by Paul Heney
Last updated: 5:00 PM ET, Sat February 4, 2023
While queer travelers to South America may focus on well-known cities such as Rio do Janeiro, Cartagena, or Buenos Aires, Ecuador's capital city of Quito deserves a serious look, as well. This dynamic city of 4.5 million sits at an elevation of more than 9,000 feet in a dramatic north-south mountain valley and is the largest population center to sit within one degree of the equator. Plus, the dollar has been Ecuador's official currency in 2000, making it easy on visiting American tourists.
Quito is expanding fast and expects to hit 12 million people by 2050. The city isn't sitting still, focused on an increased tourism market in the coming years. It unveiled a new airport in 2013, and a long-awaited underground subway is expected to officially open in March 2023. Quito features a thriving gay neighborhood, Mariscal, as well as plenty of architectural gems and nearby national parks, making for a perfect LGBTQ vacation spot.
From Mariscal to the Old City
Queer travelers will enjoy the colorful Mariscal neighborhood in the center-north of the city, also considered a tourist hub. Walking its attractive streets in the evening is a feast for the eyes, ears, and nose, with an astonishing array of European-inspired homes and endless restaurants, bars, and cafes. The whole area combines a historical and cosmopolitan vibe in a fascinating way. There are a lot of hostels located here, as well as gay friendly hotels and nightclubs.
Quito's Old City, the central historical district, is the biggest conservation area in Latin America (and many say the best preserved), as well as the first world cultural site designated by UNESCO. Professional local guide Juan Davide, who has been conducting tours for almost two decades, took us around the Old City, showing us national treasures like the Archbishop palace, the church and convent of San Francisco, and the Fray Pedro Gocial Museum, which features one of the most beautiful and complete collections of the Quiteño Art, with pictorial, sculptural, goldsmith, paper, and textile pieces on display.
Gastronomy
One the city's most delightful surprises is its dynamic gastronomy scene. The city has its share of international cuisine, but the tourism board is trying to promote Ecuadorian cuisine, which is full of fresh ingredients. For example, Ecuadorians have some 500 different types of soups, so there's plenty for visitors to explore.
Lunch at Casa Manuela Restaurant, a family-owned restaurant in the center city, allowed us to try a local favorite, locro quiteño, a traditional potato soup accompanied by fresh cheese and avocado. URKO Restaurant, in the La Floresta neighborhood, has a fantastic menu of elevated local street foods, as well as comfort fare and steaks. Here, the Sacha Miske drink was a revelation, made with local liquor miske, a cousin of tequila and mezcal. It was smooth and delightful, with a hint of amaretto flavor.
Other notable bites included trying local delicacy Guinea pig (indistinguishable from a pork loin) at Achiote Restaurant in Mariscal. Here, the family built the restaurant out of their grandmother's former home, even lovingly wrapping the building around a live tree that once sat in her backyard. The tree's base now sits in the corner of the main dining room and sprouts up through the ceiling. Food here is inspired and world class. Tiny Bistro 626 in the adorable boutique Carlota Hotel in Old Town blows the "hotel restaurant" idea out of the water, with fresh, flavorful fish, octopus, and pork main entrees. And if the local miske intrigues you, make sure to visit Casa del Agave , a museum dedicated to the spirit, which also features a fun tasting room.
Get outside!
The Middle of the World monument, less than an hour from the center of Quito, is a whole tourist area dedicated to the Earth's equator. There's a seven-story tower you can climb, which features an intriguing museum about Ecuador and its peoples and cultures. There is also an extensive town area with myriad stores featuring local crafts, as well as t-shirts and knickknacks. You can even have your photo taken with one foot in each hemisphere.
Another popular tourist attraction is the TelefériQo cable car, which takes visitors up to over 11,000 feet on the side of Pichincha Volcano. It's said to be one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, and the views from up top are stunning. There are a number of trails at the top, which are more difficult that you may think, given the elevation-so make sure to bring water and take it slow.
An hour or so from Quito, you can visit the Yunguilla Community, a local people who have transitioned from a way of life that was depleting the highland forests around them to one that embraces a more sustainable path forward. Tourists can book three-night packages to stay with Yunguilla families to better understand their ways of life; the accommodations are in the village's newer homes, which are lovingly built and feature the comforts of modern life.
The Antisana Ecological Reserve in the Andes' eastern mountain range is a high grasslands area that is studded by near and distant (often cloud-shrouded) volcanoes, such as 18,900-foot Antisana, the fourth highest volcano in Ecuador. Only a few hundred visitors usually come here per day, making it a lonely but stunningly spectacular hiking choice for a Quito daytrip. We saw several Andean condors, white-tailed deer, wild horses, and many birds. The park also is home to pumas and spectacled bears.
One last worthwhile choice is the Pahuma Orchidological Reserve, also about an hour's drive from the center city. This cloud forest features an impressive number of epiphytic plants such as bromeliads, mosses, and ferns. The reserve is said to protect more than 270 species of orchids, along with 500 bird species-and plenty of hummingbirds. Hikers here can enjoy waterfall views along with endless greenery, seemingly a world away from the sounds and sights of the city.
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