Ventanillas lookout
On the rim.
Bbb-Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lu latsch — CC BY-SA 3.0 · diego_cue — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Don Henise — CC BY 2.0
A wide dormant volcanic crater north of Quito, where farmers have lived for generations on its floor, working the fertile volcanic soil, so from the rim you see it divided into green and yellow fields edged by rows of trees, ringed by mountain walls and small volcanic peaks. It is one of the few inhabited, farmed craters in the world. The classic place to see it is the Ventanillas lookout on the rim, where the view is complete on a clear morning. Yet its Kichwa name is linked to cloud, and fog often fills the crater after midday, turning the scene into a white sea spilling over the rim. From the lookout, a dirt trail drops to the floor in about half an hour among plants, flowers and birds; the climb back up is harder and longer. On the floor there are small lodges and farms where you can stay. It lies minutes from Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, so the two fit into half a day. Go in the morning before the clouds.
On the rim.
Volcanic farms.
After midday.
Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve, near Ciudad Mitad del Mundo north of Quito
Yes, by a dirt trail from the Ventanillas lookout in about half an hour down; the climb back is longer and harder.