautiful indigenous markets in Otavalo or visiting the region of Mindo to observe nature in the making are only some of the options open to you.