City: Pichincha Province
Top Things to do in Pichincha Province
10 Nature & Parks in Pichincha Province That You Shouldn't Miss
Pichincha (Spanish pronunciation: [piˈtʃintʃa]) is a province of Ecuador located in the northern sierra region; its capital and largest city is Quito. It is bordered by Imbabura and Esmeraldas to the north, Cotopaxi and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas to the south, Napo and Sucumbíos to the east, and Esmeraldas and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas to the west.
Restaurants in Pichincha Province
1. Santuario de Cascadas
2. Las Tangaras Reserve (Reserva las Tangaras)
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 61 reviews
A lodge with full meal service in spectacular cloud forest near Mindo, Ecuador, Reserva las Tangaras is home to more than 300 bird species including Choco endemics: Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Club-winged Manakin, and Choco Toucan. Rare amphibians and reptiles, 25+ species of hummingbird, spectacled bear, and endangered capuchin monkeys reside here. We invite "ecologically minded" visitors - birdwatchers, photographers, and students of wildlife conservation. We provide guided visits to an Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek, with up to 18 cocks displaying at sunrise and night walks to see tropical frogs. A network of trails, camping areas, and river and waterfall swimming holes are easily reached from the reserve lodge. We offer a beautiful and comfortable lodge with a large private or communal sleeping loft, hot showers, flush toilet, library, and delicious homemade meals. Join us at the Reserve for an incredible experience living in, learning about, and exploring the cloud forest.
Reviewed By asier2p
My partner and myself stayed for few days at las tangaras reserve in November 2019. We camped with our tent in the roofed hut (November can be quite rainy) and alternate our food with the meals they offer at the reserve. We highly recommend this place: from the main building we could watch many bird species, and we loved to stay at the terrace just watching the hummingbirds while they were feeding. The visit to the cock of the rock lek it's a MUST. Just amazing. At the time we were there, the managers Ayla and Guillermo helped us a lot: provided us with a lot of information and tips about the birds and birdwatching, and we learnt a lot with them. We spent few nights checking bird guides and asking them questions about the birds we had just seen during the day... It was great to share the experience with them.
3. Rio Bravo Reserve
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 16 reviews
Reviewed By TABTrips
This place is not widely advertised and thus much less crowded (thankfully) which allows the natural beauty and tranquility of the area to shine! It is private property and Juan is exceptionally friendly and full of information. My wife and I spent a weekend in Mindo and this was by far the most captivating and memorable experience during our visit!
4. Volcan Cayambe
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 57 reviews
Reviewed By E3809NNcarolinac
Hello, I want to talk to you about my experience of living in Cayambe. I have lived in Cayambe since I can remember, this small town saw me grow up. Cayambe is a very magical place, full of places to visit and traditional and delicious food. Cayambe's weather is very crazy, there are days when the sun is very hot, others when the cold makes you freeze, and others when the wind is so strong that you feel it can take you. In my opinion I prefer cold weather, it is much more pleasant. Cayambe is the place of the Bizcochos and the Queso de hoja, throughout the town of Cayamabe you can find some restaurants that have Quesos de hoja and Bizcochos, it is a traditional dish of Cayambe. Many tourists come to Cayambe to try the Queso de hoja and Bizcochos, some people also take them abroad. The best known place where tourists go to eat bizcochos is the Bizcochos del Padre restaurant. Cayambe also has some places that you can visit for example: monument to the middle of the world, the Cariacu waterfalls, the snowy Cayambe, the Puntiatzil architectural complex, Municipal Museum, Molios ta Onio railway bridge. Cayambe also has many parks that you can go to, it also has rivers, another known place is also the house of Mariana de Jesus, a very beloved saint in the country. There are also many pools, one that I know is on the bank of a river. Of the places that I have visited in Cayambe, the Cariacu waterfalls are my favorite places, these waterfalls are very large, they are in a community called Cariacu, to get to these waterfalls you have to walk a lot. The first time I went to these waterfalls, I was a girl and the road was not pretty, because it was in poor condition, years after I went again, the road was already more arranged and with signs so that you can get there. The people of the community are in charge of taking care of the waterfalls, and the people should not damage or dirty the waterfalls I have not been able to go to the snowy Cayambe, but in the photos I have seen, it is a very magical and beautiful place, with a beautiful view. In order for you to get to the snowy, you must be accompanied by someone who knows the way because you can get lost. Living in Cayambe has been a beautiful experience, the food and all the places it has for you to have fun. If you ever come to Ecuador, I recommend that you visit Cayambe in the province of Pichincha. Cayambe is near to the capital of Ecuador. I hope you visit some Cayambe and visit the Cariacu Waterfalls and eat the delicious Quesos de hoja and the Bizcochos.
5. Rucu Pichincha
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By AC9961 - Snoqualmie, United States
Did this hike with Latin American Alpine, and it's a very nice hike. It is amazing that a short cable car ride can take one from an urban area full of people to a mountainous open space so quickly. Once off the cable car, the views are expansive. The hike initially is a little steep, and more eroded road than trail. Eventually the trail become more of a trail. There are great views along the way, a cave that makes a great snack stop, and eventually, a rocky scramble to the summit. While I did this as my last activity of the trip, it would make a superb acclimatization hike for us lowlanders. I used a guide from Latin American Alpine (via trip advisor). It certainly can be done without a guide, however the guides knowledge was very helpful with using alternate routes, recognizing weather patterns and getting us off the summit before the lightning storm started, and using an alternate route lower down that avoided an exposed ridge during the lightning.
6. Pichincha
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 63 reviews
Reviewed By conniegJ4934AA
A group of 16 people from different countries join AJ adventures. We trekked to Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, Chimborazo. Swing and ride a cable car in Bano. Also went to the Pailon Del Diablo waterfall in Bano. Thank you Paul Aguilar who was our guide. He was fun and knowledge of Ecuador history and culture. He also let us stop by local free market and shop....Thanks our driver/cook Carlos who cooked lunch for us. We couldn’t have such a good time and safety trekking without two of you. Highly recommended.
7. Maquipucuna Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 150 reviews
Maquipucuna is the closest and largest cloud forest reserve close to Quito. Besides guided tours to watch hundreds of birds, insects, orchid species and Yumbo culture vestiges, it's a unique site that offers easy to moderate trails to access forests where the endangered Andean Spectacled Bears congregate around mass fruiting of wild avocadoes. Andean bear season in 2019 is expected to happen sometime between October and December. Past visitors have sighted up to 14 different bears in two days. Maquipucuna is a birdwatchers paradise too - during the last world bird-count day, our guides sighted 157 species. Internationally awarded Maquipucuna Ecolodge within a 15,000 acres Maquipucuna Reserve located only 2 hours away from Quito. Maquipucuna is a private biodiversity haven for 10% of Ecuador's plant diversity and 4% of all the bird species known for the entire planet! Maquipucuna is an Important Bird Area (IBA) heart of the Choco Andino Biosphere Reserve as designated by UNESCO.
8. Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 206 reviews
Considered one of the world’s largest volcanic craters, this extinct volcano is one of two populated craters in the world whose first inhabitants were the Incas.
Reviewed By RavindraKulkarni - Bengaluru, India
This place was never to be missed during our visit to Ecuador. Luckily we found a cab driver who agreed to take us around all places. Our second visit after Teleferico was this. The clouds were just below us and it was soooo good. Do not miss to visit this place. There are few restaurants near parking, which are good.
9. Parque Metropolitano
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 385 reviews
Reviewed By Canuck1984 - Sihanoukville, Cambodia
Very cool park. All sorts of paths scattered throughout the park that lead you to various artworks and lookouts. There are many small play areas for children and great places to sit and relax. The trails go in and out of the forest and there is always something around the next corner. The landscaping is amazing and we were lucky I enough to watch the alpacas mowing the lawn at one of the play areas. There are clean but simple bathrooms scattered throughout the park. Not sure why they are not running walking tours here, we were the only tourists in the park all day. Bring water as there is nothing for sale in the park. We started in the south west corner and it looked like it was just some narrow trails in the bush but it quickly opens up to many things. You oils also take a cab right to the main section of the park and go from there. Great for a novice mountain biker too. It felt very safe so don’t hesitate to explore the small trials.
10. Parque La Carolina
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 849 reviews
Largest park in the Quito
Reviewed By 7Sylvie7 - San Antonio, United States
Clean, green with play areas and even boats but what we loved the most was the botanical garden. We learned a lot about Ecuadorian biodiversity and plant life. We love the orchid greenhouses and the Bonsai exposition.
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