Straddling the equator, Ecuador is aptly named, for it sits squarely on the dividing line between the northern and southern hemispheres. Embracing both the highland Andean ranges and lowland Amazonian jungles, it is a small nation of great natural beauty. It is also a thoroughly modern and hospitable country, yet one steeped in history: from an illustrious pre-Columbian and colonial past, to a land whose creative people guard their folkloric traditions.
QUITO
Once the northern capital of the Inca Empire and often called the Florence of the Americas, handsome Quito is above all a rich repository of religious architecture—no less than 40 churches and chapels, 16 convents and monasteries—and decorative arts, good reasons for UNESCO to have chosen Quito a World Heritage site. Since the turn of this century, city fathers, planners and involved citizens have invested energy, imagination and a budget of $220 million in historic Quito, restoring her treasury of masterpiece colonial buildings; converting old buildings to new uses, such as the Military Hospital, which now houses a Contemporary Art Center; cleaning up and re-animating the old city, particularly with traffic-free zones, restful plazas and some fine new restaurants—all while expanding its inventory of modern hotels and lovely little boutique properties. Visitors have new lodging options, including the Hotel Plaza Grande, which occupies a 16th century house, and the Villa Colonna, both of which joined the hotel that led the boutique accommodations pack, the Hotel Patio Andaluz. And there are more to come. Actually, elsewhere in the city, there is a solid core of international hotels, including the new Le Parc and older five-star favorites from the Marriott to the Hilton Colon, and when it all adds up, born-again Quito has become a place that business travelers enjoy more and where leisure visitors are staying longer, making day excursions to stand right on Latitude 0 (with one foot in each hemisphere) at the Equatorial Monument, riding the rails for a day out, hiking and horseback riding in Cotopaxi National Park, and taking off for birdwatching in the El Mindo cloud forests. Quito’s most impressive architectural treasure has always been La Compania, a church whose facade is the city’s most ornate, whose interior is a dazzle of golden altars, and whose colonial art collection is just plain spectacular. Another essential-to-see spiritual fortress is San Francisco Church, the first great religious building on the continent.
The city’s artistic legacy is also on view at the Museum of Colonial Art, while more ancient artifacts dazzle visitors to the modern Central Bank Museum which has an astonishing collection of pre-Columbian ceramics, sculptures and golden artifacts. Ecuador’s centuries of artistic excellence carry over into boutiques packed with good buys in pottery, weaving, leather goods, gold and silver jewelry, and wood carvings from all over the country. Modern art also thrives here in galleries hosting many works by the country’s fine painters. Best known is Oswaldo Guayasamin, whose private collection of paintings, sculpture and jewelry is on view at his hilltop museum: Fundacion Guayasamin.
CUENCA
Founded on the ruins of the ancient Inca town of Tombebamba, Cuenca basks in a 17th century Spanish past, whose remaining charms include blue- and gold-domed churches, buildings with ornate balconies, and cloisters full of beautiful religious art. In this colonial gem of a city, cobblestone streets lead from one flower-filled plaza to the next, to turn-of-the-century mansions that are now lovely inns, and down to the Tombebamba River. Fittingly in colonial Cuenca, boutique inns occupying historic mansions—Mansion Alcazar and Hotel Santa Lucia—are two of the nicest places to stay. And of particular note, Cuenca, the place to see woven (and to buy) the finest of Panama hats. The essential excursion from town is Ecuador’s most important Inca site, the sprawling Inca fortress of Ingapirca.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
The Galapagos Islands, already one of the most popular eco-destinations in the world, will get even more attention in 2009. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of “The Origin of the Species,” the book that was inspired by his travels to this weird world of lava rock and volcano crater lakes, six main volcanic islands—and scores of smaller ones—that lie in the Pacific Ocean, 650 miles off the Ecuadorian coast. Here, Darwin found Antarctic fur seals living right on the equator, birds that swam but could no longer fly, huge tortoises lumbering about the highlands,13 different species of finches and three different kinds of boobies doing their mating dance rituals. Seeing all these natural wonders close up is part of the enchantment of the Galapagos, offering an adventure of a lifetime aboard the 90-passenger Santa Cruz and the 52-cabin Galapagos Explorer II, or aboard smaller yachts, including the 20-passenger Eric or Flamingo II, the Letty or the new 48-passenger La Pinta and Eclipse. There are many more fine vessels in the islands, sailing either from Santa Cruz Island or San Cristobal on 3-, 4- or 7-night cruises. And then there is the option to stay put on an island, where choice spots are on Santa Cruz Island, including Finch Bay EcoLodge, the Red Mangrove at Puerto Ayora, and the Hotel Royal Palm in the highlands. With the downturn in the world economy, this may be a good year for a bit of price-shopping on island cruising. However, at any time, the experience is priceless.
GUAYAQUIL
Also totally revamped in the last decade is the port city of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s commercial center that lies 30 miles inland from the Pacific on the Guayas River. Seemingly overnight, Guayaquil has been transformed from a rag-tag port city into a modern and worthwhile place to visit. Among the new attractions are the restoration of the historic Las Penas quarter and the Historic Park, showcasing the region’s traditions and wildlife. Most notable is the waterfront boardwalk (Malecon 2000), with gardens, fountains, restaurants and museums, including the Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art and the Museum Nahim Isaias, with a wonderful collection of colonial religious art. And from the Hilton Colon to the Hampton Inn, hotel development has kept pace with re-born Guayaquil.
IN AMAZONIA
East of the Andes lies Ecuador’s slice of the Amazon basin, a vast rainforest region called El Oriente, home to giant otters, wooly monkeys, river dolphins, some 1,600 species of birds, and various groups of indigenous peoples, many of whom are involved participants in ecotourism and the preservation of their natural heritage. Consider, for instance, a stay at the Napo Wildlife Center, one of the newest and most comfortable lodges (deluxe cabanas and the best observation
tower in Ecuador’s Amazon) and run by an indigenous community on the Rio Napo. It sits on Lake Anagu inside Yasuni National Park. Or, venture by small plane and motorized canoe to the remote, awardwinning Kapawi Ecolodge, a pioneer in community ownership of and participation in all aspects of sustainable tourism; the lodge is rich in comfort, hospitality and untamed nature.
It Would Be a Shame to Miss...
Quito is the takeoff point for visiting the many colorful and interesting markets in towns along the Pan American Highway—Ambato on Monday, Pujili on Wednesday, and Saquisili on Thursday. North of the capital near Cotopaxi National Park, lies Ecuador’s most famous market of all, Otavalo, where fi ne craftwork from all over the country spills out over dozens of plazas every Saturday morning. Go the night before and stay in any one of the highland inns: say Hacienda Pinsaqui, Hacienda San Agustin de Callo or La Mirage Garden Hotel & Spa.
Celebrations for All Seasons
Feb.: Carnival is celebrated nationwide; the city of Guaranda is particularly famous for its celebrations, as is Esmeraldas and Ambato.
June 24: The Inti Raymi fi estas (honoring the sun, but also St. John the Baptist) are most colorful in the northern Sierra, with the most famous on parade in Otavalo.
Sept. 24: The Fiesta de Mama Negra processions are held in Latacunga, now connected to Quito by rail.
Oct. 9: Guayaquil holds a city-wide party to celebrate Independence Day.
Dec.: The fi rst week of the month is Fiestas in Quito, honoring the founding of the capital with bullfi ghting, art exhibitions, street parades and outdoor concerts.
QUITO
Once the northern capital of the Inca Empire and often called the Florence of the Americas, handsome Quito is above all a rich repository of religious architecture—no less than 40 churches and chapels, 16 convents and monasteries—and decorative arts, good reasons for UNESCO to have chosen Quito a World Heritage site. Since the turn of this century, city fathers, planners and involved citizens have invested energy, imagination and a budget of $220 million in historic Quito, restoring her treasury of masterpiece colonial buildings; converting old buildings to new uses, such as the Military Hospital, which now houses a Contemporary Art Center; cleaning up and re-animating the old city, particularly with traffic-free zones, restful plazas and some fine new restaurants—all while expanding its inventory of modern hotels and lovely little boutique properties. Visitors have new lodging options, including the Hotel Plaza Grande, which occupies a 16th century house, and the Villa Colonna, both of which joined the hotel that led the boutique accommodations pack, the Hotel Patio Andaluz. And there are more to come. Actually, elsewhere in the city, there is a solid core of international hotels, including the new Le Parc and older five-star favorites from the Marriott to the Hilton Colon, and when it all adds up, born-again Quito has become a place that business travelers enjoy more and where leisure visitors are staying longer, making day excursions to stand right on Latitude 0 (with one foot in each hemisphere) at the Equatorial Monument, riding the rails for a day out, hiking and horseback riding in Cotopaxi National Park, and taking off for birdwatching in the El Mindo cloud forests. Quito’s most impressive architectural treasure has always been La Compania, a church whose facade is the city’s most ornate, whose interior is a dazzle of golden altars, and whose colonial art collection is just plain spectacular. Another essential-to-see spiritual fortress is San Francisco Church, the first great religious building on the continent.
The city’s artistic legacy is also on view at the Museum of Colonial Art, while more ancient artifacts dazzle visitors to the modern Central Bank Museum which has an astonishing collection of pre-Columbian ceramics, sculptures and golden artifacts. Ecuador’s centuries of artistic excellence carry over into boutiques packed with good buys in pottery, weaving, leather goods, gold and silver jewelry, and wood carvings from all over the country. Modern art also thrives here in galleries hosting many works by the country’s fine painters. Best known is Oswaldo Guayasamin, whose private collection of paintings, sculpture and jewelry is on view at his hilltop museum: Fundacion Guayasamin.
CUENCA
Founded on the ruins of the ancient Inca town of Tombebamba, Cuenca basks in a 17th century Spanish past, whose remaining charms include blue- and gold-domed churches, buildings with ornate balconies, and cloisters full of beautiful religious art. In this colonial gem of a city, cobblestone streets lead from one flower-filled plaza to the next, to turn-of-the-century mansions that are now lovely inns, and down to the Tombebamba River. Fittingly in colonial Cuenca, boutique inns occupying historic mansions—Mansion Alcazar and Hotel Santa Lucia—are two of the nicest places to stay. And of particular note, Cuenca, the place to see woven (and to buy) the finest of Panama hats. The essential excursion from town is Ecuador’s most important Inca site, the sprawling Inca fortress of Ingapirca.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
The Galapagos Islands, already one of the most popular eco-destinations in the world, will get even more attention in 2009. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of “The Origin of the Species,” the book that was inspired by his travels to this weird world of lava rock and volcano crater lakes, six main volcanic islands—and scores of smaller ones—that lie in the Pacific Ocean, 650 miles off the Ecuadorian coast. Here, Darwin found Antarctic fur seals living right on the equator, birds that swam but could no longer fly, huge tortoises lumbering about the highlands,13 different species of finches and three different kinds of boobies doing their mating dance rituals. Seeing all these natural wonders close up is part of the enchantment of the Galapagos, offering an adventure of a lifetime aboard the 90-passenger Santa Cruz and the 52-cabin Galapagos Explorer II, or aboard smaller yachts, including the 20-passenger Eric or Flamingo II, the Letty or the new 48-passenger La Pinta and Eclipse. There are many more fine vessels in the islands, sailing either from Santa Cruz Island or San Cristobal on 3-, 4- or 7-night cruises. And then there is the option to stay put on an island, where choice spots are on Santa Cruz Island, including Finch Bay EcoLodge, the Red Mangrove at Puerto Ayora, and the Hotel Royal Palm in the highlands. With the downturn in the world economy, this may be a good year for a bit of price-shopping on island cruising. However, at any time, the experience is priceless.
GUAYAQUIL
Also totally revamped in the last decade is the port city of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s commercial center that lies 30 miles inland from the Pacific on the Guayas River. Seemingly overnight, Guayaquil has been transformed from a rag-tag port city into a modern and worthwhile place to visit. Among the new attractions are the restoration of the historic Las Penas quarter and the Historic Park, showcasing the region’s traditions and wildlife. Most notable is the waterfront boardwalk (Malecon 2000), with gardens, fountains, restaurants and museums, including the Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art and the Museum Nahim Isaias, with a wonderful collection of colonial religious art. And from the Hilton Colon to the Hampton Inn, hotel development has kept pace with re-born Guayaquil.
IN AMAZONIA
East of the Andes lies Ecuador’s slice of the Amazon basin, a vast rainforest region called El Oriente, home to giant otters, wooly monkeys, river dolphins, some 1,600 species of birds, and various groups of indigenous peoples, many of whom are involved participants in ecotourism and the preservation of their natural heritage. Consider, for instance, a stay at the Napo Wildlife Center, one of the newest and most comfortable lodges (deluxe cabanas and the best observation
tower in Ecuador’s Amazon) and run by an indigenous community on the Rio Napo. It sits on Lake Anagu inside Yasuni National Park. Or, venture by small plane and motorized canoe to the remote, awardwinning Kapawi Ecolodge, a pioneer in community ownership of and participation in all aspects of sustainable tourism; the lodge is rich in comfort, hospitality and untamed nature.
It Would Be a Shame to Miss...
Quito is the takeoff point for visiting the many colorful and interesting markets in towns along the Pan American Highway—Ambato on Monday, Pujili on Wednesday, and Saquisili on Thursday. North of the capital near Cotopaxi National Park, lies Ecuador’s most famous market of all, Otavalo, where fi ne craftwork from all over the country spills out over dozens of plazas every Saturday morning. Go the night before and stay in any one of the highland inns: say Hacienda Pinsaqui, Hacienda San Agustin de Callo or La Mirage Garden Hotel & Spa.
Celebrations for All Seasons
Feb.: Carnival is celebrated nationwide; the city of Guaranda is particularly famous for its celebrations, as is Esmeraldas and Ambato.
June 24: The Inti Raymi fi estas (honoring the sun, but also St. John the Baptist) are most colorful in the northern Sierra, with the most famous on parade in Otavalo.
Sept. 24: The Fiesta de Mama Negra processions are held in Latacunga, now connected to Quito by rail.
Oct. 9: Guayaquil holds a city-wide party to celebrate Independence Day.
Dec.: The fi rst week of the month is Fiestas in Quito, honoring the founding of the capital with bullfi ghting, art exhibitions, street parades and outdoor concerts.
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