Unlike the newly emerging tourist industry of
Nicaragua, Ecuador has been one of the most popular
tourist destinations in South America for years, mainly
due to the fact that it lays claim to the enchanting
islands of the Galapagos, some 600 miles off its Pacific
coast. Ecuador is the most bio-diverse country in the
world, hosting 1,600 bird species, 16,000 plant species,
106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians and
6,000 butterfly species, just to name a few.
Visitors who take the time to travel Equador’s
mainland will find that although small in size, it packs
a lot into its borders from the towering heights of the
Andes Mountains to its amazing beaches. Cotopaxi,
one of the world’s highest and more active volcanoes,
is just 31 miles south of Quito, Ecuador’s second largest
city (population 2.1 million).
The Amazon rainforest stretches deep into the
heart of Ecuador, and within its bounds, just below the
equator, is Yasuni National Park. It’s home to millions
of species of plants, birds, insects and mammals, and
is possibly the most biologically diverse place on the
planet. The most amazing thing about the park is that
most of it has yet to be studied, leaving new discoveries
just around the corner.
Destination Spotlight
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SUMMER / FALL 2015
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ECUADOR
BOTTOM RIGHT
Cuenca, listed as an UNESCO World
Heritage Site, is arguably the most
charming city in all of Ecuador.
