The Galápagos Islands
Some 7km west of Puerto Villamil is the Muro de las Lágrimas (Wall of Tears), a 100m-long wall of lava rocks built by convicts under harsh and abusive…
The Galápagos Islands
Some 7km west of Puerto Villamil is the Muro de las Lágrimas (Wall of Tears), a 100m-long wall of lava rocks built by convicts under harsh and abusive…
Otavalo
Get an up-close view of Andean condors, as well as eagles, owls, falcons and hawks, at this Dutch-owned foundation, which rehabilitates these and other…
The Galápagos Islands
Just across Canal Bolívar, Punta Espinoza houses marine iguanas (too many to count), which can be seen sunning themselves on the black lava formations – a…
South Coast
Salinas' main, and most crowded, beach sits on the malecón opposite dozens of restaurants and hotels. It has volleyball courts, a pier (from which you can…
Puerto Ayora
If you walk the length of Tortuga Bay, you'll reach this picturesque lagoon lined with mangroves. Here you can spot marine iguanas, brown pelicans and…
The Galápagos Islands
This coral beach can be reached by a wet landing. There is a 750m trail along the beach that passes through red-footed booby colonies and several tide…
The Galápagos Islands
Just south of Punta Tortuga is this cove where early sailors frequently anchored and scratched the names of their vessels into the cliffs. It’s a strange…
Isla Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)
A 30-minute taxi ride from Puerto Ayora through the highlands, plus a 15-minute walk, brings you to this beautiful beach. It has tidal pools that are good…
The Oriente
Yasuní is Ecuador’s biggest mainland park at 9820 sq km, boasting all manner of terrain from marshes to rivers to tropical rainforest. A Unesco Biosphere…
Northern Highlands
The 16,000-hectare Reserva Ecológica El Ángel includes frailejones, rare, otherworldly plants with fuzzy leaves and thick trunks. From El Ángel, take the…
South Coast
To the west of San Lorenzo Beach is Chipipe – equally well maintained, but with a fraction of its neighbor's crowds. If you're looking for a quieter beach…
Otavalo
Plaza de Ponchos, the nucleus of the crafts market, is filled every day with vendors selling woolen goods, such as rugs, tapestries, blankets, ponchos,…
South Coast
Learn how cocoa is produced at this pleasant, rustic 10-hectare farm, run by the friendly and welcoming Lara family. Day trips include a tour of the farm,…
Guayaquil
One of the most extensive urban-renewal projects in South America, Malecón 2000 is made up of monuments, playgrounds, sculptures, gardens and river views…
The Galápagos Islands
Behind and to the west of the village is this lagoon, known for its marine iguanas and migrant birds, especially waders – more than 20 species have been…
Ruta Spondylus
Well worth a visit. Spanish-speaking guides explain the significance of the artifacts, including well-preserved ancient tools, ceramics and funeral urns…
Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas
Northern Highlands
This 204,420-hectare reserve is by far the largest protected area of Ecuador’s western Andean habitats. Altitude ranges from about 200m above sea level…
South Coast
Run by the passionate Ben Hasse, a pioneer of whale-watching in the area, this small and informative whale museum has several whale skeletons, including…
Guayaquil
One of Guayaquil's most iconic sights is this hillside enclave, which is dotted with brightly painted homes, cafes, bars and souvenir shops. Follow the…
Isla Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)
These impressive underground tunnels southwest of the village of Santa Rosa are more than 1km in length and were formed when the outside skin of a molten…
Isla Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)
For nice swimming and snorkeling, head to this water-filled crevice in the rocks. Talented and fearless locals climb the nearly vertical walls to plunge…
Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes
Cuenca
This indigenous culture museum has more than 5000 archaeological pieces representing more than 20 pre-Columbian Ecuadorian cultures going back some 15,000…
Reserva de Producción Faunística Cuyabeno
The Oriente
This beautiful reserve is a unique flooded rainforest covering 6034 sq km around Río Cuyabeno. Seasonally inundated with water, the flooded forest…
Southern Highlands
Branching off from the Los Miradores Loop Trail is the challenging but enticing 14.5km trail to the two dozen or more lakes that make up the remote…
Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)
About 1.7km northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Cerro de las Tijeretas provides good views and can be reached on a trail. You'll pass a national park…
Southern Highlands
Only 30km west of Cuenca, Parque Nacional Cajas encompasses 2854 sq km of golden moor-like páramo (high-altitude grassland) dotted with hundreds of chilly…
Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)
Scoring high on novelty, the Casa del Ceibo is a small shed built halfway up an enormous ceiba tree. It’s possible to spend a night in the treehouse or…
Puerto Ayora
Among the various statues of prominent Galapagos wildlife around Puerto Ayora, this is probably the most photographed of them all.
Ecuador
At the center of the Mitad del Mundo stands the centerpiece of the park: a 30m-high, stone trapezoidal monument topped by a brass globe containing a…
Quito
Located in the circular, glass-plated, landmark building of the Casa de la Cultura is one of the country’s largest collections of Ecuadorian art, with…
Quito
On Plaza Grande's southwest side stands Quito's cathedral. Although not the most ornate of the Old Town’s churches, it has some fascinating works by…
Quito
To the right of the Iglesia de San Francisco’s main entrance, and within the Convent of St Francis, this museum contains some of the church’s finest…
Quito
Topped by a 41m-tall aluminum mosaic statue of La Virgen de Quito (Virgin of Quito; completed in 1976), with a crown of stars, angelic wings and a chained…
Quito
While wandering around colonial Quito, you'll probably pass through the Plaza Grande several times. Its benches are great for soaking up the Andean…
Reserva Ecológica Cayambe-Coca
Northern Highlands
At 4031 sq km, Reserva Ecológica Cayambe-Coca spreads across four provinces, including the Oriente, and includes alpine tundra and rainforest. Volcán…
The Oriente
This 25-sq-km biological station and rainforest reserve is located on the south shore of the Río Napo, 23km east of Puerto Napo. It is run by Fundación…
The Oriente
Ecuador's largest waterfall and a slash of Río Quijos cut through thick patches of cloud forest. To visit the falls, catch a bus from Baeza to Lago Agrio …
Southern Highlands
Ecuador’s best-preserved archaeological site, Ingapirca, with its semi-intact temple, grazing llamas and open fields, is definitely worth a stopover if…
The Oriente
You’re guaranteed to see all manner of jungle wildlife at AmaZOOnico, a well-known animal rehabilitation center located on the grounds of Selva Viva, a 17…
Northern Highlands
Head 18km west from Cotacachi and you’ll come upon this eerily still, dark lagoon cradled in a collapsed volcanic crater at 3100m. Some 3km wide and 200m…