Parque de la Alameda

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With the summer sun beating down on Quito, its parks are a great escape from the heat and bustle of the city. To take the escape capsule a step further, we suggest you board one of the city parks' rowing boats or pedalos. What better way to cool down than to trail a hand in the water, ice-cream in hand, while someone else does all the hard work?

The parks to head to for aquatic escapades are La Alameda and La Carolina. La Alameda is the oldest open space in Quito, located between the Old Town and the Mariscal District (a bit more to the south of El Ejido park if you're coming from the north). It was once known by the Andean Indians as ""Chuquihuada"" meaning the point of a lance in Quichua, due to its shape which tapers to a point to the south. It extends over six hectares (14 acres). On its northern side, there's a small lake and a boating circuit where you can rent row boats or pedalos.

La Carolina is northern Quito's main park, extending over 67 hectares (166 acres), a wonderful open space for some aquatic fun. The boating area lies to the southeast corner, close to the Botanical Gardens and Natural Sciences Museum, easily reached from Avenida de la Rep£blica, Avenida Amazonas or Avenida de los Shyris.

Boat hire costs between $1-1.50 for half-an-hour at both parks.