Ecuadorist
Cotopaxi seen from the trail around Laguna Limpiopungo

Cotopaxi National Park

Four worlds, one republic.

Andes, cloud forest, Amazon, and the Galápagos. A field guide for people who read before they book.

The Cotopaxi chapter

Photograph by Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0.

0°The equator
2,850 mQuito
5,897 mCotopaxi
1,000 kmTo the Galápagos

Ecuador is a capital in the clouds, a marble city in the south, a Pacific of humpback whales, and islands that rewrote biology.

Visit

Where to go

Short chapters on the places that actually explain the country.

Pinnacle Rock and the twin bays of Bartolomé Island, Galápagos

The islands

The Galápagos, with a plan

A national park that happens to be a province. Go with rules, not a wish list.
Plaza de San Francisco in Quito’s old town, with El Panecillo beyond

The capital

Quito, above the clouds

A UNESCO old town, a working city, and air thin enough to slow the first day down.
Aerial view of Cuenca’s El Vado neighborhood and blue cathedral domes

The south

Cuenca, at a walking pace

Marble churches, a river path, and a climate people describe as permanent spring.
The gorge and waterfall of Pailón del Diablo, near Baños

The valley

Baños, under the volcano
Textile stalls at the Otavalo artisan market

The north

Otavalo and the Saturday market
A rufous-tailed hummingbird in the Mindo cloud forest

Cloud forest

Mindo, in the cloud forest
The turquoise crater lake of Quilotoa, from the trail above it

The crater

Quilotoa, the crater lake
Los Frailes beach in Machalilla National Park, on the Pacific coast

The Pacific

The Pacific coast
A blue-throated piping guan in Yasuní National Park

The Oriente

The Ecuadorian Amazon

All ten places

A blue-footed booby at Punta Pitt on San Cristóbal, Galápagos

Do

Wildlife, at a respectful distance.

The wildlife chapter

Retire & Move

Thinking of staying

Dollars, doctors, leases, and visas. The visa chapter is an overview, not legal advice.

The green valley of Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador
Photograph by Arabsalam, CC BY 4.0.
Llapingachos, Ecuadorian potato patties, with egg and salad

Eat & Stay

The table

The snow-covered summit of Chimborazo

Do

Out of the city

Plan your trip

Three useful things

A short, practical list. Nothing here is required.

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