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Ecuador
Ecuador is the smallest of the Andean countries, just smaller than Italy. With the Northern Coast, Southern Coast, Andean Highlands and the Amazon Basin packed into its small surface area, and the Galapagos Islands off the coast, the nation boasts a little bit of everything South America has to offer.
Ecuador's size and diversity is its biggest draw. In the morning, you could plunge into the sparkling blue waters of the Galapagos Islands where playful sea lions will swim through your legs and hammerhead sharks will slither by without giving you a second glance. By early afternoon you could be sipping a cappuccino in the capital's historic colonial center and taking in the beauty of Spanish cathedrals built over the ruins of the Inca Empire, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Andes. At sunset, you could pull up to a remote jungle lodge in a dugout canoe, carved the same way Amazon tribes have been doing it for thousands of years, while listening to toucans, parrots, and howler monkeys making live the dense forest all around you.
You may imagine that this diversity, the low cost of living and the abundance of cheap travel services, along with luxury travel options, would make Ecuador one of the most popular destinations in South America for travelers of every sort. However, perhaps due to its lack of superlatives (it doesn’t have the staggering Andean peaks of Peru, Brazil’s vast expanses of jungle or the clear Caribbean beaches of Colombia and Venezuela), the country has been relatively undiscovered and there are still plenty of opportunities for remote and adventure travel. Some of the most popular activities in Ecuador are birdwatching, mountain biking, kayaking and hiking.
Other travelers come to volunteer, often as language teachers, to help with re-forestation (the rainforest is being stripped at an alarming rate), or to work with one of the many NGOs operating in Ecuador. Many also choose to spend a few weeks studying Spanish in Quito, currently the biggest language-learning center in South America.
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Ecuador Highlights
Cotopaxi National Park
An hour and a half south of Quito, along the Avenue of the Volcanoes, is the dominant image on the Ecuadorian national psyche: the perfectly conical Cotopaxi volcano (altitude 5,897 m, 19,350
...Ecuador
The Galápagos Islands
In the two-hour flight across the thousand kilometers of Pacific Ocean from the Ecuadorian mainland to the Galápagos archipelago, visitors can expect to be transported to an environment reminiscent
...Ecuador
Mindo
Mindo is set in breathtaking cloud forests (including 47,444 acres of the nationally protected reserve, Bosque Protector Mindo-Nambillo) teeming with birds. Over 350 species have been
...Mindo, Ecuador
Quito
Travelers worldwide are drawn to Quito for its spectacular mountain setting, its colonial historical center, near-by adventure travel opportunities, international cuisine, and the gentle, generous
...Quito, Ecuador
Top Markets in Ecuador
Otavalo Market
You pick up the sweater with an appraising eye. It might be the right size, it might be a little small, it’s tough to tell unless you try it on. “How much?” the hopeful vendor asks in English:
...Ecuador
SaquisilĂ Market
I suppose it’s a little like an Ecuadorian Wal-Mart. I mean, you can get everything you need there. Food. Clothes. Household stuff. There’s a food court. You can buy music and the latest ...Ecuador
Mercado de los Andes
Mercado de los Andes is the city’s main food market and includes a large produce section, with every type of fruit you’ve heard of and likely a few that you haven’t. There are also some cheap ...Cotacachi, Ecuador
Flower Market
A half block west, sort of to the side of the Inmaculada Church, you’ll find the Cuenca flower market, where women sell locally grown flowers from about a dozen stands. The entrance to La Carmen de ...Cuenca, Ecuador
Adventure Travel in Ecuador
Ecuador Hiking
There are a number of excellent trips through the Andean páramo (grassland) which features spectacular views of Ecuador's volcanic peaks. The most popular treks are the Trek de Condor, which passes
...Ecuador
Rafting & Kayaking
Ecuador is considered one of the best destinations in the world for whitewater sports due to the steep drop-offs from snow-capped peaks to rich lowland areas connected by one of the highest ...Ecuador
Ecuador Mountain Climbing
Ecuador offers an incredible diversity of mountains to explore. Within one day's drive of Quito are several glaciated peaks which rise over 6,000 m (20,000 feet). The highest Andean peaks in Ecuador ...Ecuador
Ecuador Mountain Biking
Ecuador offers the cyclist seemingly endless back roads and trails to explore.The Incas, who were legendary road builders, and their living descendants have been carving scenic paths for centuries.
...Ecuador
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