Ecuador: Home of the bucket list-worthy Galápagos islands, a volcanic archipelago visited by nearly 200,000 tourists per year, where Charles Darwin famously collected his data to form his theory of evolution.
That’s Ecuador, right?
Not exactly. The Galápagos only makes up one quarter of what Ecuador refers to as its “Four Worlds.” Let’s try that again.
Ecuador: Home of the bucket list-worthy Galápagos islands, the culture-laden jungle of the Amazon rain forest, the snow-capped peaks of the Andean volcanoes, and the lush, green, seafood-rich Pacific coast.
There is so much more to Ecuador than the beautiful Galápagos islands, and on a recent rip, I discovered surprise after surprise about what this incredibly diverse country has to offer.
The Páramo (Ecuadorian Highlands)
The Ecuadorian highlands are not just classified by elevation. They are actually part of an ecosystem called páramo, which only occurs in specific countries in Central and South America. One of the characteristics is very high water retention in the soil due to tropical climate. We spent an afternoon hiking through the páramo and ended up at beautiful Papallacta Hot Springs, the perfect reward for a long hike through the dense, muddy trails of the páramo.
The Amazon Rain Forest
Is this one obvious? I don’t think so. I doubt many people imagine Ecuador when they think Amazon. Yet, in a matter of just a few hours, we drove from the Páramo in the Andes to the Amazon basin to go white-water rafting and stay at a jungle lodge. The Amazon region of Ecuador is vast and beautiful, full of jungles, indigenous tribes, and the best part: lodges, boats, and local guides to accommodate tourism in the thick of it.
The Quechua Culture
Of the roughly 15 million people that live in Ecuador, 2.5 million of them are Quechua. Not only did we meet several of them on our trek, but we learned words in the Quechua dialects everywhere we went (Ali Chishi! Good afternoon!).
The jungle lodge we stayed at was just up river from a Quechua village that invites tourists to their island. When we visited, they demonstrated how to make chicha, the traditional yucca-based drink, and let us all shoot darts from a blowgun. Even though I realize this was partly just a show for the tourists, what’s not to love about shooting darts from a blowgun?
Ecuadorian Steak
I am a traveler from Montana, and when it comes to meat, this means two things: One, almost no one in the world does steak as well as Montana, and two, sometimes it’s best to avoid meat altogether while traveling. This is not the case with Ecuador, which, in my opinion, rivals Montana for a perfectly-cooked, locally-raised, plump and delicious steak. I very happily ate steak almost every day on this trip.
The Ecuador Rose Industry
Did you know that Ecuador is one of the world’s largest exporter of roses? On a tour of the Sacha Rose plantation near Pifo, we learned that the climate around the equator and high elevation is ideal for growing some of the tallest and biggest roses in the world.
Ecuador’s Craft Beer Scene
I love craft beer. One of the most disappointing things about traveling is the light beer that plagues countries across the globe, and the serious lack of craft brews. Not so with Ecuador. The craft beer scene is exploding in this small country. Competition is high and the brews are worthy. I had one of the most enjoyable Black IPAs I’ve ever had in the Ecuadorian Amazon. I love that that is even possible.
The Avenue of the Volcanoes
There are 30 volcanoes on mainland Ecuador alone. This includes Cotopaxi, the world’s highest active volcano. Eight of Ecuador’s ten highest peaks are in an area known as the Avenue of the Volcanoes. With elevations reaching over 20,000 feet, this section of the Andes is quite spectacular, not to mention it’s a hiker’s and climber’s paradise.
We spent a couple of days hiking and horseback riding in the Cotopaxi páramo at the base of Rumiñahui Volcano, and we could see volcanoes in every direction. It was crazy to think that the Amazon was just a few hours away.
Ecuador Loves Tourism
No matter where we went, we were received warmly by the Ecuadorian locals. This shouldn’t be surprising, but what interested me about it was that the people seem to understand tourism and want it to increase.
Tourism is powerful and has proven its value as a leading industry in other Latin countries (i.e. Costa Rica), and Ecuador seems to understand that and is catering to tourism in a very progressive way. This was especially apparent after meeting the Minister of Tourism, Miss Sandra Naranjo, who is the same age as I am and already accomplishing great things for her country.
Ecuador’s Biodiversity
I know, this is possibly the single-most popular characteristic of Ecuador, but somehow even with previous knowledge that Ecuador has some of the richest biodiversity on the planet, it still managed to surprise me. We spent plenty of time bird watching and hiking through jungles, where we found all sorts of critters both by day and night, but the sheer number of different species that we saw was astounding. As if no bird or bug were the same at the next, it truly is a place of impressive biodiversity and an absolute must for nature lovers.
Ecuador Without the Galápagos
The what? Oh right, the Galápagos. On my 10-day trek through Ecuador, the archipelago of the Galápagos was not more than a passing thought. The distant, magical islands are still on my bucket list, but I did not miss them on my travels through Ecuador. The endless activities and whole experience that one can have exploring the diversity of mainland Ecuador is more than enough to satisfy an adventurer’s cravings, without having to cross an ocean.
Of all the countries I’ve traveled in Latin America, few have left such an impression on me in such a short time as Ecuador did. In Ecuador, I discovered one place with a whole world (or four worlds, as they say) of opportunity and adventure. From the snow-capped Andes to the rivers of the Amazon and everything in between, this country truly has it all, and I can’t wait to go back for more surprises.
