Ecuador Holidays
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Andes, Amazon, Pacific coast and the Galapagos all sit within a compact nation, so a single trip can cross snow-line, rainforest and island beaches without a long-haul leg between each.
Giant tortoises, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies let visitors walk within feet of animals that show almost no fear of people, a genuinely rare encounter on any holiday.
Quito and Cuenca hold two of the best-preserved historic centres in the Americas, both walkable, both stacked with baroque churches, leafy plazas and easy cafe stops.
Domestic flights link the regions in under two hours, and the mainland roads are so consistently scenic that even the transfers between valleys become part of the trip.
Standing with one foot in each hemisphere just north of Quito is a genuine novelty, and the near-constant twelve-hour daylight makes planning days out refreshingly simple year-round.
The country uses the US dollar, meals and local transport stay inexpensive, and the daily cost of eating and getting about undercuts most other bucket-list wildlife destinations.
Six areas anchor most first visits, and comparing the best places to visit in Ecuador against one another usually comes down to how highlands, jungle and islands are weighted across the days available. Each rewards proper time rather than a rushed overnight stop.
Quito: The capital's old town was among the first sites ever named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 1978, and its baroque churches, the Panecillo hill and the TelefriQo cable car reward a full day on foot and wheels.
The Galapagos: Roughly a two-hour flight offshore, this volcanic archipelago is where wildlife walks up to you, with cruise and island-hopping options reaching beaches, snorkelling bays and tortoise reserves across the group.
Cuenca: A second UNESCO-listed colonial city in the southern highlands, calmer than the capital, known for its cathedrals, riverside walks and the workshops behind the misnamed Panama hat.
Baños: A small adventure town below an active volcano, ringed by waterfalls and thermal springs, and the usual launch point for rafting, canyoning and the road down towards the jungle.
Otavalo: Home to one of South America's largest indigenous craft markets, at its liveliest each Saturday, with hand-woven textiles, hats and carvings piled across the main square.
The Amazon: Reached from Coca or Tena, the eastern rainforest holds canopy towers, river lodges and some of the richest biodiversity on the planet, an easy add-on by short flight from Quito.
Booking Ecuador tours around the wildlife and the volcanoes opens a list that runs well beyond the postcard shots, and much of it costs little once you know roughly where to look. Weighing the headline things to do in Ecuador against quieter market mornings or thermal-spring afternoons tends to work better than trying to cram every region into a single rushed week.
Galapagos wildlife: Snorkelling with sea lions and walking past nesting boobies and giant tortoises is the trip most visitors build the rest of their holiday around, whether by cruise or day boat.
Cotopaxi day out: The near-perfect cone of Cotopaxi, one of the world's highest active volcanoes at close to 5,900 metres, anchors a national park of paramo grassland, wild horses and a walkable glacier viewpoint.
Otavalo market: The Saturday craft market spreads hand-woven textiles, hats and carvings across the town, and the surrounding villages let you watch the weaving and leatherwork done by hand.
Quilotoa crater: A vivid green crater lake fills an old volcanic caldera in the central highlands, with a rim walk and a steep down-and-back trail to the water that rewards an early start.
Amazon lodge nights: A river lodge east of the Andes puts canopy towers, night walks and clay licks full of parrots within reach, an easy few days reached by short flight and canoe.
Equator line: Just north of Quito the Mitad del Mundo complex and the nearby Intinan museum let you straddle both hemispheres, a light half-day that pairs neatly with the capital.
Baños adventure: Rafting, canyoning, zip-lines and the famous swing at the edge of the world cluster around this small town, alongside thermal baths for the evening after.
Budget for a 200 US dollar national park fee plus a 20 dollar transit control card, both paid in cash on arrival, on top of the flight from the mainland and your cruise or hotels. It is a real outlay, but the payoff is walking within feet of giant tortoises, sea lions and blue-footed boobies that show no fear of people. Nowhere else offers wildlife this close, which is why most visitors rate it the highlight of the whole trip.
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Aguas Calientes, Cusco, Galapagos Islands, Lake Titicaca, Lima, Puno, Quito
From £9816
£5399per person
Banos, Isabela Island, Napo, Quito, Santa Cruz Island
From £6725
£3699per person
Galapagos Islands, Quito
From £5676
£3349per person
Galapagos Islands, Quito
From £5718
£3259per person
Galapagos Islands, Quito
From £7934
£4919per person
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