THE VOLCANOES AVENUE AND CUENCA

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Quito: the capital of Ecuador is perched high in the foothills of the Andes at 2,850 m (9,000 ft) . It was built on the foundations of an ancient Inca city and is famous for its well-preserved colonial old town, with several 16th- and 17th-century churches, and other structures that blend European, and indigenous styles. These include the cathedral, on the Plaza Grande, and the highly decorated Jesuit church of the Compañía de Jesus.
• Cotopaxi National Park: The Cotopaxi volcano, an almost perfect snow cone that rises to 5,897 meters is unique in the world. It is perhaps, next to the Galapagos, the greatest symbol of our natural geography, recognized worldwide. The imposing Cotopaxi, one of the world's highest active volcanoes, dominates the protected area's landscape, which also includes two smaller volcanoes close by; Morurco (4,880 m) and Rumiñahui (4,722 m) . Cotopaxi is located in an area called "Avenida de los Volcanes" (Avenue of the Volcanoes).
• Quilotoa Lagoon: is the westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. A caldera with a diameter of almost 9 km has formed inside its crater. This is the product of the collapse of the volcano, which occurred some 800 years ago. In the 2 50 m deep caldera, a lagoon known as La " Laguna del Quilotoa " has been formed. The minerals have given the surface a greenish and bluish hue when it receives the impact of sunlight. Inside, there are springs that can be perceived from the shore as bubbling trails that rise to the surface.
• Ingapirca: which means "Inca Wall" was, above all, an astronomical observatory of the movement of the sun and the moon, it was also a sacred space dedicated to the worship of their gods built by the Incas on the basis of a first Cañarí settlement, which populated the southern Ecuadorian.
• Cuenca: It is one of the most beautiful cities in the country and is made up of four rivers that cross it, charming colonial streets, European-style architecture, churches and cathedrals, ruins that reveal the passage of the Incas and cultural, art and craft centers of long standing.