Quito
Cascading down the rugged slopes of Pichincha Volcano, the highest
official capital city in the world is perhaps the biggest bucket-list
destination in all of Ecuador.
In 1978, the center of the city was designated as one of the first ever
UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites, hailed for its lived-in pueblo homes and
gilded Spanish plazas, painted colonial edifices and enchanting cobbled
streets, each trodden by conquistadores and Incan imperialists alike.
On the edges of town, the hillsides of El Panecillo give way to the
soaring Andean peaks, mist-clad or snow-topped depending on the time of year.
Meanwhile, Mercado Santa Clara and the various eateries pulse with local
chatter and camarones and cuy (that’s guinea pig to you and me!) dishes, and La
Carolina Park beats with bikers and football players alike.
Cotopaxi
Brooding and bubbling, mist-clad and snow-tipped, Cotopaxi is the great,
hulking monster of the Ecuadorian backcountry.
Although not the highest peak in the country (that honour goes to the
colossal massif of Chimborazo), Cotopaxi lurches so high above the horizon that
it can even be seen from the central districts of Quito when the mists clear.
Climbers come in their droves to conquer the summit too, strapping on
the crampons and wielding ice picks as they attempt to scale what is one of the
few permanent ice fields on the Earth’s equatorial circumference.
Cuenca
Just like its Spanish namesake, Cuenca is a real beauty.
Oozing colonial charm and elegance from every one of its neo-classical
and baroque pores, the city is spiked with countless church spires and topped
with the bulbous, coloured domes of the Catedral Nueva – photogenic in the
extreme.
Travelers head in to wander the tight-knit streets and enchanting
16th-century plazas here, gawping at the various churches and the perennial
bougainvillea blooms that erupt around the Monastery of El Carmen de Asuncion
and the like.
And once you’ve checked off all the Spanish history, be sure to head
north out of town, to where the crumbling remnants of Ingapirca pepper the
hills of Canar Province.
These are the largest known Incan remains in all of Ecuador.
Otavalo
Set high in the Northern Sierra ranges north of Quito, the charming
little backwater town of Otavalo has become a real gringo favourite in the last
couple of decades.
But its draws aren’t new.
No sir, that buzzing marketplace, complete with its stacks of alpaca
wools and colourful Quechua clothes, animist totems and reed-grass voodoo
pieces, has been going for centuries, and the people here can trace their roots
back to the pre-Incan tribes of the high Andean plateaus.
Then there’s the backcountry, which lurches like a great backbone out of
the earth with the peaks of Imbabura Volcano – another of Ecuador’s top
climbing spots.
Galapagos Islands
It was in 1835 that one Charles Darwin and his ship, the HMS Beagle,
drifted in to these far-flung isles some 906 kilometers west of the Ecuadorian
mainland.
What the great scientist found there was to inspire one of the most
revolutionary theories of all time.
Yes sir, from blue-footed boobies to red-billed tropicbirds, colossal
albatrosses to fur seals and bottlenose dolphins, red bats and flamingos all
peppering the volcanic slopes and windswept beaches here, it’s hardly
surprising that Galapagos was – and is – famed mainly for its great
biodiversity.
Today, travelers come to spy out the arrays of wondrous wildlife, scuba
dive in the reefs and explore the otherworldly landscapes of the archipelago’s
hinterland.
Guayaquil
Guayaquil is the great southern metropolis, Ecuador’s largest city, and
a throbbing port town with multicultural influences coming out of its ears.
It can be found straddling the delta of the Guayas River as it spread
out to meet the Pacific Ocean; a patchwork of breeze-block barrios and
ice-cream-coloured hillside homes that finds its zenith on the bubbling Malecon
walkway along the water.
Here, ceviche holes-in-the-wall throw out homemade seafood salads and
students straight out of Guayaquil’s many lecture halls sip beers as the sun
sets against the sea.
Meanwhile, the Zona Rosa and Penas districts pulse with nightclubs and
discos, and there’s always somewhere to sip a cheeky tequila in the early
hours!
Quilotoa Loop
Hikers who enjoy trekking through the
backcountry surely will enjoy the Quilotoa loop, a trail that takes visitors
through several of Ecuador’s remote Andean villages. Hiking the loop can take up to four days, but can be done in less time if hikers take a bus between points, though they’d be missing out on some ancient trails if they did this. The views of a crater lake in Quilotoa are nothing short of spectacular. Villages host colorful markets throughout the week, with Sanquisili’s Thursday market considered one of the best.
South America Peru tours - SA Peru, can help you plan a memorable trip with many diverse tour options. Exploring the old Inca palaces, hike along Inca trails, witness colorful local celebrations, visit museums with amazing artifacts before making your way to the amazing Amazon Rainforest wildlife, the wonderful beaches, and the marvelous Patagonia.
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