Things to Do in Ecuador in May

May's dry mornings give you 3-4 hours of crystal visibility before clouds roll in at 11 AM. The 12 km (7.5 mile) descent from 4,500 m (14,764 ft) Jose Rivas refuge to 3,200 m (10,499 ft) park entrance happens on volcanic ash packed firm by overnight frost - no mud splatter like April. You'll ride through four climate zones in 45 minutes, past wild horses and pumice fields that look like moonscape.

May sits between the April rain peak and June tourist influx - hummingbird feeders at reserves like Santuario de Aves have 15-20 species competing for space instead of the usual 5-6. The 6 AM dawn chorus includes toucan barbets and golden-headed quetzals echoing through moss-covered trees at 1,800 m (5,906 ft) elevation, and morning mist burns off by 9 AM for photography.

Cool May mornings are good for walking between markets without sweating through your shirt. The 400-year-old San Francisco Market starts serving fanesca (a thick soup with 12 grains) only in May - vendors ladle it from copper pots at 8 AM sharp. Walk 300 m (984 ft) south to La Merced Market for llapingacho potato patties fried in pork fat, then finish at Iñaquito Market for tree tomato juice blended with naranjilla.

May water levels remain high enough to navigate narrow channels to Laguna Grande. But mosquito populations crash after April's last rains. You'll paddle past 200-year-old ceiba trees where pygmy marmosets feed at eye level, and night canoe trips reveal caiman eyes glowing red in torchlight. The lagoon's blackwater reflects stars so well you can't tell sky from water.

Humpback mothers bring calves close to shore in May - the calves practice breaching while adults sing underwater. Boats anchor 500 m (1,640 ft) from breaching sites, and water clarity is decent enough to spot manta rays gliding beneath the hull. The 2-hour round trip to Isla de la Plata stacks well with a beach lunch of breaded dorado at Fisherman's Cove.