The Natural Beauty of Ecuador

High atop El Panecillo hill, a tall statue of the Virgin Mary smiles over Quito’s gleaming baroque churches and huddled roofs. Between cobbled squares and steep hillsides, Ecuador’s traditional mountain culture still thrives here: pre-Columbian treasures fill the city’s museums, chefs put modern spins on ancient ingredients and venerable market traders are always ready with the perfect, sage-scented remedy.

The temperature dips as you twist up mountain roads and into the misty, green embrace of Ecuador’s cloud forests, though heart-warming wonders await: some of the world’s most wildlife-rich terrain can be found here, on the lower slopes of the Andes: intricate orchids, jaguars, sloths and tiny, technicolor frogs, as well as one hundred species of hummingbird, weaving like jeweled acrobats through the trees.  

Dramatic Imbabura is Ecuador in microcosm, a high-altitude province of volcanic lakes, mountain passes and rambling old estancias (ranches) that offer travellers a romantic glimpse of times gone by, with rose-filled gardens and horseback tours into the wilderness. Indigenous sierra cultures thrive here: their artisan wares on full display in the busy craft markets of Otavalo where, ostensibly, it’s about the bright textiles and handmade leatherware, but really about twinkle-eyed gossip with the locals. 

Of all the volcanoes in the central highlands, Cotopaxi is the poster boy: a dramatic, snow-capped cone that doubles as shorthand for Andean adventures. Grumbles are not unheard of; the last eruption was in 2016, but Cotopaxi’s wild slopes are still ripe for discovery, be it on foot or in the saddle, keeping eyes peeled for guanacos, condors and spectacled bears as the summit shines above you in the equatorial sun. 

Silenced beneath a blanket of ice, the summit of Chimborazo has not stirred for over a millennium, leaving its namesake province to roll away with rustling grassland and sparkling crater lakes. Days here can be spent roaming the landscape on horseback, delving into ancient traditions in remote Andean towns or scaling the slopes of the country’s highest peak, looming like a distant watchtower wherever you venture. 

A fragrant cradle of old mountain culture, Cuenca is a lofty treasure-box of history high in the Andes, a grand jumble of domes and spires. While modern museums and restaurants keep up with the times, the past runs like a crooked seam through its cobbled streets: discover ancient Incan sites and grand colonial churches, and a thriving culture of age-old herbal cleanses, led by shamans in the city’s bustling markets.