ecuador
Why should I plan your trip? Because you can go from cloud forest to the equator to Darwin's actual islands in a single itinerary, and the logistics of that are not simple.
RECOMMENDED STAY
Ideal Duration
STARTING PRICE
Per Person Per Day
IDEAL MONTHS
Best Time to Visit
$1,800+
7+ days
jun-sep / dec-feb
Cloud Forests & the GalápagosEQUATORIAL DIVERSITY, REFINED EXPEDITION
Ecuador packs an outsized range of biodiversity into a country the size of Colorado. Quito sits nearly 9,400 feet up, a colonial old town in the shadow of active volcanoes. The Mashpi Cloudforest follows, a private reserve where hummingbirds and orchids crowd a canopy walkway through genuine primary rainforest. Then the Galápagos, six nights cruising the islands that gave Darwin his theory, sea lions and giant tortoises with no fear of people at all, because for most of their history, they've had no reason to.
Where to go in
ecuador
quito
One of the best-preserved colonial centers in Latin America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Quito sits at nearly 9,400 feet, ringed by active volcanoes and layered with centuries of Spanish colonial architecture.
The GalApagos Islands
Volcanic islands 600 miles off the mainland, where isolation produced species found nowhere else, giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, all remarkably unfazed by human visitors, best explored by expedition cruise between islands.
Mashpi Cloudforest
A private reserve in the Chocó bioregion, one of the most biodiverse places on earth, where a glass-walled gondola glides through the canopy above orchids, hummingbirds, and cloud-wrapped rainforest.
Cuenca
A quieter colonial city in the southern Andes, cobblestone streets, flower markets, and a slower pace than Quito, often paired with a stop in the surrounding Cajas National Park.
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