Loja is one of Ecuador’s old­est cities. Found­ed in 1548, it’s also known as the music and cul­tur­al cap­i­tal of Ecuador. Those who love his­to­ry, cul­ture, and col­or, will love this small city – indeed, this is one of Kuoda’s favorite under­rat­ed loca­tions in Ecuador.

In town, enjoy the archi­tec­ture, fres­coes, and stat­ues that take you back to Ecuador’s colo­nial past. For such an off-the-beat­­en path place, the num­ber of his­tor­i­cal­ly impor­tant build­ings and church­es here is stag­ger­ing. Con­certs, fes­ti­vals, and cul­tur­al events take place here so often you’re almost guar­an­teed to be part of some­thing regard­less of when you vis­it.