Quito - September 2025

  Using frequent flier points, we started with a long  (20+ hour) flight itinerary from Northern California to Charlotte to Miami and, finally, to Quito. Our Quito stay was at the JW Marriott in Quito. JW is a luxury Marriott brand and the hotel room, facilities and staff were terrific.  During our stay, we enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the Marriott's Botanica Restaurant. 

Quito is at 9,500 feet elevation, so during our stay we took time to acclimate to the higher altitude. This meant moderate length walks and taking stairs slowly.

La Carolina Park

Day 1: We had arranged to arrive in Quito a day before our actual tour started. After a leisurely breakfast, we took a morning walk through the Jardin Botanical de Quito. This garden displayed plants from the many Ecuador growing zones, orchids to cactus. There was also a Bonsai garden with several displays of miniature trees, some over 50 years old. 

Walking back to the JW Marriott, we stopped at a supermarket in the upscale Mall El Jardin to purchase Paccari chocolate - a high quality specialty of Ecuador. After lunch, we took a taxi to La Mariscal Artisian Craft market. While many market vendors were present, we noticed that many were selling similar items. We  purchased a few key chains and some coca candy and leaves to help us deal with Peru's high altitude.

Day 2: The next day, at 9am, we had a full day tour of Quito hosted by our local tour guides arranged by Celebrity Cruises. Our first stop was the Virgin of Panecillo at the top of El Panecillo. This 131 foot statue was designed and built by the Spanish sculpture Agustin de la Hirran Matorras. This statue is made of 7,400 plates of aluminum.

Iglesia Católica San Francisco

We continued our tour to the historic downtown area, visiting the Church and Convent of St. Francis. 

Figures Depicting Construction Myth

Plaza de San Francisco

Plaza De La Independecia

Buffet Lunch at Convento San Augustin

After lunch, the tour made its way to The Museum at the Equator, Intinan Museum, in Quito. This museum has interpretive and cultural displays and hands-on demonstrations showing the effects of being at the Equator. We were shown how a raw egg can be balanced on a nail head at the equator and the way in which water drains in opposing directions on either side of the equator. 

Day 2 was a full touring day and we returned tired to the JW Marriott but with new understandings about Ecuador. We needed to be ready the next morning for our departure to Baltra and start of our Galapagos adventure. 

Balancing an Egg on a Nail Head is Challenging!

Our 6:30pm group dinner was at La Gloria, a local restaurant featuring Peruvian dishes with an Ecuadorian focus. It was a great way to meet and socialize with our fellow 90 or so travelers. The next morning, we boarded a charter flight from Quito to Baltra to start our Galapagos week-long visit.