Planning a trip to Quito, Ecuador? You’ve come to the right place! Here are some useful and interesting facts that you should know before your trip.

12 Facts About Quito Ecuador

Quito is a place rich in culture and architectural beauty. As the capital of Ecuador, it boasts the largest and best preserved historic center in the Americas. Keep reading to learn 12 more facts about Quito.

1. UNESCO’s 1st World Cultural Heritage City

Because of the amazing historic center in Quito, it was the first World Cultural Heritage City to be named by UNESCO.

Watch on YouTube

2. The Middle of the World

Quito boasts “Mitad del Mundo,” or “Middle of the World.”

This is a complex built in honor of the first real attempt to determine the shape of the earth in 1743. While recent tech has helped us to see that the real equator line is a little ways away from the monument, it is still a great place to visit!

3. Home to the black-breasted puffleg

This beautiful little hummingbird is critically endangered because there are less than 300 left in the wild. They are native to Ecuador and considered to be the official bird of Quito.

They are mostly a dark black color but when they catch the light they shine emerald green and deep purple with the purple being mostly restricted to their cute little chins. They are only around 9 cm long.

4. Ecuador’s highest active volcano: Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi is just 6 km south of Quito. It’s the highest active volcano in Ecuador. Cotopaxi volcano is found in the Cotopaxi National Park that spans 3 provinces.

5. The highest constitutional capital in the world

Speaking of heights, Quito is also the highest constitutional capital in the world, sitting at 2,850 m above sea level.

Something great about this attitude is that it’s too high for malaria transmission, good news for travelers!

6. Altitude sickness

Because of its hight, some do experience altitude sickness when visiting Quito. Altitude sickness includes things like headaches, nausea, and dizziness. For many, this passes quite quickly.

Here are some tips to recover:

• Drink lots of water
• Avoid big meals and alcohol
• Get some much-needed rest
• And ascend to higher altitudes slowly to let yourself acclimatize

7. An amazing rose plantation

Quito has an amazing rose plantation that measures 22 acres and was established in 1993. They produce 45 varieties of roses! Learn more about visiting flower farms in Ecuador.

And they don’t just keep the beautiful roses for Ecuador, they also export them.

Watch on YouTube

8. Mindo’s Cloud Forest

Quito is also home to an amazing cloud forest. Mindo Cloud Forest is home to fascinating waterfalls, amazing air plants (epiphytes, including orchids), and diverse wildlife.

No wonder this cloud forest is one of the most biodiverse places on earth!

As an added bonus, Mindo hosts the Olinguito. The olinguito is the most recently discovered mammal, and they are adorable!

Now, we’re not promising that you’ll see one, but you never know…

9. Home to South America’s largest market

The Otavalo market is the biggest in South America – it spans a whole city block. You can find some pretty cool things there like jewelry, textiles, and amazing souvenirs!

10. Long, sunny days

Because of its proximity to the equator, much of Ecuador – including Quito – has 12 hours of sunlight all year long.

The sun rises around 6-6:30 am every morning and sets around 6-6:30 pm every night.

11. The most populated Ecuadorian city

As of the 2014 census, Quito has a population of around 2,671,191 making it the most populated city in Ecuador.

12. Only 2 seasons

Like many areas of Ecuador, Quito only has two seasons: wet and dry. The wet season is from October to May and is summer for Quito. The dry season is June to September and winter for Quito.

Learn more about Quito’s weather

Your Turn

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Quito, Ecuador. It’s a beautiful place and definitely worth a visit. What do you like to do in Quito? Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments!