There are many great day trips from Quito, Ecuador. If your visiting Quito and want to get out of the city for a while, I would recommend the following places.
Visit Mindo
If you’re looking for a weekend trip from Quito, I recommend Mindo which is about two hours away. You can get as adventurous as you’d like in Mindo. Whether it’s white water rafting, tubing, hiking, or ziplining. There is a butterfly farm that’s worth visiting. I had to practice a lot of patience while trying to catch a butterfly, but it worked eventually. I would also recommend doing a chocolate and coffee tour. These tours teach you the process of making chocolate or coffee and at the end you get to taste!
Relax at Papallacta Hot Springs
Pappallacta Hot Springs is about an hour away from Quito. There’s a resort called Termas de Papallacta that you can visit. You can spend a night here or only stay for the day. After you check-in, you can test out the different pools that have nice, warm water. There’s also a spa where you can sit in a sauna or book massages. I recommend trying the trout at there restaurant as that’s their specialty.
Hike Quilotoa
This was one of the most difficult hikes I’ve ever done (I’m not much of a hiker), but the view here is beautiful. On this particular hike, you start at the top. You may want to go ahead and get your pictures at the beginning because you may not look so nice afterwards. It takes about 45 minutes to go down to the water and about an hour and a half to hike back up. It’s a short hike, but very steep. You can also have a donkey bring you back up, but I didn’t have the heart to watch them suffer.
Tip: Pack light.
Warning: if it’s windy, you may want a scarf to cover your face from all the dust. I wasn’t prepared at all for this.
Shop at Otavalo
On a Saturday morning, take a day trip from Quito to Otavalo for some shopping. Here you’ll find a plethora of items to buy. It’s a great place to bargain for some souvenirs.
There’s also many fun things to do in Quito!
