Destination Information

About Ecuador

After a lifetime of being off the global tourism radar screen, Ecuador is poised to emerge from its "incognito" status. Every year, more and more people are discovering Ecuador's exhilarating diversity as reflected in its landscape, biology, people and culture. Add to this the near perfect climate, the low cost of living and the peaceful nature of its politics and you have a world class destination for any budget.Ecuador is located on the northwestern side of South America and is bordered by Colombia to the north, by Peru to the south and east, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Ecuador gets its name from the fact that it is crossed by the Equatorial Line.

Ecuador's impressive natural diversity is due to two circumstances that enjoy their greatest confluence in the Andes of South America. First, Ecuador's "Middle of the World" location (i.e. on the equator or in the tropics) means that Ecuador enjoys a vastly greater diversity of vegetation than say temperate regions. Second, Ecuador's biological diversity is greatly enhanced by the range in altitudes that the Andes mountain affords the landscape.

The Andes mountain range crosses Ecuador smack down the middle dividing Ecuador into three regions:

The Sierra. Here you can find huge mountains like Chimborazo (6,319 meters), Cotopaxi (at 5,897 m, the highest active volcano in the world) and Cayambe (5,790 m and the only place with snow on the equator) and active volcanoes such as Tungurahua.

The Oriente (Amazon tropical rainforest) is located in the eastern part of Ecuador and is characterized by an endless sea of green and a tropical wet climate. The Amazon is the region with the greatest biodiversity in Ecuador.

The Pacific Coast or Littoral possesses the most fertile land in Ecuador. It is home to expansive banana plantations. Ecuador's coastline is famous for its pristine tropical beaches, unique wildlife and quaint fishing villages

In addition, mainland Ecuador's natural diversity is complemented by the famed Galapagos Islands. These volcanic islands are located in the Pacific Ocean 960 km off the coast of continental Ecuador. The unique fauna found on the archipelago inspired the British naturalist, Charles Darwin, to discover the Theory of Evolution.

As a result of its small size (Ecuador is only 283,560 square kilometers), all these regions can be readily visited in a short time giving rise to the adage that in Ecuador "you can see the sun rise over the Amazon, have lunch in the Andes and finish the day by watching the sun set over the Pacific."

Ecuador's cultural diversity stems principally from its many colorful indigenous tribes. Unlike other "New World" countries, Amerindians are an integral part of Ecuador's authenticity and political landscape.

Reassuringly, as a result of a broad-based, grassroots movement, the preservation of Ecuador's natural and cultural patrimony has become a political priority. Ecuadorians understand that eco-tourism is not only a viable economic alternative but a sustainable way of life.

Capital

Quito capital of Ecuador

Population

14 million. The majority of Ecuadorians live in the central provinces inland in the Andes mountains or along the Pacific coast. The tropical forest region to the east of the mountains (El Oriente) remains sparsely populated and contains only about three percent of the population. The Galapagos Islands has a population on 23,000.

Regions We Visit

Quito

Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is nestled in an Andean valley at an elevation of 9000 feet. The city is literally surrounded by volcanoes -- some of these, like Mt. Pichincha, very much active. Quito is considered to be one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. The historic center of Quito, known as the "Old City" is replete with narrow and winding cobblestone streets, magnificent churches and open squares. The buildings that line the streets reflect Spanish colonial influence with their balconies, red-tile roofs, thick columns and central patios. The importance of the colonial remnants found in the Old City prompted UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) to declare Quito a Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1979.

Latacunga

Some 20km south of the turn-off to Cotopaxi, Latacunga is a charming, mid-sized market town huddled on the east bank of the Rio Cutuchi. With its handsome, colonial-style building and bustling streets, it makes an agreeable base from which to organize forays into this part of the sierra, in particular to the not-to-miss Crater Lake at Quilotoa, or to the hectic indigenous market in nearby Saquisili.

Despite its colonial look, most of Latacunga’s architecture dates from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The focal point of town is the Parque Vicente Leon, a leafy square enclosed by iron railings that is locked after dark. A cathedral, with whitewashed walls both inside and out, dominates the south side, while the austere municipio flanks the east side. A couple of blocks north the twin-towered Iglesia Santo Domingo is the most impressive of the town’s churches, with its Grecian pillars and extravagantly painted interior covered with swirling blue, green and gold designs.

Amazon Jungle

The Ecuadorian Amazon region commonly known as "el Oriente" is formed by the following sparsly populated provinces, from north to south: Sucumbios, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Morona Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe. Although the Oriente covers almost half of the surface of Ecuador, only 4.8% of the population lives in this vast area, which despite frantic deforestation still remains covered by tropical rainforest. Sustainable tourism, providing and increasing local income, helps to put a stop to the deforestation, which is one of the main threats of the region with a rate of 2.3%, 250'000 ha/year.

The eastern part of Ecuador forms part of the Amazon Basin. The Amazon region, the world's largest remaining tropical rainforest, where more than one third of the earth's fresh water flows, hosts a huge biological diversity and many unique species. At first glance, the rain forest is a vast humid and green wilderness. However, as one observes carefully, this ecosystem is full of surprises. Not only is each tree very different from the next, but also for every tree there are hundreds of other plant and animal species in constant interaction. Tropical rain forests cover 7% of the Earth’s surface, but they hold 50% of the world’s biodiversity.

The Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest where the weather is hot, humid and rainy and the temperature varies between 23 C and 26 C, is the habitat of several indigenous ethnic groups and tribes as the Huaorani, Shuar, Ashuar, Kichwa, Siona Secoya, Cofan, Zaparo and Quijos who are still living traditionally, maintaining their distinct customs and traditions. This indigenous people and groups that have lived in the amazon rainforest for thousands of years keep their ancestral traditions alive, displaying their customs, rituals and wisdom acting as the guardians of the world's biodiversity and conserving this unique ecosystem for future generations.

Baños

Nestled at the foot of the Tungurahua volcano, one of Ecuador's most active, and at the hem of the jungle, Baños is a destination for its relaxing hot spring visits. The town also boasts a famous Basilica, dedicated to the Virgin of the Holy Water. The Tungurahua volcano towers above the town to the south. Visitors flock to high vantage points on cloudless nights to watch it spit lava and igneous rocks into the sky like fireworks.

San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands

San Cristóbal (Chatham) is the easternmost island in the Galápagos archipelago, and one of the oldest geologically.

This island hosts frigate birds, Galapagos sea lions, Galápagos tortoises, blue and red footed boobies, tropical birds, marine iguanas, dolphins, swallow-tailed seagulls. Its vegetation includes Calandrinia galapagosa, Lecocarpus darwinii, trees such as Lignum vitae, Matazarna. In the waters nearby are sharks, rays, and lobsters.

The largest fresh water lake in the archipelago, Laguna El Junco, is located in a crater in the highlands of San Cristóbal, in the southern half of the island. The lake harbors a large population of birdlife, but reaching the lake requires a short uphill walk. Nearby, La Galapaguera is a breeding station and sanctuary for giant tortoises.

Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands

Santa Cruz Island is one of the Galápagos Islands with an area of 986 square kilometres (381 sq mi) and a maximum altitude of 864 metres (2,835 ft).

Situated in the centre of the archipelago, Santa Cruz is the second largest island after Isabela. Its capital is Puerto Ayora, the most populated urban centre in the islands. On Santa Cruz there are some small villages, whose inhabitants work in agriculture and cattle raising. This island is a large dormant volcano. It is estimated that the last eruptions occurred around a million and a half years ago.

As a testimony to its volcanic history there are two big holes formed by the collapse of a magma chamber: Media Luna and Los Gemelos.

Named after the Holy Cross, its English name (Indefatigable) was given after a British vessel HMS Indefatigable. Santa Cruz hosts the largest human population in the archipelago at the town of Puerto Ayora.