Places to visit in Ecuador & Galapagos Islands

Discover our guide to the most exciting, memorable and inspiring places to visit.

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Andes to Amazon

Between the Andes and the Amazon is a rugged area of misty mountains and steep valleys smothered in cloud forest and punctuated with thermal pools, waterfalls and silvery streams.

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Avenue of the Volcano

Avenue of the Volcanoes

The aptly named Avenue of the Volcanoes is flanked by eight dizzyingly-high snowy mountains striding south of Quito down the Andean spine.

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Cuenca

Cuenca

This quintessential Spanish colonial city has cobbled streets, leafy plazas, baroque churches and a particularly beautiful pale-stoned centre.

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Galapagos Islands

The misty volcanic islands of twisted lava and sparkling sandy coves shelter an array of trusting bird and reptile species, not to mention undersea marine animals.

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Guayaquil

Guayaquil

Ecuador’s largest city is a commercial and cultural centre, boasting charming plazas, boulevards and a waterside promenade.

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Mindo Cloud Forest

Mindo and the cloud forest

Misty forests and abundant waterfalls shelter delicate orchids, a plethora of butterflies and 450 species of tropical birds.

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Otavalo

Otavalo and the northern highlands

The upland town of Otavalo is world-famous for its huge livestock, vegetable and textile market, and is surrounded by snow-tipped volcanoes, lake-filled craters and rolling hills.

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Isla de la Plata

Pacific coast

The northern Pacific lowlands of Ecuador have a gentle landscape of tropical agriculture, forest and warm-water bays.

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Quito

Quito

Ecuador’s volcano-flanked capital stands at 2,850m in the highland valley, boasting a beautifully restored historic centre and contrasting modern quarters with gleaming skyscrapers.

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The Ecuadorian Amazon

Occupying half the country, the Ecuadorian Amazon is a true wilderness of exuberant rainforest and remote indigenous communities.

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Papagaio

Your edit for Latin American inspiration

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

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Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Hannah
    Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

    Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Sallly
    Sally Dodge - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

  • Kathryn
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

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