How to Visit the TeleferiQo in Quito, Ecuador

Quito’s teleferico is considered one of the highest cable cars in the world and is visited by many tourists every year. In fact, a visit to the TeleferiQo cable car in Quito is one of the best things to do in Ecuador’s capital.

In this blog post you can read about how to get to the TeleferiQo station from Quito’s Historic Centre and the things you can do during your visit.

If you’d like to see what we got up to in Quito, then check out our Quito City Guide video on our YouTube Channel. For more Ecuador videos check out our Ecuador Playlist.

About the TeleferiQo and Pichincha Volcano

Before we get into the details on how to visit the TeleferiQo, let’s look at a brief overview of this popular attraction. Quito’s cable car runs from the northwest edge of the city centre all the way up to a lookout called Cruz Loma on the eastern side of Pichincha Volcano. The cable car only opened in July 2005 and is considered one of the highest in the world.

The starting point is located at 3,117 m (10,226 ft) above sea level and it zips you up to 3,945 m (12,943 ft) at the viewpoint. The 2.2 km long cable car journey takes about 20 minutes.

You may also be wondering about the unusual name: ‘TelefériQo’. It comes from the combination of the Spanish word for cable car, teleférico, and Quito.

The city hugs the eastern slopes of Pichincha Volcano. Pichincha has two main peaks: one called Rucu Pichincha which means “old person”, and the other one is called Guagua Pichincha which means “child/baby”. At 4,784 m (15,696 ft), Guagua Pichincha is the highest of the two.

Rucu Pichincha has a height of 4,698 m (15,413 ft) and is the more popular one to climb since it’s accessible from the TeleferiQo.

How to Visit the TeleferiQo Cable Car in Quito

Public Bus

The cheapest option to get to the TeleferiQo is by public bus. You can hop on either Bus 131 or 131-A departing from La Marin Station (Estacion Playon de la Marin). You’ll need to get off at this bus stop.

From there you’ll have to walk up to the TeleferiQo station which can take around 20 minutes. The walk is uphill, which can feel difficult thanks to the high altitude.

A one way bus ticket is $0.35 USD per person.

Taxi or Uber

The most convenient way to get to the TeleferiQo is either by taxi or Uber. One way from the city centre should cost around $4-5 USD or less.

If you’re opting for a taxi, just make sure to get into an official one which are yellow cabs with orange license plates.

Your taxi driver might only drop you off at the Vulqano Park a little lower down, so you may have to walk the rest of the way up to the cable car station.

Organised Tour

Booking a tour is a great option if you’re short on time or want to meet others during your visit to the TeleferiQo in Quito. You also won’t have to worry about how to get there on your own and many tours combine the visit with other attractions in the city. This tour, for example, includes a visit to the TeleferiQo, Mitad del Mundo and Quito’s Historic Centre.

As always, make sure to check the tour description carefully before booking, so you know what’s included.

TeleferiQo Opening Times and Entry Fee

The TeleferiQo is open between 10AM and 7PM from Monday to Thursday. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday you can visit between 8AM and 7PM. Normally the last entry is at 6PM.

Tickets are $9 USD for adults, $7 USD for anyone under the age of 18 and $6.50 USD for seniors.

Make sure to bring your ID with you because you’ll have to show it when purchasing your ticket. Keep your ticket somewhere safe because you’ll need to show them again at the top when you want to return with the cable car.

Things to Do During Your Visit to the TeleferiQo in Quito

1. Enjoy the TeleferiQo Ride

It’s a pretty obvious one, but the gondola ride itself is a fantastic experience, so make sure to enjoy it. As mentioned above, it takes nearly 20 minutes to get up to Cruz Loma, so sit back and take in the beautiful views of Quito.

You may be lucky enough to get the whole lift to yourself, but you’ll likely end up sharing it with others. We enjoyed having it all to ourselves on the way up, so we could really appreciate the scenery. Nonetheless, on our way down it was also great to have a chat with some fellow travellers.

2. Enjoy the Views of Quito and the Volcanoes

We’re pretty sure that the cable car ride will already treat you to some beautiful views on your way up. However, once you’ve disembarked from the gondola, you can really enjoy them without the glass window in the way .

You can definitely go on a little stroll along the path and enjoy the many viewpoints along the way. If the weather treats you to a clear day, then you can even get to see some of Ecuador’s most recognisable volcanoes such as Cotopaxi and Chimborazo.

3. Swing Above Quito

Ecuador definitely knows where to put some scenic swings. If you’re not already aware of it, there’s a double swing (Columpio en las Nubes) overlooking Quito just a short walk away from the TeleferiQo station.

You might think it’s a bit touristy and cheesy but, trust us, it’s fun to bring out your inner child whilst swinging high above the city on the side of a volcano. Not to mention the fun photos and videos you can create from here.

Note. You might need to queue when you get there, so please be respectful and don’t cut in front of someone. Everyone wants to have some fun swinging. If you have shorter legs like me, you might need someone to give you a little push to get you going as I found the seat to be quite high up.

4. Hike Up to Pichincha Volcano (Rucu Pichincha)

If you love hiking and would like a little challenge, then consider summiting Rucu Pichincha. From Cruz Loma it’s a 9.5 km roundtrip. The summit of the volcano is at 4,698 m (15,413 ft) above sea level. This means that you’ll be gaining nearly 700 m (~2,600 ft) of elevation from the viewpoint. The hike is considered moderate to difficult and weather conditions can definitely make the hike more challenging.

Unfortunately, at the time of our visit Pichincha Volcano was covered in thick fog, so we decided not to do the hike for safety reasons.

Note. Make sure to start your hike earlier in the day to avoid hiking late in the afternoon. Even on TelefriQo’s website the latest suggested time to start hiking is at 11AM. If you can, hike in pairs or with a small group. Robberies aren’t uncommon, although safety has improved in recent years. It’s still better to be safe than sorry in our opinion though.

We only recommend attempting this walk if you’re an experienced hiker, have acclimatised properly and the weather conditions are good. The weather can change quickly in the mountains, so always come prepared and be ready to turn around if needed.

5. Warm Up with a Hot Drink at the Café

You can get pretty chilly during your visit, so before you head back down to the city, why not grab a hot drink and a little treat from the cafe.

Obviously the prices will be much higher here than down in Quito, but you don’t get to have a hot drink on the side of a volcano overlooking one of the world’s highest capital cities every day, do you?

6. Do Something More Adventurous

If you’re after something a little more adrenaline-fueled, then you can consider activities such as paragliding or mountain biking down the volcano. You can even wild camp for a night, but you would need to let the staff know about your plans at the station.

You can bring your own equipment, or hire a guide for an additional cost, to do some of the activities such as paragliding. If you’re interested, you can read more about some of the activities you can do at the TeleferiQo on their website.

Things to Know Before You visit the TeleferiQo in Quito

Okay, let’s just quickly run through a few things we think you should bear in mind before your visit.

Altitude. At 2,850 m (9,350 ft) Quito is already one of the highest capital cities in the world. This means that you can easily get altitude sickness if you’ve just landed in the city from sea level. The cable car ride will take you over 1,000 m (3,280 ft) higher than the city centre. For this reason, we recommend visiting the TeleferiQo once you’ve already spent some time in Quito. If you’re following our 3-day Quito guide, then you can visit either on your second or third day.

Appropriate clothing. Quito itself can feel much cooler thanks to its high altitude. Going even higher means that the temperatures will drop even more and you’ll likely feel cold when getting out of the gondola. The weather up there can also be pretty unpredictable. For this reason, we can’t emphasize enough to wear weather appropriate clothing when visiting the TeleferiQo.

Hiking Pichincha Volcano. Don’t hike alone if you can. Come prepared for any weather conditions and be ready to turn around if needed. Although safety has improved a lot, we still recommend starting the hike earlier rather than later in the day.

Leave No Trace. As always, make sure not to leave any rubbish behind. Let’s keep the natural environment clean!

Final Thoughts on How to Visit the TeleferiQo in Quito

Although we didn’t have the appropriate weather conditions to hike up to Rucu Pichincha, we still had a ton of fun wandering around the viewpoints and swinging high above Quito. Even in less than ideal weather conditions, the views were pretty dramatic and are definitely worth the visit. Since we didn’t spend the whole day hiking as originally planned, after our visit we dedicated the afternoon to exploring the modern part of Quito which we probably wouldn’t have had time to do otherwise.

Have you ever been up to Pichincha Volcano with the TeleferiQo during your visit to Quito? If so, what was your experience? If not, would you go on a cable car ride high above the city? Let us know in the comments below.