Top Things to Do in Ecuador

Ecuador packs more geographic and biological diversity into its 283,000 square kilometers than almost any country on Earth. From the Pacific coast to the Andes highlands (including several peaks above 5,000 meters) to the Amazon basin, the country spans every major South American ecosystem within a land area smaller than Nevada. The Galapagos Islands, 1,000 kilometers offshore, need no introduction -- but the mainland rewards exploration just as richly, with Inca ruins, colonial cities, cloud forests, volcanic hot springs, and waterfalls of staggering scale and volume. The country straddles the equator (its very name derives from this geographic fact), and the Middle of the World monument north of Quito has become one of South America's most-visited landmarks. But Ecuador's real equatorial gifts are ecological: the collision of warm and cold ocean currents creates marine biodiversity that Charles Darwin called 'a living laboratory,' while the Andean highlands harbor hummingbird species found in single valleys. The cloudforests of Mindo and the Avenue of Waterfalls near Banos connect these zones in gradients of altitude, moisture, and life that are visible from a single car window. Ecuador uses the US dollar, making budgeting straightforward for North American visitors. The country is compact enough that a two-week trip can include the Galapagos, the highlands, and the Amazon without feeling rushed. Infrastructure varies -- the Pan-American Highway corridor is smooth, while roads into the Amazon and along the coast can be rough -- but the distances are short, the scenery is constant, and the warmth of Ecuadorian hospitality is consistent from coast to cordillera.