Top 10 Viewpoints in Ecuador
Ecuador is a small country of extraordinary altitude range, straddling the equator where the Andes form a double row of volcanoes known as the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Glaciated peaks rise above the high paramo, crater lakes fill collapsed cones, and cloud forests cling to the slopes descending toward the Amazon and the Pacific. These ten viewpoints capture Ecuador's volcanic highlands and the dramatic landscapes of the equatorial Andes.
Cotopaxi
One of the world's highest active volcanoes, Cotopaxi reaches 5,897 metres with a near-perfect glaciated cone. Viewpoints from the national park, the Limpiopungo lagoon and the refuge at 4,800 metres frame the symmetrical peak above the high paramo. The summit is a serious glacier climb, but the park viewpoints give a stunning view of the volcano on clear mornings.
Quilotoa
The Quilotoa crater holds a striking green-blue lake in a collapsed volcanic caldera at around 3,900 metres. The viewpoint on the rim, reached easily from the village, frames the vivid water 250 metres below against the steep crater walls. A trail descends to the lake and around the rim; the colour and scale make it one of Ecuador's finest viewpoints.
Chimborazo
The highest mountain in Ecuador, Chimborazo reaches 6,263 metres, and because of the equatorial bulge its summit is the farthest point from the centre of the earth. Viewpoints from the national park and the refuges frame the immense glaciated volcano above the high desert, where vicuñas graze. The scale of the mountain dominates the surrounding altiplano.
TelefériQo, Quito
A cable car climbs from Quito to around 4,000 metres on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, giving a sweeping view over the long, narrow capital strung along its Andean valley. On clear days the surrounding volcanoes — Cotopaxi, Cayambe, Antisana — are visible. Trails from the top station climb toward the Rucu Pichincha summit.
Quito old town viewpoints
The historic centre of Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is overlooked by El Panecillo, a hill crowned by a winged Virgin statue at around 3,000 metres. The viewpoint frames the colonial domes and rooftops of the old town below and the surrounding volcanoes. It is the classic urban overlook of the Ecuadorian capital.
Laguna Cuicocha
The Cuicocha crater lake near Otavalo holds a deep blue lake with two forested islands in a volcanic caldera at around 3,100 metres. The rim trail and viewpoints frame the lake, the islands and the surrounding paramo, with the Cotacachi volcano rising behind. The walk around the rim gives constantly changing perspectives over the water.
Baños and the Pailon del Diablo
The town of Baños sits in a gorge on the eastern slope of the Andes, surrounded by waterfalls. The Pailon del Diablo ("Devil's Cauldron") is a powerful waterfall reached by trails and viewing platforms, and the Casa del Arbol swing nearby gives a view over the valley with the Tungurahua volcano beyond. It is a dramatic cloud-forest viewpoint area.
Cajas National Park
The Cajas National Park near Cuenca is a high paramo of hundreds of glacial lakes above 3,800 metres. Viewpoints along the road and the trails frame the lakes, the rocky moorland and the cushion plants of the high Andes. The stark, watery landscape is utterly different from the volcanic cones of the central highlands.
Mitad del Mundo
At the equator north of Quito, the Mitad del Mundo monument marks latitude zero. The viewpoint from the monument tower looks out over the surrounding valley and the volcanic peaks, with the symbolic line of the equator below. It combines a geographic landmark with a fine highland panorama.
Galapagos viewpoints (Bartolome)
In the Galapagos Islands, the climb to the viewpoint on Bartolome Island gives the classic Galapagos vista: the Pinnacle Rock rising from a turquoise bay, volcanic cones and lava flows, and the surrounding islands. The barren volcanic landscape and the clear Pacific make it one of the most iconic viewpoints in the archipelago.
Explore on the map
From the cone of Cotopaxi to the crater lake of Quilotoa and the heights above Quito, every viewpoint above is plotted on the interactive map. Use it to see which require a volcano climb or paramo hike, which are cable-car summits or crater rims, and plan a route along Ecuador's Avenue of the Volcanoes.