Shortly after Calderón, the Panamericana begins to climb, finally sweeping over a pass to reveal astounding views on your right of the dry Guayllabamba gorge. Lower and warmer than Quito, the gorge provides ideal conditions for horticulture, and wherever there's water you see bursts of colourful flowering trees and orchards.

 

GUAYLLABAMBA , 32km from Quito, is couched in a vibrant oasis of green and street vendors line the road, their stalls laden with outsized avocados and fruits. Until 1997 Guallyabamba had little to recommend it to visitors, but it now boasts one of Ecuador's newest zoos, Zoológico Guayllabamba , off the Panamericana about 1km before the town (Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; $0.7, guides free, English spoken). The emphasis here is strongly on native fauna, with a good range of animals from the sierra and Oriente, such as pumas, ocelots, sloths, monkeys and parrots - the only gesture to the world at large are its four African lions. All the animals are well cared for, but the sight of seven condors (there are thought to be only sixty in the country) hopping from branch to stump in an enclosure too small for flight might rankle. The aim of the zoo, however, is to alert the mostly Quiteño visitors to Ecuador's diverse but often endangered wildlife. It also has farm animals, a botanical garden, and a tree nursery for reforestation programmes around Quito.

Buses on their way from Quito to Cayambe usually stop at Guayllabamba (a 45min-1hr trip; $0.35), leaving either from the main terminal or from the new town at Avenida América and Colón. Ask the driver to drop you at the signed turnoff for " el zoológico ", 1km before the town, from where it's a thirty-minute walk up a cobbled road to the zoo itself. At weekends, a free bus service regularly ferries people to the zoo from the turn-off, or you could take a camioneta for about $0.5. You're unlikely to want to stay here, but accommodation is available nearby. The Hostería Guayllabamba (tel 368670; $5-9), five minutes' walk from the zoo (turn right at first T-junction then follow the road uphill around to the right), has pleasant cabins in a complex that also has various water-related luxuries such as a heated, covered pool, Turkish baths and a sauna (non-guests can use the facilities for $1.4), plus there's a games room and restaurant .