Neighbouring Colombia and Peru, Ecuador is a relatively small country that nevertheless offers an enticing array of scenic landscapes, diverse wildlife species and interesting cities. Dense Amazon rainforest, towering Andean mountain peaks, palm-fringed Pacific Coast beaches and fascinating historical sites are all part and parcel of Ecuador’s prolific charms. The former Inca town of Cuenca is the nation’s third-largest city and a Unesco World Heritage Site. This alluring city, with its cobbled streets, beautiful architecture and photogenic plazas, boasts a huge variety of museums and art galleries. The vibrant capital city of Quito is also worth a visit. Arguably the most dazzling jewel in Ecuador’s crown is the Galapagos Archipelago in the Pacific, about 1000 kilometres west of the mainland. Their magnificent, pristine landscapes and prolific wildlife, which inspired Charles Darwin, have made this cluster of islands a world-famous travel destination.
Ecuador
Ecuador
Fast Facts
Regions
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Running along most of the length of the country, Ecuador’s subtropical Cloud Forest is a wonderland of phenomenal nature, thrilling adventure sports, and fascinating traditional villages. Set at around 2000 metres above sea level, the forest lives up to its…
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Ecuador’s north coast is a less popular region of the country among international tourists, yet is arguably home to its best beaches. Canoa, framed by cliffs and a vast horizon, offers a lovely beach fringed by bars and backpackers, and…
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Ecuador’s Pacific Coast is best known for its upmarket resorts interspersed amidst tropical rainforest inhabited by an incredibly diverse variety of wildlife. Visitors can road trip along this spectacular coastline traversing the entire Ecuadorian shoreline. It features glitzy beach resorts,…
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Ecuador’s southern coast is known for its accessibility, excellent resorts, phenomenal wildlife and beautiful tropical forest. See spectacular birdlife, animals, and one of the last large mangrove swamps on the southern coast at the Reserva Ecologica Manglares Churute, or visit…
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The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands off the coast of Ecuador, renowned for their amazing endemic species, especially the giant tortoises which give the islands their name. Only discovered in the 1800s, the islands are a UNESCO…
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The Amazon Jungle is the stuff of legends. Making up roughly 50% of the world’s rainforests and featuring an incredible diversity of flora and fauna – including such rare and exotic creatures as jaguars, puma, sloths, anacondas and capybaras, not…