On Top of Quito

While visiting grandma in Quito, we took a trip up the Teleferico.
This is a glass cable car ride that takes one from 9,415 feet to 13,450 feet in approximately 10 minutes. The aerial lift ride offers exquisite views of the “City of the Heavens” aka Quito,as well as the surrounding farmlands, the Pichincha Volcanoes, and of the 2nd highest active volcano in the world; Cotopaxi. Reports say that the Spectacled Bear of the Andes still live in the volcano lands and can sometimes be seen from the teleferico.
At the top, there is an extensive hiking trail that takes you up to the peaks of the volcanoes, the signs say that the trail is difficult and takes approximately 5 hours. That certainly wasn’t an option for us with the high altitude and our very young kids, but I’m sure it would be quite the adventure for the hiking and trekking crowds.

On a clear day, or even in a clear moment, you have the opportunity to View the Ruca de Pichincha and Cotopaxi Volcanoes.

3,000 feet about Quito, the city is silent and the mountainside is serene.

Looking out the windows of the glass cable car in Quito’s teleferico.

A short path at the top of the Volcanoes is bathed in colorful bricks.

The views from the city from up in the Teleferico.

The Ruca de Pichincha can be tough to catch without cloud cover!

Literally moments later, full cloud cover enveloped the Volcano Point.

Cotopaxi is notoriously difficult to photograph due the the unstable weather condition surrounding it.

Playing high about the city!

Fun in the Volcanic highlands.

The kids really enjoyed playing the cool and breezy highlands, they had little interest in the city below and only wanted to investigate nature!