Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Macas, Ecuador, America

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Macas, Ecuador, America

Macas is the capital city of the province of Morona Santiago in Ecuador situated between latitude 02°22′00″ in the south and longitude 78°08′00″ in the west. Macas is renowned for its agricultural activities and major products grown in Macas include sugarcane, papaya, coffee, bananas and yucca. Tourism is also gradually developing in recent years with adventure activities such as jungle trekking, rafting and hiking.

Geography of Macas:

Macas is located in the Upano Valley east of Andes Mountains 1,050 meters above sea level. Macas is spread over an area of 56.9 sq. km. situated around 330 km southeast of Quito (national capital) and 445 km east of the Guayaquil (country’s largest city).

History of Macas:

Macas was initially founded as Sevilla del Oro by Spanish captain Juan Villanueva Maldonado in 1538 and re-founded in 1599 as Macas. Macas became the capital of Morona Santiago province in the year 1929.

Connectivity to Macas:

Macas is connected with neighboring cities Puyoin and Riobamba through road in the north and west sides respectively. Buses are regular for local travel and also tourists can hire a car or bike for local travel at any of the travel agencies of the city. Advance booking is offered.

Macas is situated around 25 km away from its closest airport Sucua Airport and Mendez Airport is placed around 70 km away from the heart of Macas city.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Macas:

Macas is home to the settlements of Shuar and Macabea people and also there are many guided tour operators accessible for tourists to explore indigenous sites and traditional handicrafts are very cheaper.

There are many seafood and Chinese restaurants in Macas including La Maravilla and Swiss Bistro Cumanda.

Things to do in Macas:

Jungle trekking
Rafting
Tour to indigenous communities
Sightseeing

Places of interest in Macas:

Sangay National Park:

Sangay National Park covers 5,177.65 km² area of the provinces of Morona Santiago, Tungurahua and Chimborazo. It was established in 1979 and it gained a place in UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1983. The notable things in the park include the active volcanoes of Tungurahua and Sangay and the park is home to diverse species of animals such as mountain tapirs, spectacled bears, Brazilian tapirs, white-tailed deer and Andean foxes and around 400 bird species.

Virgin Prisma Church:

Virgin Prisma Church locally called Iglesia del Virgen Purisima is a beautifully constructed church in Macas. The surrounding environment is nice.

Shuara:

Shuara is a town inhabited by indigenous people and tourists can visit the town independently or can take guided tours for easy exploration and to learn fully on local culture.

Other places of interest near Macas include:

Sigor Travel Jungle Day Tours
Lakes of Ozogoche
The Devil’s Nose
Tren Turistico Tren del Hielo
Altar Mountain
Market Guamote

Best time to visit Macas:

Throughout the year is best to visit Macas, especially summer months are ideal for outdoor activities.

Accommodation options in Macas:

Macas is a perfect site for nature and adventure sport lovers. There are many eco lodges, guest houses, lodges and hotels in Macas and visitors can also refer neighboring city hotels for more comfort. List of prominent hotels in and around Macas is as follows: