CIUDAD DE LOJA
Although the town itself is particulary exciting, It´s difenitely attractive, and travelers on their way to Peru via the border town Macará find this a convenient place to stop. Loja is also the departure point for visiting Vilcabamba to the sounth, Zamora to the east and the beautiful Parque Nacional Podocarpus nearby. Also you can visited Saraguro.
Loja was founded by the Spanish captain Alonso de Mercadillo on December 8, 1548, meaning it´s one of the oldest towns in Ecuador. Although few of its original buildings survive, the city has some lovely 18th century architecture. Loja is both an important provincial capital and a college town, with two universities, a music conservatory and a law school.
