Quito’s historic center was one of the first places in the world named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wander plazas lined with whitewashed buildings, step inside La Compañía, whose interior shimmers with gold leaf, and end the day with dinner on a terrace overlooking the city’s glowing church domes.

Just outside Quito, the equator line runs through the Middle of the World. Stand with a foot on either side, watch demonstrations of the curious science of the equator, and learn how the Indigenous peoples of the Andes tracked the sun here long before the line was drawn on any map.

In the shadow of one of the world’s highest active volcanoes, Ecuador’s Andean cowboys still ride the open páramo. Saddle up alongside them across the wild grasslands, then return to a historic hacienda for a warm fire, a hearty meal, and a view of Cotopaxi’s snowy cone glowing at sunset.

Dozens of hummingbird species dart through the misty forests of Mindo, flashing emerald, violet, and copper. Walk the trails with a birding guide, then visit a small chocolate maker to taste Ecuador’s prized fine-aroma cacao, from pod to bar.

Each Saturday, this highland town fills with one of the largest Indigenous markets in South America. Browse handwoven textiles, alpaca wool, and embroidered blouses, and meet the Kichwa weavers whose families have practiced the craft for generations.

High in the Andes, a collapsed volcano cradles a lake that shifts from jade to turquoise with the light. Walk the rim for sweeping views, then descend to the water’s edge and paddle across the crater.

The road from Baños to the Amazon follows a canyon carved with waterfalls. Cross swinging bridges to reach the thundering Pailón del Diablo, then unwind in the town’s natural hot springs as evening settles over the mountains.

The famous Panama hat was born in Ecuador, woven from toquilla straw by artisans in the south. In colonial Cuenca, watch masters at work in a family workshop, find your perfect fit, and wander cobblestone streets beneath the city’s sky-blue cathedral domes.

Ecuador’s largest Inca ruins sit high in the southern Andes, where the Inca and Cañari peoples once met. Explore the elliptical Temple of the Sun, its stonework fitted without mortar, and learn the stories of the two cultures that shaped this sacred site.

Along the riverbanks of the Amazon, hundreds of parrots and parakeets gather each morning to feed on mineral-rich clay. Watch from a hidden blind as the cliffs fill with flashes of green, red, and blue and the air fills with their calls.

Paddle silently into the flooded forest as the morning mist lifts off the water. Watch for hoatzins in the branches, caimans along the banks, and the pink river dolphins that surface beside your canoe.

A short flight from the mainland, the Galápagos brings you face to face with wildlife that has no fear of people. Snorkel beside playful sea lions, sea turtles, and marine iguanas, then walk among blue-footed boobies and giant tortoises on islands like nowhere else on Earth.