Visit, Ecuador

My recent trip to Ecuador marked my third visit to South America, so when I make the contentious statement I’m about to make, I have the context for doing so: Ecuador might be my favorite country in South America.

Previously, this title probably would’ve gone to Colombia, the country where I spent my second visit to South America, one I found to be a microcosm for all the experiences I had during my epic, five-country first South America trip. Ecuador, I found, offers most of what Colombia does, but in a package that’s even smaller.

That being said, the premise of today’s post has nothing to do with superlatives or rankings: I simply want to show you the beauty of Ecuador using some of my favorite photos I took there.

1. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellQuito is home to some of the most beautiful cathedrals in Latin America, such as Iglesia Compania de Jesús, pictured here.

2. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellA view of Quito's dramatic cityscape.

3. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellThe colorful cityscape of Quito rises up the mountains that surround the city for what looks like an infinite span.

4. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellQuito, like most other cities in Latin America, has a large virgin statue rising over it. This one is stepping on a serpent, which symbolizes satan.

5. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellCotopaxi volcano sits approximately halfway between Baños and Quito, Ecuador's capital, along the aptly-named "Avenue of the Volcanoes".

6. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellHuge waterfalls and tropical flowers provide hints at Baños's proximity to the jungle.

7. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellThe huge landscapes that encircle Baños belie its small size.

8.Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily Hell The only thing more intense than zip-lining over a 1, 000-ft canyon? Climbing up a 300-foot ladder to get out of it.

9. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellShopping at the Mercado Central in downtown Baños.

10. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellEcuadorians live in what some might call the danger zone with respect to the volcanoes that dot their landscape, but many believe the land's magical character derives from this and thus, take pride in it.

11. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellA street scene in Baños, a sleepy city near where the mountains meet the jungle, which has become Ecuador's adventure capital.

12. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellMost locals are unfazed by increased tourism in the Ecuadorian Andes – and not just humans.

13. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellA dramatic Andean valley, as seen from onboard the train.

14. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellTraditional Inca dancers perform near the Devil's Nose.

15. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellThe train conductor stands in the foreground while tourists flock toward the "Devil's Nose" itself.

16. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellThe colorful streets of Alausí look all the more spectacular when frames by the towering Andes.

17. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellA completely virgin beach on Isla San Cristóbal.

18. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellThe landscape of the Galapagos shifts dramatically, going from lush jungle to arid semi-desert, often in a matter of meters.

19. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellKicker Rock, located about an hour off of Isla San Cristóbal, is a great diving and snorkeling spot, featuring dozens of species of sharks, to say nothing of the sea turtles and other marine life swimming around.

20. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellThe Galapagos are home not only to ordinary green iguanas, but also exotic yellow ones as well.

21. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellThe namesake blue feet of the Galapagos' iconic boobie.

22. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellOne reason beaches on Isla Santa Cruz are so deserted is to the long walk to reach them.

23. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellOverlooking Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz.

24. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellTortoises are a ubiquitous symbol of the Galapagos, even for locals.

25. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellFlamingos on Isla Isabela.

26.Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellA yellow finch at the Darwin Turtle Breeding Center.

27. Robert Schrader/Leave Your Daily HellMarina iguanas on Isla Isabela.

See also:

• Affordable Airport Limo Service Pearson Airport Limo pearsonairportlimo Best Car Service to Pearson Airport
• On your way back from visiting Ecuador, you want to make sure you made your flight booking reservation for a Round-trip flight from Ecuador. Some of the better airlines you could book on include Az Man Air, Medview etc.