Cuenca (Cuenca) - the capital of the province of Aswan, the third largest city of Ecuador .It is located in the Ecuadorian Andes at an altitude of 2530 meters above sea level between the Eastern and Western Cordilleras .According to one version, the name of the city comes from the Spanish "hollow, hollow" .According to another version, the name is translated as "valley, river basin", which is also quite true, because the relief features create the Amazon river basin - Yuankai, Tariki, Tomebamba and Machangara .In addition, Cuenca is surrounded on all sides by picturesque mountains, whose passes are located in the south, west and east .
All of Ecuador - from 83 900 rubles per person + flight. Routes "Immersion in culture" and "Living nature" - for sophisticated tourists! Cruises to the Galapagossa and the Amazon for real adventurers. Russian speaking guides and spetstarif for the flight! All of Latin America!
Ecuador is a classic with a visit to the Galapagos Islands
Tours to Ecuador in combination with Latin American countries
Tours to Ecuador: rest at the best thermal resorts
Cruises on the Amazon, the Galapagos Islands, dive cruises
How to get here
In Cuenca, it's easiest to get by plane (though, with a change to local airlines) - you can fly here with a flight from Guyakil (ticket price about $ 65), or from Quito (this will cost about $ 80). In both directions there are direct flights from Moscow, their cost is about 40 thousand rubles. From Cuenca airport it is possible for $ 0, 25 to leave on any bus - they all pass through the tourist center. Take a taxi to either end of the city - $ 2.
By rail, the road from Quito to Cuenca takes about 9 hours, from Guayaquil - 4 hours. Roads passing through Cuenca are marked as N-320 (Ventura-Guadalajara-Cuenca-La-Hineta) and N-420 Cordoba-Cuenca-Tarragona.
Search for air tickets to the city of Quito (the nearest airport to Cuenca (Ecuador))
Climate
The Mediterranean climate of Ecuador is not harsh, tourists come here all year long, without fear of large temperature changes and surprises of nature. The average temperature during the year varies from +21 ° C to +18 ° C during the day, at night - from +10 ° C to +7 ° C. There are two seasons in Cuenca: wet and dry. The wet season lasts from January to June, with the strongest rains from March to May. The dry period lasts from July to December.
A bit of history
In its current appearance, the city of Cuenca was founded by X .R Dawalosom in 1557 g ., when it was named "Santa Anda de los cuatro rios de Cuenca" .However, these places were inhabited much earlier: the first documentary mention of this place is dated 784 g .However, there is an opinion that the city found the Roman times: in the year 500 AD .e .Indians of the Kanyari founded here the settlement of Guangpodeleg, "land as big as heaven" .And during the Incas, the city was conquered and renamed Tomebamba .Since then, the city managed to survive many shocks, to visit both Muslim and Catholic .In 1999, Cuenca was declared a world cultural heritage and is now protected by UNESCO .
Sources and treatment in Cuenca
Cuenca is famous for its hot springs. Far to go will not have to, they are located almost at the city limits. Several complexes have been built here, in which a full range of therapeutic, relaxing courses, as well as "beauty procedures", including SPA-procedures, massage and hydro-massage, is produced. There are several swimming pools for adults and children here.
Book Popular Hotels in Cuenca (Ecuador) at the best prices
| Hotel Oro Verde Cuenca from 7 018 rubles Cuenca Av. Ordoñez Laso s / n Prolongacion Av.3 de Noviembre | Hotel Boutique Santa Lucia from 6 464 rubles Cuenca Borrero 8-44 Y Sucre | Rioné Hotel Boutique from 3 201 rub. Cuenca Luis Moreno Mora y Eduardo Malo |
| Mansion Alcazar from 7,141 rubles Cuenca Bolívar 12-55 y Tarqui | Hotel Casa San Rafael from 3 509 rubles Cuenca Bolívar 5-05 y Mariano Cueva | Hotel Presidente from 3 201 rub. Cuenca Gran Colombia 6-59 y Presidente Borrero |
| Hotel Cuenca from 2 032 rubles Cuenca Borrero 10-69 Y Gran Colombia | Hotel 4 mundos from 2 463 rubles Cuenca Benigno Malo 10-70 entre Gran Colombia y La Mar | Casa de las Rosas from 3 140 rub. Cuenca Manuel Vega y Sangurima |
| Hotel Milan from 2 463 rubles Cuenca Presidente Cordoba 989 | Hotel Cordero from 4 679 rubles Cuenca Simón Bolívar 6-50 y Presidente Borrero | Hotel España from 3 017 rub. Cuenca Gaspar Sangurima 1-17 |
Souvenirs Kuenki
Cuenca is famous for its Panama Shyam. And each of them - not just a small straw hat, but a whole work of art, which simply can not be removed as a souvenir to commemorate the rest here. In addition, these places are famous for jewelry made of silver, ceramics, fine embroideries. And not far from Cuenca is the town of Chordeleg, famous for its chasers for gold and silver.
Entertainment, sightseeing and sightseeing Kuenki
Cuenca is famous for its amazing architectural monuments of the colonial era, made of local marble. The most famous of them are the Cathedral of the Catedral de La Inmaculada-Concepción under the magnificent azure domes, the church of San Sebastian, the convent and the Convento de Las Conceptas church, the monastery of Carmen de la Asuncion, the cathedral of San Francisco on of the same name, as well as the equally charming squares of Risoletta del Carmen or Plaza de Las Flores.
There are many museums in Cuenca, and each of them is of interest to the tourist interested in art and history .Private Ethnographic Museum is rich in rare exhibits of the Mayan and Incas epochs .The Museum of the Central Bank is famous for its exposition on the history of pre-Columbian America .The Museum of Las Concepas, located in the hospital of the Immaculada Concepcion convent, presents a magnificent collection of religious art from the 17th to 19th centuries .It will be equally interesting to visit the museum De-Art Populares in the old mansion Centro-Interamericano de Atezanyas-i-Artes-Populares, where the richest collection of applied art from practically the entire continent is being exhibited .
Near the city, in the district of Kanyaris, are the ruins of Tomebamba - the ancient settlement of these places - the largest center of ethnographic geological excavations in Ecuador. No less popular is the Inca fortress Ingapirka, 50 km north of Cuenca - once a major political and religious center turned by the Incas into a ceremonial castle and military fortification.
Not far from Cuenca is El-Qayas - a country of 200 lakes and lagoons, a picturesque place and at the same time quite secluded. Northeast of the city are the colorful settlements of Gualaseo and Khorteg, famous for their artists and craftsmen.