Escaping the stress of the streets of Quito doesn’t always entail a trip into the mountains. The city is set up with a number of parks that span hundreds of acres of land within city limits.

Parque La Carolina is quite reminiscent of New York’s Central Park. It is located in the center of the city and is a popular place for families and friends to gather on the weekends. The park is home to a myriad of recreational activities; there are soccer fields, paths for walking, jogging and biking, tennis courts, and even a lagoon where you can rent paddelboats and canoes. On the weekends pony rides are also a favorite of the kids.

The Jardín Botánico in La Carolina is a beautiful botanical garden that showcases much of the native flora of Ecuador. It is a nice place to take an afternoon stroll through.

Another point of interest inside La Carolina is La Cruz del Papa, a giant statue of a cross that marks the spot where thousands of Ecuadorians met to listen to a mass given by Pope John Paul II when he visited Quito in 1985.

This is just one of 4 main parks in the city of Quito. More on the rest is on the way.

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