Straight, first-hand guides to the city we call home: where to stay and how safe it feels, how to handle the altitude, the best day trips from our door, and how to fit Quito around a Galápagos flight or a month of remote work.
Neighborhood
Is it safe? What is walkable? A local guide to San Juan, the residential balcony above Quito’s historic center.
Read the guide ~9 min readAltitude & hiking
Quito sits at 2,850 m. A practical, day-by-day plan to acclimatize before Rucu Pichincha, Cotopaxi and the Avenue of the Volcanoes.
Read the guide ~8 min readDay trips
Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, Otavalo, Mindo, Papallacta and more: drive times, real costs and tour-versus-self-drive advice from a host who lives here.
Read the guide ~9 min readGalápagos
Airport logistics, the transit-control card, the national-park fee and a realistic 24–48 hour Quito plan around your island flight.
Read the guide ~7 min readHospital stays
Walking and taxi distances from our door to HCAM, Eugenio Espejo, Metropolitano and five more clinics, with practical advice for patient families.
Read the guide ~7 min readRemote work
Fiber Wi-Fi, a real desk and a US-friendly time zone. What Quito is like as a workation base, power cuts included.
Read the guide ~7 min readViewpoints
El Panecillo, the giant letters at Itchimbía, the TelefériQo and Guápulo: the safe way up each lookout and the morning window when Quito’s sky is actually clear.
Read the guide ~8 min readMarkets & food
Which market to pick for lunch, where to buy souvenirs and how to handle San Roque, from hosts who live up the hill in San Juan.
Read the guide ~8 min readVolcano hike
The peak you see from San Juan is a half-day away. How to ride the TelefériQo, hike Rucu Pichincha and get up safely, from hosts who live on its slope.
Read the guide ~8 min read