Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galapagos islands

806 Pages·2012·37.36 MB·English

by  Regis St. Louis

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands
Cover
How to Use This Guide
PLAN YOUR TRIP
ON THE ROAD
UNDERSTAND ECUADOR
SURVIVAL GUIDE
Behind the Scenes
Map Legend
Our Writers

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Plan Your Trip
Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands Map
Welcome to Ecuador
Top Experiences
Need to Know
If You Like...
Month by Month
Itineraries
Ecuador Outdoors
Planning Your Galápagos Adventure
Regions at a Glance
Top of section
welcome to
ecuador
Picturesque colonial centers, Kichwa villages, Amazonian
rainforest and the breathtaking heights of the Andes – Ecuador
may be small, but it has a dazzling array of wonders.
Cuenca’s Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción (Click here)
RYAN FOX/LONELYPLANET IMAGES @
Cultural Splendor
The historic centers of Quito and Cuenca – both Unesco World Heritage
Sites – are lined with photogenic plazas, 17th-century churches and
monasteries, and beautifully restored mansions. Wandering the
cobblestone streets amid architectural treasures from Spanish colonial
days is a fine way to delve into the past. You can travel further back by
contemplating great pre-Columbian artworks at museums across the
country.
Beyond the cities, the Ecuadorian landscape unfolds in all its startling
variety. There are Andean villages renowned for their colorful textiles and
sprawling markets, Afro-Ecuadorian towns where days end with meals of
fresh seafood and memorable sunsets, and remote settlements in the
Amazon where shamans still harvest the traditional rainforest medicines
of their ancestors.
Andean Adventure
Setting off on a trek into the Andes can seem like stepping into a fairy
tale: there’s the patchwork of small villages, gurgling brooks and rolling
fields, with a slowly wheeling condor overhead. Then the mists clear, a
view of those towering snow-covered peaks comes into view, and the
adventure begins – the challenging climb to the summit of a 5000m-high
volcano.
Although the view from the top is sublime, you don’t have to scale a
mountain to enjoy the Andes. These verdant landscapes make a fine
backdrop for mountain-biking, horseback-riding or hiking from village to
village, overnighting at local guesthouses along the way. Ecuador’s other
landscapes offer equally alluring adventures, from surfing tight breaks off
the Pacific coast to white-water rafting Class V rivers along the jungle-
clad banks of the Oriente.
Wildlife-Watching
The famed Galápagos Islands, with their volcanic, otherworldly
landscapes, are a magnet for wildlife lovers. Here, you can get up close
and personal with massive lumbering tortoises, scurrying marine iguanas
(the world’s only seagoing lizard), doe-eyed sea lions, prancing blue-
footed boobies and a host of other unusual species both on land and sea.
The Amazon rainforest offers a vastly different wildlife-watching
experience. From a remote lodge tucked away in the jungle, you set out
on the rivers and trails snaking through the undergrowth in search of
monkeys, sloths, toucans, river dolphins, anacondas and other creatures.
Some lodges also have canopy towers offering magnificent views (and a
better chance to see birdlife).
Speaking of birds, premontane cloud forest is yet another biologically
rich area, and home to a fantastic array of avian life. Indeed the Mindo
area, with more than 350 recorded bird species, is one of the best bird-
watching sites in all of South America.
Flower sellers at the Otavalo market (Click here)
ORIENT/HUBER/4CORNERS @
Top of section
TOP
experiences
Quito Old Town
1 A Spanish-colonial stunner, Quito’s vibrant Centro Histórico (Click
here) is packed with elaborate churches and mournful monasteries
(some centuries in the making), people-packed plazas and looming bell
towers. History lurks around every corner of this well-preserved center.
Delve into the past by stepping off the cobblestones and entering
beautifully maintained museums, historic mansions and jaw-dropping
sanctuaries. Afterwards, have a meal in one of El Centro’s old-world
restaurants or join the festivities on lively La Ronda street before retiring
to one of the many charming guesthouses in the neighborhood.