Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos archipelago is renowned for its unique and fearless wildlife and has become a mecca for natural-history enthusiasts. Here, you can swim with sea lions, float eye-to-eye with penguins and stand beside a blue-footed booby and ogle as it feeds its young. The archipelago spreads out over 50,000 sq km (19,500 sq mi) of the Pacific Ocean some 1000km (620mi) west of Ecuador and is comprised of 13 main islands and six smaller ones. The landscape is barren and volcanic but has a unique haunting beauty. The highest point in the chain is the 1707m (5600ft) Volcán Wolf on Isla Isabela. The islands' renowned bird and marine life includes albatrosses, penguins, boobies, turtles, giant tortoises, iguanas, sea lions, whales and dolphins.
Blue-footed boobies dancing beak to beak (18K)
Marine iguanas are sweeter than they look (13K)
Ecuador claimed the Galápagos Islands in 1832, just 3 years before their most famous visitor, Charles Darwin, dropped anchor on the Beagle and stepped ashore and into history. For the next century, the islands were inhabited by a few settlers and were used as a penal colony, the last of which closed in 1959. The archipelago became a national park in 1959. Today, the park is protected from haphazard tourism by strict limits on where visitors are allowed to go, and all visitors are obliged to be accompanied by a certified naturalist tour guide trained by the national parks service. The islands currently receive an average of 60,000 visitors per year.
Pup love among sea lions (7K)
A visit to the islands is expensive; a high season flight from Ecuador and a week cruising the islands will set you back at least a four-figure sum. Boat trips to the Galápagos can be arranged from Guayaquil, but it's a hassle and will seldom save you any money. Flights to the islands are much easier to arrange and leave daily from Quito and Guayaquil for the Isla Baltra airport, which is about 2 hours by public transport from Puerto Ayora, the archipelago's main town, on the central island of Santa Cruz.
Ibarra-San Lorenzo Railway
For an unforgettable trip, take a ride on the Ibarra-San Lorenzo railway, linking the highlands near Quito with the coast near the Colombian border. The 'train' is a converted school bus mounted onto a railway chassis, and the spectacular scenery it passes presents a good cross section of landscapes. The views are especially good from the rooftop - hang on tight!
National Parks & Reserves
Stretching about 70 km southeast of Baños (about 170km/105mi south of Quito), Parque Nacional Sangay encompasses 272,000ha (671,840ac) of the country's most remote and inaccessible wilderness and protects an incredible abundance of rare animals. For floral variety and a different range of habitats, visit the Pasochoa Forest Reserve, 30km (19mi) southeast of Quito, or Parque Nacional Podocarpus, at the southernmost tip of Ecuador between Loja and Zamora. For a close look at some of Ecuador's most unusual wildlife, you can't beat a trip to the Reserva Producción Faunísta Cuyabeno at the northeastern tip Ecuador's Oriente. And for coastal scenery, try Parque Nacional Machalilla, north of Guayaquil on the central coast.