Ibarra City

UTN

FECYT

Ibarra City

By Alexandra Farinango.

Ibarra is a colonial city in Ecuador about 2 hours north of Quito if you take the direct route along the well maintained Pan American Highway. The trip may take even less time now that the Pan American is being widened from the city and south to Otavalo.

This north Ecuador city is known as the ‘White City’ because of its many stately white-painted colonial buildings and homes, or so I’ve often been told. I’ve wondered about this because there are also many buildings that are not white. Just the other day I heard a new explanation for the city’s label.

The treatment that led to the end of the pandemic was to paint the outside of all the city’s buildings and tree bases with a white solution of lime that resisted the plague.

I find it’s a great place to visit if you want a true taste of city life in Ecuador that is off the beaten path. I can go there and feel like an ordinary citizen, without beggars or touts clamoring to part me from my cash.

Hotel Ajavi – swimming pool, sauna, turco, Jacuzzi and massage room

Other attractions are the many restaurants specializing in local and international cuisine, bars, discos and a para-gliding club. Several hotels have spas where you can swim, soak in a Jacuzzi or enjoy a massage, all for a very nominal fee.

Ibarra is a market town and the main market day is Saturday, when the large produce market area overflows with an abundance of fruit, vegetables, staple goods and products of all kinds.

Other Places of Interest Nearby

Caranqui – a few kilometers south of Ibarra is a small village with historical interest. It is the birthplace of Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, and the site of several Inca ruins and a museum/temple of the sun to Atahualpa.

Laguna Yahuarcocha is a few kilometers from Ibarra. There is a race track around the lake, as well as restaurants and hostels. It’s a pleasant way to spend the day.