Galapagos Islands – an isolated archipelago like nowhere else on earth. Anyone with even a vague knowledge or love of nature will delight in the unique and abundant wildlife, core to Darwin’s evolutionary research. The whole archipelago is justifiably a World Heritage Site and visitor numbers to sites are strictly regulated by a permit system, so it rarely feels overcrowded. Check out our blog Galapagos Simplified to help you plan your trip.

Andean Highlands – home to a rich indigenous culture, especially in the rural mountain villages and market of Otavalo. Some of the best-preserved historic cities in Latin America, especially Quito, Cuenca and Loja. A geologically active area and home to a long string of active and dormant volcanoes, including Tungurahua, Cotapaxi and Sangay.

Amazonian Rainforest – many people don’t realise that six of Ecuador’s provinces are in the heart of the Amazon basin. When combined with the Andes and the Galapagos this makes for an incredibly diverse trip for nature lovers and biologists. Various specialist lodges have naturalist guides who lead treks, boating and birdwatching expeditions to help you make the most of your stay.

Coastal Lowlands – Ecuador has miles of beaches along its 2000+ kilometre coastline. Playas with its 13-kilometre main beach is popular with the locals and quite lively on public holidays, but most beaches are virtually unknown or unheard of outside the indigenous populations or surfing communities. There’s warm water, surf, birds and wildlife everywhere.

Diversity – Ecuador takes its role as custodian of so many ecologically important sites seriously. Hence, many areas in Ecuador are strictly protected and you aren’t allowed to enter without a specialist operator using trained naturalist guides. This not only helps to protect the flora and fauna in the parks and reserves, but also means that visitors learn more about these incredibly rich biodiverse areas from experts. Ecuador has registered almost 20,000 species of plants, 1,500 birds, 341 mammals and over 840 species of reptiles and amphibians. Protected areas range from the marine paradise of the Galapagos to the cloud forest reserves of the Andes to the special forest reserves of the Amazonian rainforest.