Day trips

The 15 Best Day Trips from Ambato

Drive times, distances, what to see, and a sample day plan for every place worth the trip.

Start planning

Planning day trips from Ambato?

Packy AI builds your full Ambato itinerary - routes, timing, and the day trips below - in one tap. Free to start.

Trip length

Joined by 50,000+ travelers planning with Packy.

There are 15 good day trips from Ambato, Ecuador, led by Quito, Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Riobamba. The closest is Latacunga, about 40 min by car, and 2 of them fit into half a day. Below: drive times, distances, what to see, and a sample day plan.

Day trips from Ambato at a glance

DestinationDistanceDrive timeBest as
Quito114 km N1 hr 45 minFull-day trip
Santo Domingo de los Colorados127 km NW2 hrFull-day trip
Riobamba46 km S55 minHalf-day trip
Quevedo97 km W1 hr 30 minFull-day trip
Latacunga35 km N40 minHalf-day trip
Milagro147 km SW2 hr 20 minLong day or overnight
Babahoyo118 km SW1 hr 50 minFull-day trip
El Empalme116 km W1 hr 50 minFull-day trip
Balzar144 km W2 hr 15 minLong day or overnight
Ventanas96 km W1 hr 30 minFull-day trip
Naranjito139 km SW2 hr 10 minFull-day trip
Vinces131 km W2 hr 5 minFull-day trip
Pomasqui134 km N2 hr 5 minFull-day trip
Machachi82 km N1 hr 15 minFull-day trip
Puyo73 km E1 hr 25 minFull-day trip

Drive times are estimates from the distance. Check live traffic before you leave.

The best day trips from Ambato

  1. 1

    Quito, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 45 min by car114 km north of Ambato3 hr 30 min round trip

    Known for Arco de la circasiana.

  2. 2

    Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 2 hr by car127 km north-west of Ambato4 hr round trip
  3. 3

    Riobamba, Ecuador

    Half-day trip
    About 55 min by car46 km south of Ambato1 hr 50 min round trip
  4. 4

    Quevedo, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 30 min by car97 km west of Ambato3 hr round trip
  5. 5

    Latacunga, Ecuador

    Half-day trip
    About 40 min by car35 km north of Ambato1 hr 20 min round trip
  6. 6

    Milagro, Ecuador

    Long day or overnight
    About 2 hr 20 min by car147 km south-west of Ambato4 hr 40 min round trip
  7. 7

    Babahoyo, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 50 min by car118 km south-west of Ambato3 hr 40 min round trip
  8. 8

    El Empalme, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 50 min by car116 km west of Ambato3 hr 40 min round trip
  9. 9

    Balzar, Ecuador

    Long day or overnight
    About 2 hr 15 min by car144 km west of Ambato4 hr 30 min round trip
  10. 10

    Ventanas, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 30 min by car96 km west of Ambato3 hr round trip
  11. 11

    Naranjito, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 2 hr 10 min by car139 km south-west of Ambato4 hr 20 min round trip
  12. 12

    Vinces, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 2 hr 5 min by car131 km west of Ambato4 hr 10 min round trip
  13. 13

    Pomasqui, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 2 hr 5 min by car134 km north of Ambato4 hr 10 min round trip
  14. 14

    Machachi, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 15 min by car82 km north of Ambato2 hr 30 min round trip
  15. 15

    Puyo, Ecuador

    Full-day trip
    About 1 hr 25 min by car73 km east of Ambato2 hr 50 min round trip

A sample day trip: Ambato to Quito

A realistic pace for Quito, 114 km from Ambato. Packy AI builds this for any place on the list, with a route, opening hours and timings you can edit.

  1. 07:30Leave Ambato
  2. 09:15Arrive in Quito (1 hr 45 min drive)
  3. 09:30Arco de la circasiana
  4. 11:30Lunch
  5. 12:45Explore the old town, markets and cafes of Quito
  6. 15:15Head back to Ambato
  7. 17:00Home in Ambato

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What are the best day trips from Ambato?
The best day trips from Ambato are Quito, Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Riobamba, Quevedo, Latacunga. The closest is Latacunga, about 40 min away by car.
What is the closest day trip from Ambato?
Latacunga is the closest, 35 km north of Ambato, roughly 40 min by car. Best as a half-day trip.
Where can I go within an hour of Ambato?
2 places are within about an hour's drive of Ambato: Latacunga (40 min), Riobamba (55 min).
What is the biggest city near Ambato for a day out?
Quito is the largest city in day-trip range, 114 km north of Ambato and about 1 hr 45 min by car. With that much to see, start early or stay the night.
How far is too far for a day trip from Ambato?
Up to about two hours each way keeps the day relaxed. The farthest place on this list is Milagro at 147 km, around 2 hr 20 min by car, which is better as a long day or an overnight stay.

Keep exploring

Find your next trip

Plan a trip

AI trip plannerMulti-city trip plannerWanderlog alternativeTripIt alternative

Popular trip lengths

10 Days in Dubai - United Arab Emirates10 Days in Porto10 Days in Istanbul, İstanbul10 Days in Rio de Janeiro10 Days in London10 Days in Montreal, QC7 Days in Rotterdam10 Days in Lisbon6 Days in Rotterdam10 Days in Amsterdam6 Days in Rio de Janeiro7 Days in Rio de Janeiro6 Days in Dubai - United Arab Emirates7 Days in Dubai - United Arab Emirates4 Days in Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates10 Days in Santorini5 Days in Rio de Janeiro10 Days in Cancún, Quintana Roo4 Days in Munich10 Days in Osaka7 Days in Bali10 Days in Phuket6 Days in Johannesburg7 Days in Johannesburg4 Days in Mexico City14 Days in Lisbon10 Days in Manchester10 Days in Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates5 Days in Munich6 Days in Munich

Weekend getaways

Weekend in Mexico CityWeekend in LisbonWeekend in Munich

City breaks

Mexico City city breakSydney NSW city breakLisbon city breakSantorini city breakLas Vegas, NV city breakIstanbul, İstanbul city breakAbu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates city breakRio de Janeiro city breakMelbourne VIC city breakPerth WA city breakRotterdam city breakMunich city break

Road trips

Road trips from Cancún, Quintana RooRoad trips from Rio de JaneiroRoad trips from PortoRoad trips from BangkokRoad trips from ParisRoad trips from AmsterdamRoad trips from RotterdamRoad trips from LisbonRoad trips from OsakaRoad trips from LondonRoad trips from SantoriniRoad trips from São PauloRoad trips from PhuketRoad trips from MykonosRoad trips from JohannesburgRoad trips from Mexico CityRoad trips from Dubai - United Arab EmiratesRoad trips from Melbourne VIC

Plan day trips

Day trips by city

Popular attractions

Christ the RedeemerSugarloaf MountainAlfamaOceanário de LisboaPraça do ComércioMuseu do AmanhãBurj KhalifaDubai MallCastelo de São JorgeMarket HallBotanical Garden of Rio de JaneiroMuseum Boijmans Van BeuningenKunsthal RotterdamThe Dubai FountainDubai FrameErasmusbrugParque LagePalacio de Bellas ArtesBosque de ChapultepecHet ParkCopacabana BeachLemeIbirapuera ParkAl Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood

Things to do by city

Things to do in Rio de JaneiroThings to do in Dubai - United Arab EmiratesThings to do in LisbonThings to do in Istanbul, İstanbulThings to do in RotterdamThings to do in Cancún, Quintana RooThings to do in JohannesburgThings to do in PhuketThings to do in Abu Dhabi - United Arab EmiratesThings to do in Mexico CityThings to do in SantoriniThings to do in PortoThings to do in BangkokThings to do in MunichThings to do in LondonThings to do in Cape TownThings to do in BerlinThings to do in AmsterdamThings to do in São PauloThings to do in Toronto, ONThings to do in ParisThings to do in BaliThings to do in OsakaThings to do in Sydney NSW

Browse by country

AustraliaItalyUSAJapanFranceBrazilThailandGermanyGreeceSpainPortugalUKCanadaNetherlandsMexicoVietnamSouth AfricaIndonesiaDubai - United Arab EmiratesTürkiyeAbu Dhabi - United Arab EmiratesNew ZealandPhilippinesChina

Browse by travel style

top attractionsnature and outdoorshidden gemsshoppingfor kidsentertainment and nightlifemust-see naturaltourist favoriteday tripsmuseumsmust-see local spotsfood and wine toursonly include harry potter movie attractionslord of the rings locations🏛️ Top Attractions⭐️ Tourist Favorite🍷 Food and Wine Toursroof top bars