Humidity, blasts of hot air, heavy traffic... Embark for Guayaquil, the largest city of Ecuador even though Quito is the capital. We're off for a visit of the "Pearl of the Pacific", from its landscaped river promenade (the Malecón 2000) to the cerro Santa Ana, not to mention the city centre!

Guayaquil, pearl of the Pacific

In this article you will find a presentation of Isla de la Plata, nicknamed "the poor-man's Galapagos", which can be reached from Puerto López.

Leaving Puerto López for the little Galapagos

Ecuadorian Amazonia possesses the densest biodiversity in the world. With its 6034 square kilometres, the reserve is an incredible mix of rivers and flooded forests (due to the large quantities of annual rainfall in the Amazon). The result? A part of the Amazon that is unique and which will not leave you unaffected...

Cuyabeno, the jewel of the Amazon in Ecuador

In this article we visit Otavalo, the best market in Ecuador and perhaps the best in the world.

Otavalo and its most wonderful markets

Quilotoa

Cotopaxi

Chilcapamba

Calpi

 Riobamba lies right at the heart of the mountains amidst a quite wonderful environment, and the views you get of Ecuador's highest mountain, Chimborazo, from here are simply breathtaking.

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Apart from the weekly Saturday market, there are not many reasons for stopping at Riobamba during a trip to Ecuador. Place Maldonado in the centre of town has a beautiful cathedral and some colonial buildings with lovely facades. Other than that there's not a lot else to do there. In fact, stopping in Riobamba is really only interesting because of its surroundings. The scenery is superb. I really recommend going to Chimborazo park. There are walks up the volcano's 6,310 metres that are accessible to everyone. Other than that, you could enjoy going round one of the town's markets. But either way there's no reason to linger in Riobamba.

Riobamba is perched 2,750 m above sea level, 188 km south of Quito. The town itself doesn't have much to see and you really only stop there for the view from the highest peak in Ecuador, Chimborazo.

For me, the main attraction of Riobamba – which is located four hours from Quito and lies at an altitude of 2,750 metres – was the fact that the city is the departure point for a train that once descended all the way down to Guayaquil, at sea level. The line has now been alarmingly reduced in length. However, and being stubbornly determined to experience it anyway, an Equadorean friend and I caught a bus to Alausí (a two and a half hour journey) and did in the end get to experience the most spectacular part of the route, culminating in the "La Nariz del Diablo" (The Devil's Nose), with its 360° bends, from the roof of the train. The line begins 1,000 metres higher than it ends and you have the constant feeling the train is going to derail at every turn. If you like trains and intense sensations, this really is something to experience, even though it would definitely have been more interesting to be able to travel the whole length of the line, from Quito to Guayaquil. But that was another era!

Riobamba lies right at the heart of the mountains amidst a quite wonderful environment, and the views you get of Ecuador's highest mountain, Chimborazo, from here are simply breathtaking.

Riobamba Vacations

Riobamba: How to get there?

Riobamba: When to go?

Riobamba: For how long?

Riobamba: What to see in the surroundings?

Ecuador: our articles for your vacation