2 Years in Ecuador, in Photos

After two years, I’m finally saying goodbye to South America’s quiet over-achiever. Little Ecuador is always being overshadowed by its larger neighbours like Peru and Colombia, but this small nation shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s ecologically diverse, culturally vibrant and compact enough to be easily covered. To say goodbye to this great little country, I thought I’d share some of my favourite photos from the last few years. Enjoy!

Quito’s colonial center, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Ecuador’s colourful markets are great for people watching.

Quito’s Basilica del Voto Nacional is the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas.

 

Cuenca has historically been Ecuador’s cultural capital.

 

Corn is a staple in Ecuador’s highlands.

Laguna Quilotoa, one of Ecuador’s most serene highland lakes.

Ecuador is a hiker’s paradise.

The Nariz del Diablo, Ecuador’s own haunted train ride.

Getting muddy in Ecuador’s Amazon.

View of Laguna Mojanda from Fuya Fuya.

Cayambe Volcano, as seen from near Laguna Puruhuanta, deep in the Cayambe Coca National Park.

Climbing the Imbabura Volcanco.

A woman dressed as 19th Century South American liberation leader, Simon Bolivar.

Kichwa women in a village near Otavalo.

Wood carving at Oyacachi.

Eagle at Otavalo’s famous Parque Condor.

One of Ecuador’s many historic haciendas.

A rustic coffee shop in central Quito.

Woman with child at a livestock market in the Ecuadorian highlands.

Cayambe Volcano, as seen from near the village of La Esperanza.

Ecuador’s most beloved bird, the condor.

The Sangay National Park is one of Ecuador’s most untamed stretches of wilderness.

Drying socks after a long day of hiking through the Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, one of the best places to experience the Ecuadorian Amazon.

A boy leaps over a burning effigy on new year’s eve in Otavalo.

The Saquisili market, a great place to get swallowed up by the throngs of farmers flocking to haggle over cattle, and local villagers stocking up on fresh produce.

An eagle at Parque Condor, Otavalo.

Hummingbird in Mindo, Ecuador’s bird watching paradise.

Yanurco, an easy ascent near Laguna Mojanda.

Quinoa fields near Riobamba.

A tortoise on the Galapagos Island of Santa Cruz.

Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz.

Sea lion cub on Isabella Island.

Volcanic rock on Las Tintoreras, a small island off the coast of Isabella.

The Martian landscape of Isabella’s Sierra Negra is a far cry from the verdant lowlands of the Galapagos Islands.

One of the Galapagos Islands’ most unique inhabitants, the marine iguana.

 

Beach life on Isabella.

 

 

A pro-government rally in Quito’s Plaza Grande.

President Rafael Correa in Quito.

Street art in Cuenca.

Quito is home to some of Ecuador’s most stunning churches.

Barbecued guinea pig in Banos. It’s a must try.

Political rallies can be colourful, exciting affairs in Ecuador.

 

 

 

A visit to Cajas National Park is a great way to get away from the bustle of Ecuador’s cities.

Ditto for the Amazon.

In Ecuador, you’ll never run out of mountains to climb.