Visiting The Middle Of The World

By alantvuong on March 28, 2020

As part of our South American trip in the summer of 2015, not only did me and 3 friends get a chance visit Machu Picchu and TeleferiQo gondola ride, we also visited the middle of the world. The Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (Middle Of The World City) is located in Quito, Ecuador; where the country takes the name from the word equator.

heading in

Getting There

There are tour bus and regular transit bus options to get to Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, but our main mode of travel has been taxi since it is quite cheap in Quito. We opted for the taxi option and my buddies just transferred me to the front seat as usual. We mainly have been travelling at a slower pace, never had any set plans and was just going with the flow for the entire South American trip.

line separating the North and South hemisphere

What’s There

Once we arrived by taxi, we noticed The Middle Of The World City really is like a mini city. There are surrounding shops and restaurants too. It is quite huge and features 17 attractions:

Llamingo’s Farm
Equatorial Monument
7 Unique Museums: Chiquitus, Ecuador, France, Guayasamin, Beer, Virgin’s and Colonial Quito Museum
Planetarium
4 Different Squares: Cocoa, Central, Fish and Cultural Square
Chapel
Train Station
Ancestral Housing

When we went, there was no fee into this city, but as of 2018, tourists pay $5 USD for adults, while children, disabled guests and seniors pay only $2.50. We didn’t get a chance to see every single attraction here, but here are the main highlights of our visit.

Central Square where they host events

The Monument To The Equator

The Equatorial Monument is the main attraction of this place, and its main purpose is to showcase the exact location of the equatorial line. This is a popular spot and is a great place for some cool photos. I was able to be pose so that I was in both the Northern and the Southern hemisphere, how neat is that?

at the middle of the earth

Once we enter the tower, we were greeted by a virtual host, who spoke in both English and Spanish. There were cool displays and other interactive games and booths to check out on the main floor. Lucky there was an elevator to get to the upper section of the monument. There were more things to learn and check out here and there is even an outdoor area where we can check out the views of the entire park.

virtual host greeting us inside

nice view from the top

The Rest Of The Park

We didn’t really check out much of the museums because my friends were wanting to stay outside in the nice weather. We peeked into the Planetarium really quick but did not stay long enough for photos. The park itself was pretty wheelchair accessible and there were some cool art and sculptures to look at.

some cool art

another cool sculpture

Ecuadorian Favorite

After checking out Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, we went for a late lunch nearby. We wanted some traditional Ecuadorian food and had to try guinea pig. All 4 of us love trying new and different foods and were very curious to have some barbecued cuy (guinea pig). It was barbecued whole and we all shared 1 whole cuy. The meat was kinda rubbery and had a strong gamey smell and taste I only ate a little bit and thought it wasn’t that tasty but am definitely glad to have the experience.

barbecued guinea pig

ready to dig in

Overall, all 4 of us enjoyed visiting Ciudad Mitad del Mundo to check out the middle of the world. We stayed only about 2 hours because we didn’t check out everything at this tourist attraction. I think 4 to 6 hours is needed to really thoroughly enjoy this park. With great accessibility and cheap entry, I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone.