Top 5 Places to Vacation in Ecuador

If you enjoy visiting countries outside the good old US of A, then you might want to consider Ecuador. Ecuador, with its culture, scenery and history, mixed in with spectacular wildlife and the opportunity to stretch your legs; then Ecuador’s compact size** makes an ideal vacation destination. You can see and do a lot in Ecuador in a week or so, but 2-3 weeks in this beautiful country will keep you enthralled.

** Ecuador is roughly the size of the state of Colorado.

A lot of tourists heading to the Galapagos Islands, which lie some 600 miles off the Ecuadorian Coast and are owned by Ecuador, stop over on the mainland and wonder whether they should have stayed longer. The answer is resoundingly ‘yes.’ If you are planning a trip to the Galapagos and don’t plan on spending time in Ecuador, you may regret it later. Ecuador has so much to discover and explore.

I think a lot of tourists are surprised by the standard of accommodations available in Ecuador. In Quito, Ecuador’s capital and second largest city, you’ll find a range of hotels from the budget to pricey upscale types. You’ll also find historic haciendas in the Andes offering high-end country lodgings, and well-managed wildlife lodges deep in the Amazon jungle. There’s good food too; from modern city restaurants offering everything from pizza to haute cuisine in Ecuadorian flavors, to hearty meals of traditional farmhouse cooking. While it’s true that spit-roasted guinea pig is a local delicacy on the streets, you don’t have to partake unless you’re more of the adventurous type, but rest assured, there are plenty of other choices!

Number 1: Quito
Quito could be considered the most fascinating city in the entire Andes. Its location is fabulous and is steeped in history and culture and is a lively, attractive and modern city. Quito sits more or less right on the equator and is positioned in a cleft between two lines of volcanic peaks that form a dramatic backdrop and sculpt the city’s layout. At its heart is the historic city of Old Quito, founded more than a thousand years ago, annexed by the Incas, and overbuilt by Spanish colonialists. Its evocative narrow streets and wide squares are lined with palaces, mansions, convents and churches laden with gold.

Fittingly, Quito’s Old City was the very first to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Plan on spending at least a couple of days in Quito and longer if you can, in order to explore the city and visit some of its fine art galleries, museums and archaeological collections, and soak up the atmosphere. There are also side trips available to the equator monument which straddles the line and to the bird-rich cloud forests of Mindo. Then, try to fit in a trip to the volcanoes (including a cable car to the top of Pichincha – the one closest to the city) and to newly discovered temples of Quito’s ancient peoples. You’ll eat well, and there is a good selection of places to stay, including some very nice boutique style hotels in converted mansions in the Old City.

Number 2: The Amazon
East of Quito, you’ll find the Andes plunge from snow-covered peaks to the dense jungle of the Amazon basin in just 30 miles. Having dropped some 10,000 feet in the blink of an eye, it will be another 2,000 miles before the land descends the final 1,000 feet to the sea. Nutrients, washing from the mountains mean the rainforest here is among the lushest in the whole of the Amazon and hence very rich in wildlife. You’ll see far more here than further down the river where it becomes mightier and mightier.

In order to include a trip to the Amazon during your Ecuadorian vacation, just catch a short flight from Quito, then take a fast boat along the Napo river and you have a choice of three excellent wildlife lodges: Napo Wildlife Centre, Sacha Lodge and La Selva – each offering a slightly different take on the wildlife experience of this remarkable area. If you like, there’s also an interesting river-boat cruise.

Number 3: The Avenue of the Volcanoes
In this area, the Andes is still growing, pushing upwards along its length and bursting into chains of volcanoes on either side of a long valley. Alexander von Humboldt traveled here in 1802 and coined the phrase ‘the Avenue of the Volcanoes’ to describe the succession of peaks that line the route southwards from Quito, including 15 volcanoes ranging over 15,000 feet.

Close to the city is Cotopaxi, a smooth cone rising well above the snowline above high open moorlands. You can stay near here in venerable haciendas that eked out a living from cattle and llamas, now supplemented with lodging for travelers drawn by wonderful walking and horseback riding and warmed by hearty meals and log fires in the Andean air.

Chimborazo, further south, was thought to be the highest mountain in the world until the discovery of Everest. By one measure it still is. Measured from sea level Everest is higher, but Chimborazo’s peak is further from the center of the Earth, thanks to the bulge around the equator. It towers behind the small town of Riobamba, where once a week, ice chipped by axe from its high glaciers and is brought down on the back of a donkey to keep the food fresh on market day.

Number 4: Cuenca
At the far end of the Avenue of the Volcanoes is the delightful city of Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador and fabulously wealthy for a very brief period from the trade in Quinine. It is now a center for crafts brought in from the villages around it, each of which has a different specialty; from gold and silver work, weaving, furniture-making and above all, hats – Panama Hats! Panama hats are made here and got the name “Panama Hats” only because they were exported through Panama. Further, these hats became very popular with the workers on the Panama Canal. Perhaps they should be called, “Cuenca Hats.”

Traveling the Avenue of the Volcanoes is the best way to reach Cuenca, and it gives you the opportunity to stop at the Incan ruins of Ingapirca, an evocative site marking a waypoint in Incan expansion before the arrival of the Europeans.

Try spending at least a day in the city itself, where there’s a nice selection of good hotels, and make sure you travel out to the craft villages as well. North of town there is beautiful Andean scenery in Cajas National Park, with moorlands and lakes below craggy hills, and elfin forest of red-barked trees weighed down by mosses – a mythical scene in which Bilbo Baggins might appear at any moment.

Number 5: Guayaquil and The Coast
Guayaquil is Ecuador’s largest city and a very prosperous port. The locals like to say, “Guayaquil earns the money, Quito spends it.” While in Guayaquil, take a leisurely stroll along the malecon and the historic waterfront, which has been creatively restored and upgraded. Then you will be ready to climb the narrow streets among the colorful little houses on Santa Ana Hill, from which you will have a wonderful view from the top.

Also available are river trips, wildlife excursions into mangroves and city tours to explore Guayaquil’s colorful past.

After all this, you may be ready for a little beach time. Simply head out of town on the ‘Ruta del Sol’ (Route of The Sun), the small road that skirts the Pacific coast. You’ll find plenty of sleepy little fishing villages and beach spots and one or two busy resorts for locals, before arriving at the “Isla de la Plata”, a small island about 5.5 miles offshore. They call this the ‘poor man’s Galapagos’ and it’s easy to see why. The island is known for its seabirds and excellent snorkeling in the lee of the islands. The dolphins often follow the boats to and from the islands. It’s a very good trip, but the real Galapagos Islands are the real deal and impossible to match.