Hola! I’m Patricia and I’m from Cuenca, Ecuador. Traveling is a huge passion of mine! I have lived abroad in: The USA (where I did my senior high school exchange year), France (where I studied Commerce and French Literature), Italy, Argentina and my most recent experience was in Australia (where I did my Postgraduate degree in Business and Marketing). I’ve had the opportunity to visit several countries around the world, getting to know their culture, heritage, and languages. I’ve visited most countries in Latin America and I’ve explored a big part of my beautiful country, Ecuador. I’ve been very lucky!
Highlights of Cuenca in a Turibus
I was born and raised in Cuenca, located in the south of Ecuador, and I thought I have seen most of the corners on my beloved city but I have never seen it from a Turibus, and it actually was a complete different experience and totally recommended. I few friends of mine told me that one of the best ways to discover the south of Cuenca was to do it in a Turibus, so I went with my brother and my little niece to check it out.
The tour starts in the historical center, declared as Heritage of the Humanity by UNESCO in 1999. You depart from Calderon Park, one of the most beautiful parks of the city, filled with fountains, gardens, and shaded by trees and palm trees. Then you pass by San Sebastian park, surrounded by balconies with amazing architectural and colorful details in iron and woodwork. You take ´Calle Larga´Street, passing by the traditional Panama Hat Museum, it’s one of Cuenca´s six factories where all the hats are being molded, bleached, and finished.
You get to pass by the Pumapungo Ruins, it is an archaeological park, inside there were the Temple of the Sun and the Convent of the Virgins of the Sun, which were part of the ancient Inca empire. After crossing the Tomebamba river going from the old town to the modern part of the city you go by ´Las Herrerias Street´ where you can see artists in the area and the famous wrought iron pieces they sell. Then you pass by the Yanuncay river, one of the 4 rivers that surround Cuenca, the other 3 are the rivers of Tomebamba, Tarqui and Machangara.
The tour finishes up in the hill, at the Turi viewpoint where you can get a stunning view of the whole city, it´s the best view you can get! You can also go shopping at the Turi market and get some lovely souvenirs of your visit to Cuenca, which in my humble and personal opinion, is the most beautiful city of Ecuador.
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Top 3 activities | |
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Pumapungo Ruins |   |
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Panama Hat Museum in Calle Larga Street |  |
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Turi Viewpoint |  |
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Top 3 restaurants | |
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Los Molinos del Batan |  |
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Tiestos | |
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El Raimipamba | |
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Nightlife | |
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Bar la Parola | |
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Travalas Friendly |  |
Favorite travel quote
‘You learn so much from traveling, it’s like an open book, the memories will stay with you forever and the best part is that nobody can take that away from you.’
