Why Ecuador?

When I travel around Ecuador, I am always amazed at the amount of different landscapes in such a seemingly small country.

You may start your day at the foot of the snow capped Cotopaxi Volcano, and later that afternoon find yourself surrounded by dense rain forest.

GARRETT KORN TRAVEL CONSULTANT

Ecuador means “Equator,” and in this Andean wonderland, you can snap selfies as you straddle the Big Line itself, with one foot in each hemisphere.

Ecuador has had a reputation for enchantment since pre-Colombian times, when it was home to the second capital of the Inca empire. Today, this compact nation offers an array of adventures that’s staggeringly broad.

Those adventures start in the Amazon, where river cruises allow you to witness the pink dolphins and rainbow-colored macaws of what Ecuadorians call “el oriente.” They continue in the windswept Andes, where a corridor of active volcanoes leads you to the snowy slopes of the titanic Mts. Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. And they reach a climax in the face-to-face encounters with the finches, boobies, iguanas, and tortoises of the Galápagos, still as unspoiled today as when Charles Darwin first studied them back in 1835.

Here are some other jewels that await discovery in this South American marvel:

•  Quito, Ecuador’s capital, is known as “the city of bell towers.” Find out why when you visit the Compañía de Jesús, the church whose gold-plated interior is considered the most spectacular in all the Americas.
•  Looking for handicrafts? Just outside the capital, native artisans sell hand-made ponchos, Panama hats, and alpaca sweaters at Otavalo, a massive outdoor market that dates back to pre-Inca times.
•  Baños is the adventure capital of Ecuador. Here, the speed freak in you can enjoy paragliding, zip-lining, ATV-riding, or bungee-jumping, and then leach out the stress in one of the thermal baths that give the town its name.
•  In the waters off the Galápagos, a cruise in a luxury yacht is a must for every bucket list. Penguins, sea lions, dolphins, tortoises, and hammerhead sharks keep you company as you navigate among the islands.