Blue domes and colonial streets in the southern Andes
Cuenca is Ecuador's most attractive colonial city, its centre a UNESCO World Heritage site, divided from the newer town by the Tomebamba River. The New Cathedral's blue-tiled domes dominate the skyline around Parque Calderón. The city is the home of the toquilla straw hat, misleadingly called the Panama hat, and workshops show how they are woven. The Pumapungo museum includes Inca ruins, and Cajas National Park, a highland of lakes and moorland, lies just west. Ingapirca, Ecuador's largest Inca site, is a day trip.