Things to do in Quito

HII

Known as the land of extremes South America boasts many of the worlds greatest geographical wonderments.  It’s home to the worlds largest river (The Amazon), the worlds largest mountain range (The Andes), the worlds largest salt flat (Salar de Uyuni) and the driest place (The Atacama Desert).  This continent is certainly on my bucket list and I’m sure on many of yours which is why I’m so excited to introduce you to Terra Sur Travels.

Instagram can be an amazing way to meet like minded people.  I tire of social media a lot but then meet fellow responsible travellers like Christian and Angelica through the platform and faith is restored!  These guys are the two beautiful souls behind Terra Sur Travels.  A local company based in Quito offering sustainable and meaningful travels with a local perspective across Ecuador, Galapagos, Peru and Colombia.  In this interview they share with us why they love living in Quito and how to get the best from the city and wider Ecuador as a visitor. 

You could run travel experiences anywhere in the world, what is it that you love about living in Quito?

So much! Quito is a really liveable city.  The people are lovely. 

We love that there is a real sense of community with a shop on every corner selling everything you would ever need, butter, ham, bread, veg, fruit.  There is a real neighbourly feeling.  The local markets are also amazing in Quito, so fresh, colourful and beautiful.  We love buying from the local farmers direct too, often they will be on the side of the road selling from their trailers.  This is a great way to keep our spending local and we encourage all our travellers to help minimise tourism leakage.

Fruit and veg is so cheap, every fruit possible is grown here as the land is so fertile.  It’s fun seeing how many fruits we can buy for a dollar.  The record is 45 lemons for $1 but we’ve also managed to score 14 oranges for $1 too.   None of the fruit is clean or looks perfect, but oh the taste, when you cut into it the tase is like the best fruit you’ve ever had. 

We think Quito has the best weather in the world.  It’s always around 20 degree celsius every day.  Quito is the highest capital city in the world at an altitude of 2,850m.  Being surrounded by volcanos is incredible.  We can see Rucu Pichincha from our workspace. 

How long have you run Terra Sur Travels and what got you started? Tell us your story.

Christian –  I’m originally from Germany with no background in tourism, in fact I’m a brew master by trade!  I’ve always travelled more than I worked and have visited over 75 countries.  In 2018 I met Angelica in Quito, who, at the time was working in tourism.  We very quickly decided to start Terra Sur Travels because we wanted to make difference.  Angelica already sold Peru and Ecuador, so we started with these as destinations but then two returning travellers wanted a trip to Costa Rica, so we thought why not! 

Angelica – I grew up in Venezuela and studied anthropology but due to the political situation couldn’t work in the field so instead I’ve 12 years’ experience in tourism.  I grew up on the plains of Venezuela seeing animals every day that people dream of seeing on holiday.  I never really wanted to leave where I grew up, but I had to.  Because I loved to touch and experiment with other cultures, I decided to travel to South America.  I started in Ecuador and quickly landed a decent job in tourism; I’ve been here 5 years now.  When I met Christian the travel company was our dream from very early on.  Although the pandemic hit in our first year of business we have already had over 50 travellers so far. 

What is the philosophy behind Terra Sur Travels?

Our main philosophy is to provide the best service to our conscious travellers, hand in hand with the local communities, suppliers and nature. 

We believe in transformational and regenerative tourism and want to change the face of tourism in South America.  It’s an ambitious goal but we will get there.  Partnering with only responsible providers we commit to upholding our values of friendship trust and loyalty.  Locals are so happy and grateful for the business, it’s heart-warming and is what drives us. 

Our approach is to show not tell, really showcase what South America has to offer. Agreeing from the start that we would sell direct and via social media, that’s what we have done.  We don’t like the word package; it’s all about connections and bespoke experiences.  We’ve chosen local projects to support, so for each trip booked we support one of these projects.  Currently we are working with organisations such as the Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT) and Amiguitos del Océano.  Working with such foundations is our way of giving back. 

Other than run Terra Sur Travels what do you like to do in your spare time?

We love to hike.  Quito is amazing for hiking.  Reaching the top of Rucu Pichincha should take about 5-6 hours and has an altitude of 4.698m.  We’ve never quite got to the top as we always take a different path and end up getting lost, it’s all part of the fun!  We will make it one day. 

We’ve recently adopted a rescue dog about 3 months ago, so we spend a lot of time with him now.  He had been run over twice with a right front leg fracture.  He loves to go for walks in the park, we are lucky in Quito there is a lot of green space for him to run around.  When we travel, he will come with us in the car but will have to stay at home if we go to places like The Amazon and Galapagos. 

When is the best time of year to visit Quito in your opinion?

Any time really. Being 20km South of the equator the weather is consistent and tops 24 degrees celcius. 

What part of Quito would you advise visitors to stay to get the best from their trip?

The Old Town Centre is good as it’s close to everything.  It’s the largest historical centre in the Americas and was full of bars and independent shop prior to the pandemic.  There are lots of incredible churches and colonial buildings to visit. Its full of real local people and some beer gardens are starting to open.  Hopefully it will revive post COVID but right now it’s still quiet, a lot of businesses didn’t survive. 

4 days is a good length of time to stay in Quito to see all the sights.  You can also stay longer as you can do a lot of day trips from here for example to volcanoes, the cloud forest and to the Amazon. 

What experience would define a stay in Quito?

For us it’s all about the experience, talking to the locals and understanding their life and journey – you can’t put a price tag on that. 

If you were a Quito visitor what would be your top tip not to miss?

Hiking the volcanoes or even riding The TeleferiQo if you don’t want to hike. 

Otavalo Market is also close, this is the biggest indigenous market in South America, it’s an incredible experience.  There are hundreds and hundreds of stalls with people selling off the floor and selling everything you can imagine from alpacas and lamas to vegetables and fruit. 

What cultural/behavioural advice would you give that would help visitors to Ecuador?

South America is for adventurers and lovers of nature and animals.  Be respectful and understand that our culture and lifestyle may be different to yours. 

It’s disrespectful to compare, please don’t try and compare us to other countries or even South America to any other continents.  If you want luxury and western 5* think about visiting Dubai rather than Ecuador. 

Also worth noting is that all countries within South America have their different cultures.  I (Angelica) got a culture shock moving from Venezuela as things are so much more formal in Ecuador.  I had to be really careful about not coming across as rude. 

What foods are unique to Ecuador that visitors should experience?

In the Sierra, the mountainous regions of Ecuador, Fritada is one of the most favourite dishes.  It’s a roasted pig, served with different side dishes like toasted corn or Llapingachos, which is a mashed potato pancake, often studded with cheese. 

Locro de papa is also a favourite local cuisine.  It’s a potato and fresh cheese soup, served with avocados.  

When it comes to drinks, Canelazo is probably the most well-known, a hot beverage made of narajillas and cinnamon, topped with a shot of Punta, a strong local sugar cane schnapps. 

Where is your favourite place to eat that’s locally owned?

Ecuador has a strong tradition when it comes to lunch.  Almuerzo, as it is called here, is often served in small corner restaurants all across Quito and Ecuador.   It is very reasonably priced, and includes a hearty soup, a main dish with meat or fish and sides like fries and/or rice, a salad, a fruit juice and sometimes even a small dessert. 

Also, Quito has amazing street food!  Small stalls along the roads serve a huge variety of foods, like the aforementioned Fritada.  Our favourite one is located at the corner of Calle Corea and Iñaquito.  Delicious! 

What are Quito’s hidden secrets off the tourist track / What do the locals not want tourists to know, so they can keep it to themselves?

There’s not so much that hasn’t been discovered by tourists until now.

But a few of the more unknown, obscure attractions are definitely the Carcel Garcia Moreno, an abandoned prison and its museum where former presidents were held captive.  Also the Cemetery of San Diego is a beautiful hidden gem, with many different architectural styles and famous graves, for example from soldiers of the Battle of Pichincha, a turning point in Ecuador’s war for independence. 

Are there any local bands or musicians you would suggest visitors look up and where’s best for live music?

Unfortunately right there’s not much since the pandemic. The resulting restrictions don’t allow much entertainment, but we hope that changes again soon.

Anything else to mention that would help a visitor get the most out of Quito?

Take it slow, don’t plan too much ahead!  Since Quito is so high up in the Andes, visitors will most definitely feel Soroche (altitude sickness) in the first days.  Slow walks, lots of water and enough rest will be the best to do the first days.  If there’s not a lot of time to acclimatize, well, at least keep the activities at a reasonable pace and take a break when you feel the altitude.  Also, getting some coca tea at markets helps a lot! 

What’s next on your bucket list?

Venezuela tours.  Currently it’s a tricky place and the safety of our guests is a priority but one day we will be able to share this fantastic country with many travellers.  We have a biologist friend already operating tours there, so it is possible. 

HI