Museo Solar Inti Ñan Ecuador

A few hundred meters north of the entrance to the main Mitad del Mundo complex, this amusing museum has meandering outdoor exhibits of astronomical geography and explanations of the importance of Ecuador’s geographical location. One of the highlights is the ‘solar chronometer,’ a unique instrument made in 1865 that shows precise astronomical and conventional time, as well as the month, day and season – all by using the rays of the sun. The real reason to come, of course, is for the water and energy demonstrations, but you’ll have to decide for yourself if it’s just a smoke-and-mirrors funhouse. It is supposedly (but not actually) the site of the true equator.