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All Ecuador Quito Teleférico Quito

Teleférico Quito

The gondolas let you glimpse a bird's-eye view of one of the world's highest capital cities.

Quito, Ecuador

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A Teleférico cable car hovers over Quito.   Bélica/CC BY 2.0
The view behind the Rucu Pichincha summit  
The city from the Rucu Pichincha Volcano  
View of Quito en route   mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
  vasconcelloscynthia / Atlas Obscura User
  vasconcelloscynthia / Atlas Obscura User
  vasconcelloscynthia / Atlas Obscura User
Nearing the top.   Cara Giaimo / Atlas Obscura User
The base of the Teleférico.   Cara Giaimo / Atlas Obscura User
Suspended above the city.   diego_cue/CC BY-SA 3.0
Tourists enjoying the Teleférico.   Cara Giaimo / Atlas Obscura User
A view of downtown Quito from the Teleférico.   Cara Giaimo / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
A string of gondola cars.   Cara Giaimo / Atlas Obscura User
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About

At more than 9,000 feet above sea level, Quito, Ecuador is already the world's second-highest capital city. But altitude junkies who want to go the extra mile (almost literally!) can head to the edge of the city, to the Teleférico. Step into one of this gondola's six-person cars and you'll be swept up another 3,600 feet along the eastern slope of the Pichincha Volcano.

The base of the Teleférico—also known as the TelefériQo—was originally meant to be a commercial hub, surrounded by malls and restaurants. Most of these plans fell through, but the gondola itself is popular with both tourists and locals, who get a discounted rate.

The walls of the cars are transparent, and as they zoom along, riders look down at hillsides dotted with wildflowers and grazing cows or watch their fellow daredevils enjoying themselves at Vulqano Park. A panoramic view of Quito unfolds farther below.

Once the gondola has reached the top, it's possible to climb even higher: a hiking path leads up to the volcano's summit, and other Andean mountains rise up all around. Or you can take a break at the snack shop, which offers food, coffee, restrooms, and flavored oxygen—another kind of high.

Related Tags

Mountains Transportation Volcanoes Geology

Know Before You Go

The Teleférico's base is a 15-minute walk from the nearest bus stop. It's also accessible via car or taxi. Keep your ticket, as you'll need it to get back down. Those who aren't used to being up so high can suffer from altitude sickness—and even if you've been in Quito for a while, this is a major change. To mitigate the effects, move slowly and drink a lot of water.

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Cara Giaimo

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breaingram, vasconcelloscynthia, mocchiatto, Manta...

  • breaingram
  • vasconcelloscynthia
  • mocchiatto
  • Manta
  • pamc713

Published

August 13, 2018

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Sources
  • https://www.unofficialguide.ph/teleferico/
  • http://www.quitoadventure.com/leisure-ecuador/tourist-attractions-quito/nature/teleferico-quito.html
  • https://www.intltravelnews.com/2013/11/gondola-over-quito
Teleférico Quito
Base del Teleferiqo
Occidental
Quito
Ecuador
-0.192111, -78.519632
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