Beyond the storied charm and colonial trappings of Quito’s Old Town, there is plenty more to explore in the Ecuadorian capital. Given its dramatic topography, Metropolitan Quito spans 17 different ecosystems. Wedged in a valley between volcanoes, it made sense to the Incas and Spanish as a crucial trading route between mountain passes. But today, it seems an unlikely location for such a rapidly expanding metropolis. Hemmed in by steep slopes, this city of 3 million people stretches for 60km in length, but is just 6kms wide, spilling into nearly 200 ravines.  Its quirky geographical layout has given rise to a jigsaw of distinct neighbourhoods or barrios, each with their own character. 

Travelling with Ecuador to Viva Expeditions, I spent a couple of nights experiencing what the locals call the “hyper-centre” of Quito, staying in the modern, glassy central city neighbourhood of La Carolina. It’s a conspicuously more moneyed area. The New Town feels like a world away from the Old Town, projecting the aspirations of Ecuador’s wealthy middle-class and the stomping ground of oil executives and the city’s growing ranks of ambitious young professionals. My bubbly local guide Vanessa led me to the sprawling park that the barrio takes its name from. Parque La Carolina is to Quito what Central Park is to New York. An enormous oasis of green spanning 165 acres, the city swarms with happy families and loved-up couples on the weekends, snacking from the street food stalls, paddle-boating, picnicking and playing volleyball and football. It was entertaining to sample this snapshot of local life. 

 Best of all, La Carolina’s Botanic Gardens which unfurl a showcase of Ecuador’s varied native habitats, from the high-altitude Andean grasslands, cloud forests, wetlands and Amazonian jungle. I loved orchid greenhouse, the towering cacti garden and the climate-controlled Amazonian greenhouse is particularly engrossing with its carnivorous plants. Vanessa also led me through a display of powerful and hallucinogenic plants, widely used by shamans. They are dangerous in the wrong hands. One example was Angel’s Trumpets, closely related to the Devil’s Trumpets datura plants. Its exuberant beauty belies its toxic nature. Vanessa explained that many rural mothers will still use the plants to help their babies go to sleep – under the guidance of shamans.  

We also jaunted to the nearby National Museum. Among its beautifully presented collection of artifacts from the 20 indigenous cultures across Ecuador, I gazed in awe at exquisite ceramic sculptures and relics reaching back 14,000 years.  Highlights include arrowheads from Ecuador’s first nomadic hunter-gatherers, golden sun masks used in burial, and 6000-year-old pottery from the Valdivia people. They were the first known people to produce ceramics in the Americas. The history is head-spinning. 

For more cultural riches, head to Capilla del Hombre & Guayasamín Museum. Translating as the Chapel of Man, this an awe-inspiring cultural space was envisioned by Ecuador’s legendary artist, Oswaldo Guayasamín. This monumental museum is dedicated to the struggles, resilience, and spirit of Latin American people, reflected in Guayasamín’s powerful paintings and sculptures. 

If you’re visiting on the weekend, Quito’s top hotels lay on decadent buffet lunches. It’s a fiendishly popular treat for many locals. I grazed heartily from the expansive array of hot and cold dishes at one of the Sunday buffet lunch star-performers, JW Marriott Hotel. It’s also a dream opportunity to treat your taste buds to a gastronomic adventure with a spree of signature Ecuadorian dishes, including their amazing seafood; delicious green plantain soup; encebollado (fish stew); fritada (fried chunks of pork, served with hominy), and I also adored locro de papas (potato soup with avocado and cheese.) 

My swanky roost in the hyper-centre was Go Hotel Quito. Swathed in a vertical garden, the hotel’s interior and architectural design was inspired by the natural beauty of the Andean landscapes, brimming with local art, colours, and textures. Ramping up its elemental appeal, head up to the 17th floor and the roof-top Panecillo Restaurant, for the best view in town. (The lavish buffet breakfast is worth getting out of bed for, too!)   

As I perked myself up on the finest Ecuadorian coffee, the stupendous wraparound panorama vividly reaffirms Quito’s epic topography. Stepping outside on the roof terrace, Pichincha Volcano was brooding on the horizon, just west of the city centre, sporting a fresh skiff of snow. A pinkish haze bathed the city as curious cloud and mist formations rolled downed the volcano’s slopes, dispersing as fast as they arrived. Minutes later, bulging clouds barrelled in, and a torrential rain shower drenched the city, like a firehose being turned on. The clouds parted – and the radiant sunlight emerged again. It’s all part of Quito’s ethereal, mysterious charm. 

If you have a head for heights, take a ride on the cable car, TeleferiQo, that climbs 2.5km from the lower slopes of Pichincha, up to the 4100-metre-high lookout. It’s one of the world’s highest cable car rides, best done early morning before the clouds roll in. For the extra-adventurous, the ride is a launch-pad for the 4km round-trip hike to the summit of this sleeping volcano, a further 600 metres up from the lookout.   

As you may know, Quito is super close to the equator, the inspiration for the nation’s name.  25km north of the city, take a jaunt to the “middle of the world”, La Mitad del Mundo. The stone monument, topped with a brass globe, houses a viewing platform and quirky museum, honouring the equatorial line. If you really want to, you can balance an egg on its tip as a polar magnetic trick, or stand with one foot in the northern and southern hemispheres.  

The equatorial line’s positioning was determined by the French Geodesic Mission in 1736, which is where the monument is sited. However, somewhat awkwardly, GPS data proves that the placement of the line is 240 metres off-beam. One job, Hugo! Curiously, there’s a nearby archaeological site that sits exactly on the equatorial line – the pre-Inca Catequilla hilltop site of the Quito people. It’s believed this was an ancient astronomical observatory. Now crowned with a monument, it’s the more accurate alternative! 

Viva Expeditions know Ecuador inside-out. You’ll enjoy premium, meaningful travel experiences, with a down-to-earth approach. You’ll meet local people, experience authentic food and culture and stay in superb, distinctive accommodation. Viva’s 24/7 on-the-ground local support with their superb partners, Metropolitan Touring. Explore Ecuador and beyond with New Zealand’s proven experts in travel to South America. www.vivaexpeditions.com 

Throughout my entire trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos, I always felt safe, welcome and secure. Like any major city, opportunist street crime can occur in Quito. But your guide and hotel will happily flag with you any trouble-spot areas to avoid, particularly at night. In busy tourist areas, I would turn my backpack into frontpack. Don’t flash your smart phone around. Tuck it away, after taking photos. And leave your wallet at the hotel – just take a credit card and some dollars, so it’s flat in your pocket. Pack your travel smarts and you will be absolutely fine in this truly magnificent city. 

Explore the world with the trusted name in travel insurance, Cover-More Travel Insurance, which has you covered with added safeguards, over and above the typical travel cover, for the likes of medical treatment. In addition to single-trip cover, multi-trip annual cover is another great option, wherever you want to go. Check out the full range of protections and tailor the level of cover to your requirements. Cover-More’s 24 hour global assistance centre is just a phone call away. www.covermore.co.nz 

Jet your way to Ecuador with LATAM. Latin America’s leading airline group connects Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with the world, including direct flights from Auckland to Santiago, with onward connections to Quito. www.latam.com 

Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s resident traveller and can be heard every week at 11.20am on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.