Ecuador Overview Ecuador is roughly the size of Colorado, has a population of 13.5 million people and is one of only 18 countries in the world the UN designated as a "megadiverse" country, a country that harbors between 60%-70% of all species on the planet! There are only 651 locations in the world deemed worthy of "having outstanding universal value", a prerequisite for being declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ecuador has three.

Quito is the 2-mile high colonial capital nestled between northern volcanic peaks. Colonial Cuenca is the heart and cultural capital, a world unto it's own, set high in the southern Andes. The world famous Galapagos we all learned about in school, but probably never even realized they are part of the incredible diversity Ecuador has to offer.

While Quito is the capital, Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil is its economic capital, brimming with nightlife, business and cultural activity. Guayaquil has a little known claim to fame as the birthplace of Beavis and Butthead. Mike Judge, its creator, was born here. And surely everyone knows the world famous Panama hat is actually from Ecuador.

For such a small country, Ecuador has huge exploration opportunities. It is, per square mile, the most biodiverse location on earth. Ecuador is the only spot on the planet where the equator crosses mountain peaks, thus the place on earth closest to the sun and the moon is Mount Chimborazo at 20,702 ft (and with a little help of the earth's equatorial bulge). Ecuador is a visual and sensory feast no matter which of the four distinct regions you visit.

1. The Andes is the country's Andean spine and creates a distinct boundary between the lush coastal plains and the jungles of the Amazon basin. Colorful colonial towns and cities perch on high plains and rich valleys between majestic mountain peaks. Perhaps best known for its 'Avenue of Volcanoes', a 30 minute flight between Quito and Cuenca offers photo ops the mind never releases whether you have a camera with you or not. See as many as four grand volcanoes at once, often completely snow covered peaks rising above the clouds to contrast beautifully against brilliant blue skies, including the world's tallest active volcano, Mount Cotopaxi.

2. The Coast stretches along the Pacific for over 1200 miles of mostly undeveloped coastline or small fishing villages. The lush, tropical aptly named Esmeraldas is in the north. This is a holiday destination for many in Quito due to its proximity. The Manab province is the central coastline with Manta as it's most developed city. Between Machalilla National Park and the international surfing mecca of Mo tanita, lush rainforest covered hills meet isolated white sandy coves below beach cliffs affording magnificent views of the Pacific. Many say this is what the California or Pacific Northwest (US) coastline must have looked like long before it was developed. From June until September, whale watching along the Manabi coast is not a 'maybe' sighting, it's a given as humpbacks makes their annual migration north. Further south, the new province of Santa Elena is a peninsula jutting out into the Pacific. At its tip is Salinas, the popular weekend destination for Guayaquile os, lining a calm bay and resembling a mini-Miami circa 1975. The closest beach area to Guayaquil is Playas in the Guayas Province. From Guayaquil south, the Oro province is known as the 'green gold' province due to the wealth it provides the country in banana exports. Ecuador is one of the world's largest producers of bananas and most of them come from the El Oro province between Guayaquil and Peru. Coastline here is not a beach destination as most of it is covered in protective mangrove.

3. The Amazon is the jungle, the Amazon Basin covering nearly 40% of Ecuador. Called simply, The Oriente - The East, many indigenous communities still live here as they have for thousands of years without modern amenities. Ecotourism in the Oriente is a beacon for the world to follow as comfort does not give way to environmental protection, but rather co-exists in harmony with it and with the local populations. In this dense, isolated area of Ecuador, some jungle lodges may be a 10 day walk to the next closest village. Veined with rivers and lakes, the Oriente is a large part of the reason Ecuador has more species of plants and animals per square acre than anywhere else in the world. The Oriente is mecca for virtually any naturalist or anyone interested in nature. From rare tropical orchids and mammoth anacondas; from endangered 15 feet long black caiman (like a crocodile) to pink river dolphins; from more tree and plant species in 2 1/2 acres than you will find in all of North America; from the elusive, magical Blue Morpho butterfly to well over 500 species of birds; from monkeys to jaguars to capybaras...the Oriente has it all in abundance.

4. The Galapagos Archipelago lies in isolation nearly 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The Galapagos are one of the few places in the world without an indigenous population and populated only by plants and animals that were able to swim, fly or survive a 3 week oceanic drift from neighboring continents. Much of the same flora and fauna that inspired Darwin's "Origin of The Species" still thrives on the Galapagos today. Appropriately, ninety-seven percent of the archipelago is a national park and the number of visitors allowed annually is limited in order to protect this international treasure for generations to come. It is probably the only place in the world where the wildlife has not yet learned to fear humans. The Galapagos Islands were born from the same type of submerged volcanoes and lava fields that created Hawaii and even today the islands themselves continue to evolve.

Ecuador's currency is the US dollar, electrical currency is 110 volts, 60 cycles AC currency (same as the US), internet is widely available and, oh yes, Ecuadorians love visiting foreigners! You will not meet friendlier people anywhere on the planet.

Origin of the species…origin of the shrunken head...27 distinct indigenous populations…the Andes…stunning colonial cities…the Amazon jungle basin…the Galapagos…the equator…ancient art and culture…the most biodiversity in the world… only in Ecuador, folks, only in Ecuador!