5 tips for visiting La Mitad del Mundo

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It is estimated that 90 % of the world's population live in the northern hemisphere. Before our big trip, I came closest to the equator in the Maldives on Baros Island and had never visited a country south of the watershed. This changed six months in the Pacific, especially our last minute cruise, where we crossed the equator back to the northern half of the world. Two months later we were in Ecuador directly on the equator of the same name.

la Mitad del Mundo ("The Middle of the World") is located 22 km north of Quito and was declared an official equator line in the 18th century by the geographer and mathematician Charles-Marie de la Condamine. Unfortunately, modern GPS indicates that the real equator is about 300 m north, but this has not reduced the attractiveness of the place. Tourists and locals flock to the monument and the nearby museum on an entertaining day trip from Quito. You should consider the following when you travel to Middle -earth.

1. Get a clear directions from your hostel

get a city map and ask your hostel staff to mark the exact point from which you take the bus to La Mitad del Mundo. After the mythical direct bus we looked up and down the Avenida Amazona, but never found it. Instead, we went to Ofelia train station, from where we took another bus to the monument itself. If you have difficulty finding the direct bus, it may be easier to take one to Ofelia ($ 0.25) and then switch to the bus to La Mitad del Mundo (0.15 USD). The journey takes over an hour and can be overcrowded, but stops right in front of the site. If you have the budget, you can take a taxi instead ($ 15 per route).

2. Be patient and wait for your photo shoot

Yes, it's cheesy, but who doesn't want a picture of you that span the (type) equator? You will surely meet one or two cheeky couples who are wildly determined to make 1,742 supposedly spontaneous selfies, but be patient and wait for your photo shoot. It is worth it, if only to brag about it.

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3. Miss the planetarium

If dodgy graphics and spongy Spanish are their preferred methods to learn something about the universe, then you should definitely flash around. Otherwise you may want to skip the planetarium. Instead, visit the various pavilions that are scattered over the complex to learn more about the nations that Charles-Marie de la Condamine helped to find a mapping of the equator.

also worth a visit are the viewing platform and the ethnographic museum at the top of the monument (3 USD), which offers an interesting insight into the indigenous groups of Ecuador.

4. Don't miss the Museo Intiñan

After leaving the memorial, go a few hundred meters further north - left of the exit - to the Museo Intiñan ($ 4 USD). Here you can do a 30-minute guided tour around the "true equator" and learn something about Ecuador's local culture and customs (shrink heads, someone?).

Visitors are invited to participate in a variety of activities that aim to demonstrate a number of interesting physical phenomena that are unique in the equator region. Unfortunately, this is probably more of a staged entertainment than scientific experiments, since the Coriolis effect has little influence on the direction of the water in our sinks! Nevertheless, the demos are great fun, so do it.

5. Take your passport with

If you like to collect cool stamps all over the world, you may want to take your passport to La Mitad del Mundo. Visitors to the Museo Intiñan can have their passport stamped to prove that they actually visited the middle of the world.

The essentials

was: La Mitad del Mundo, the official (but inaccurate) equator line in Ecuador, followed by a visit to the nearby Museo Intiñan.

Where: San Antonio de Pichincha, 22 km north of Quito. We traveled from the capital, where we stayed in the Quito Backpackers Guesthouse, a cozy, albeit sparse hostel near the historical center. If you are looking for something more lively, book Secret Garden Quito, a busy hostel with a fantastic view of his breakfast bar on the roof.

When: The high season lasts all over Ecuador from mid -June to early September (dry season) and from late December to the beginning of January. The weather in Quito and the surrounding area is pleasant all year round, so you may want to visit it outside of the high season (we were in March and it was wonderful).

like: Take a bus to Ofelia ($ 0.25) and switch to the bus to La Mitad del Mundo (0.15 USD) or take a taxi ($ 15 per route). As mentioned above, we had problems finding the mythical direct bus. So if you catch him, please let us know!

Further information on visiting La Mitad del Mundo can be found in the Lonely Planet Guide to Ecuador.

Mission statement: Atlas & Boots 
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