Ambato Tourist Places to Visit in Ambato, Ecuador, America

Ambato Tourist Places to Visit in Ambato, Ecuador, America

Ambato is a city located in the Tunguruhua province of Ecuador at an altitude of 2,500 meters, around 130 km south of the capital of Ecuador, Quito and 270 km northeast of the largest city of Ecuador, Guayaquil. With a population of 180,000 (as of the 2010 National Census), Ambato is the 10^th most populous city in Ecuador. Ambato is popularly called by different names such as ‘Garden of Ecuador’, ‘Cradle of the Three Juans’ and ‘City of Flowers and Fruit’.

Geography of Ambato:

Ambato coordinates with 1°14′30″ S latitude and 78°37′11″ W longitude and covers an area of 48.3 sq. km. Ambato is situated in the central Andean valley on the banks of the River Ambato.

History of Ambato:

Ambato city was formed on 6 December 1698, once it was completely destroyed on 5 August 1949 by an earthquake. Ambato was the home town of the three national icons of Ecuador, Juan Montalvo, Juan León Mera and Juan Benigno Vela.

How to reach Ambato?

Chachoan Airport is the nearest airport to Ambato but it is not used for commercial service. So the closest major airport to Ambato is Cotopaxi International Airport situated around 45 km away from the heart of Ambato.

There are regular buses running between Ambato and other major Ecuadorian cities like Quito (2.5 hours) and Cuenca (6 hours). From Banos, it takes 1 hour to reach Ambato by bus.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Ambato:

Ambato is especially known for the celebration Festival of Fruits and Flowers which is one of the major festivals of Ecuador.

Other than parks and museums, Ambato is also famous for traditional and modern shopping centres and the list of major food corners in Ambato include:

Saxon Grill
Parrilladas el Gaucho
la Fornace
Cuatemoc Tex Mex Restaurante

Things to do in Ambato:

Parks
Museums
Colonial houses
Cathedral
Regional events

Tourist Attractions in Ambato:

Parque Juan Montalvo:

Parque Juan Montalvo is the major landmark as well as a tourist attraction of Ambato situated in the heart of the city. It was established in 1905, designed by Pedro Durini (local artist) and named in the honor of Juan Montalvo who was a renowned local writer.

Quinta Juan León Mera:

Quinta Juan León Mera is the residence of writer, Juan León Mera constructed in the year 1874. Tourists can spot more than 257 species of flowers in the garden of the house and also can come across well preserved colonial furniture and paintings in the house.

La Catedral:

La Catedral is the identity of Ambato placed across the street from Parque Juan Montalvo. It was initially constructed in 1689 and was rebuilt several times after the repeated damage by earthquakes and the current structure of the church was built in 1954.

Other places of interest near Ambato include:

Central Library
Parque Cevallos
Parque de la Familia
Miraflores
Atocha
Ingahurco
Laguna Kilotoa
Tierra Zero Tours
Mall de los Andes

Best time to visit Ambato:

Throughout the year is best, especially the month of February will be ideal to visit Ambato while the Festival of Fruits and Flowers is celebrated grandly.

Accommodation options in Ambato:

Ambato is a garden city housing numerous reputed hotels serving guests with lots of love and care with tourist favor facilities and services. The prominent hotels in and around Ambato are as follows: