Ecuador

Discover Ecuador

Ecuador’s terrain rises rapidly inland from wide white sand beaches to heights that reach 20,000-feet above sea level. It’s one of the few places on earth where hikers can spend one day wading in ocean waters and the next at the end of a trail high above the clouds. But you don’t need alpine trekking skills to experience its natural splendor. A walking tour of Ecuador, through its cloud forest trails, sprawling rainforests, and low-lying jungles can be accomplished by hikers of all ages and experience. 

Views of the majestic Andes Mountains are visible across a landscape of easily navigable hiking trails in the Andean Highlands. Here, visitors can travel by foot or on horseback across well-worn trails through windswept grasslands, encircling bright blue lakes formed by volcanic craters thousands of years ago. 

Take a stroll through the bustling Otavalo Market—one of the largest outdoor craft markets in South America—where dozens of food vendors offer something for everyone: fresh baked breads, native fruits like pitaya and naranjilla, grilled plantains, chupe fish stew, and a variety of spit-fired meats. Just outside Otavalo, a clearly marked network of trails leads walkers across the rim of the dormant Cuicocha volcano.

Snorkeling opportunities abound at the beaches of San Cristobal in the Galápagos Islands, where tidepools teem with native sea life and shorelines are home to the families of giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and sea lions that were once famously observed by Charles Darwin.