Cuenca & Ingapirca
Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador and considered by many to be the most attractive. Founded on the Inca site of Tomebamba, it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage City. With cobblestone streets, flower filled plazas and many old buildings constructed in the marble quarried nearby, the city retains its traditional and colonial atmosphere.
Highlights of any visit to Cuenca should include the old El Sagrario constructed on the foundations of a former Inca site, the newer Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción crowned by sky-blue domes and a visit to the flower market on Plaza de las Flores which fills the square with bold colour and fragrance daily.
A short distance from Cuenca lie the historic Inca ruins of Ingapirca (meaning Wall of the Inca). This excavated area displays fine Inca masonry and provides a fascinating insight into this remarkable civilisation.