ABOUT ECUADOR

Named after the equator which lays across it, Ecuador offers an astounding variety of landscapes, fauna, flora, wildlife and people.

Located between Peru, Columbia and the Pacific Ocean, it is Ecuador's three geographically distinct regions (The Coast, The Andes Sierra and the Amazon Rainforest Jungle) that allow for such rich diversity to take place.

While Ecuador is the smallest country in South America, it contains more bird species than the continent of Europe. If you are looking to watch wildlife, you won't want to miss the unique Galapagos Islands, Amazon Jungle and Sierra Cloud Forests.

Ecuador is also a great country for mountain and volcano climbing. With some of the world's largest volcanoes, Ecuador's peaks offer amazing panoramic views, smoking craters, crater lakes, glaciers, lava fields and paramo highland vegetation.

With signs of human life in Ecuador dating as far back as 9000 B.C., the people of Ecuador equally offer both a rich history and significant regional differences in customs and beliefs. In the country's earliest days, Ecuador's tribes lived peacefully without much warfare. This all changed in the 15th Century when the Incans invaded the land, conquered its people, and reigned until 1535 when they in turn were overthrown by the Spanish Conquistador, Francisco Pizarro. Thereafter, the

Colonial Era proceeded peacefully with no significant uprising from the

Ecuadorian Indians, who since the Inca reign were subordinated as lower class citizens. Finally, on May 24th, 1822, independence was obtained with the help of Venezualan Simon Bolivar. Today, while Ecuador is still structured as a class-based society, several indigenous groups and their traditions continue to survive across Ecuador.

President Gustavo Noboa switched Ecuador's currency, on March 14th, 2000, from the Sucre to the US Dollar. Noboa claims this 'dollarization' will solve the country's debt and inflation problems.

For travel planning purposes, here is a list of interesting activities for Ecuador :

• Relax in volcano-heated thermal baths in Baños or Papallacta
• Visit colourful indigenous marketplaces such as Otavalo, Saquisili or Zumbahua to shop for vibrant textiles, tasty foods, and unique crafts.
• Enjoy discovering regional and local street festivals, which take place throughout the year
  Climb Ecuador's highest volcanos (Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Pichincha)
• Visit the friendly wildlife and lunar landscapes of the Galapagos Islands
• Take your picture on the equator line (Latitude 0)
• Trek through the Cloud Forests to do some birdwatching
• Canoe across the Amazon River and visit a local community to learn about their traditional lifestyle, fish for piranhas and caymans, watch a traditional shamanic ceremony, swing off vines and observe the wildlife (howler monkeys, anacondas, pink dolphins)
• Take a breathtaking ride on the top of the train from Riobamba down 1000 meters along the famous Devil's Nose
• Discover the panoramic views through nature hikes along Volcano Craters and Lakes (Crater Quilotoa or Cuicocha, Lagoon Mojanda)
• Enjoy a relaxing time at the beach or go whale-watching
• Visit preserved Pre-Incan and Incan Ruins (Ingapirca , Cochasqui)
• Bike through the Avenue of Waterfalls in Banos
• Discover the colonial charm of Quito and Cuenca

For more information on Ecuador, you can visit the sites below :

Ecuador Ministry of Tourism
CIA's The World Fact Book, Ecuador
Travelers dictionary, Ecuador
"El Comercio", main newspaper in Ecuador

ABOUT QUITO

Quito, Ecuador's capital, is located at an altitude of 2850 m (above sea level) in a valley at the foot of Volcano Pichincha (4794 m). On clear days, you can even see several distant snow-capped peaks from the "Avenue of the Volcanoes", including Cotopaxi, Ecuador's highest active volcano.

Having been a powerful and rich political center for both, the Incas and the Spanish Conquistadors, Quito's well-preserved colonial Old Town provides an impressive array of churches and museums. In 1978, Old Town was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO.

With a population of over 1.6 million, Quito is Ecuador's second largest city (only the coastal city of Guayaquil is larger). Quito enjoys a comfortable climate year-round between 13 and 24 degrees centigrade. Ecuador's small size allows for easy and short travel from Quito - with most destinations requiring less than a day by bus.

For more information on Quito, you can visit the site below :
Ecuador Ministry of Tourism - Quito