The Itchimbia Park is situated at the top of the slope of the Ichimbia hill, located in Quito’s Historic Centre. It borders the neighbourhoods of El Dorada, San Blas and La Tola.
At an altitude of 2,900 meters, the park is deemed as a naturally formed lookout point since it offers a fantastic view of the Quito Historic Centre, Pichincha Volcano, the modern city and the summit of Cayambe.
Although it is a natural setting, there was a reconstruction phase to make the park what it is today. To do this, they had to move the families who lived there to new locations beforehand.
In total, Itchimbia Park consists of 54 hectares, split up into 6,489 square metres of green land and 1,200 square metres of equipment for the whole community to use.
How Do You Get There?
If you are already in Quito, you have four options; the bus, a car, a taxi or your own two feet.
Travelling By Car
The car journey from the middle of Quito to Itchimbia Park takes roughly 20 minutes. It is likely that you don’t have a car while you are here, however, if you have rented one then you can enjoy an 8.8km drive.
Travelling By Taxi
The taxi ride will take around 20 minutes and won’t cost you more than two or three dollars. This is a great alternative if you haven’t rented a car.
Travelling By Bus
Buses leave from El Centro and will take you up to the top of the hill.
Travelling On Foot
If you are up for a nice little trek, then you might like to take your time and walk up the hill to Itchimbia Park. From the centre of Quito, it will take you approximately an hour and a half (7.1km).
What Is There to See and Do?
Here at Itchimbia Park, you will be able to discover 400 species of flowers and 40 different types of birds. You can find a beautiful wetland area within the park too! Not to mention the different trees you can explore including species such as arrayan, quishuar, pumamaqui, alamo and capuli.
Itchimbia Park with the Crystal House
The major tourist attraction here is the Itchimbia Cultural Center, otherwise known as the Crystal House which is built from a metal framework and glass panels. Within this building, a lot of events take place from a variety of entertaining shows (muppets, painting workshops, yoga classes), cultural information and an art gallery which has permanent exhibits and seasonal ones too.
There are 146 parking spaces (so your car is in safe hands should you choose to drive yourself there), along with 2.4 kilometres of pathways to meander along.
If your passion lies with sports and physical activities more than perusing fine art and natural displays, then you should visit Itchimbia Park for its wide selection of sports courts and forestry for you to jog or trek around.
Don’t worry, you won’t get lost thanks to the plethora of signage and information centres dotted around!
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