Travel by Chiva - the traditional and colourful bus/train hybrid - through Ecuador’s bewitching mountain landscapes, where snow-spangled volcanoes, vivid turquoise lakes and dark forests hint at the drama of The Lord of the Rings.
Stay on a colonial hacienda - countryside ranch - and visit villages where traditional handicrafts still thrive, and shop in the lively markets, such as world-famous Otavalo. Explore the hacienda by bike or on horse-back...
No time to visit the Galápagos Islands? Take a short flight to Ecuador’s gorgeous unspoilt tropical coast and boat out to Isla de la Plata to spot boobies, albatrosses, frigate birds, sea-lions and, from June to October, humpback whales. Stay at a friendly hill-top hotel with a fantastic pool, and snorkel at one of the continent’s loveliest beaches.
Spend a few days in the Amazon jungle! A 35 minute flight and two-hour canoe-ride takes you to a lodge with family cabins, where you can watch wildlife from dugouts and an exhilarating canopy walkway, hunt (with your camera) for alligators by night and fish for piranhas.
We’ve been there
"My two children were never bored in Ecuador - exotic yet safe, and, with incredible variety in a small land area. They loved the dazzling markets and exuberant wildlife, including the pigs’ heads and spiders!" Janet Santamaria Fox, Manager, Manchester office.
Where do you sleep?
2 nights Quito (tourist class hotel), 1 night colonial country inn near Otavalo, 2 night Quito, 3 nights Mantarraya Lodge on the Pacific Coast, 1 night Quito, 3 nights Sacha Lodge (individual en suite cabins) in the Amazon jungle, 1 night Quito.
A bit more time?
Take a 4 or 7 day family-friendly cruise around the Galápagos Islands or base a visit to this wildlife paradise at one of the charming hotels there.
What do you eat?
Hearty Andean cuisine includes cheese, potato and pork dishes; guinea pig is a speciality. Humitas (corn flour steamed in leaves) come in both sweet and savoury varieties. Seafood is popular on the coast; in the jungle buffet-style meals cater for most tastes.
Weather watch
All four seasons may be experienced in one day! The mountains are drier Jun to Sep. The coast is wettest Jan to Apr, the driest time for the jungle - but Ecuador is a year-round destination.
Top Tip
Leave plenty of luggage allowance for shopping! leather bags, textiles and chunky sweaters for sale in the many markets are amazing value.
Did You Know?
Mount Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, is home to the only glacier located on the equator. |