A country · 162 places · 21 regions

Ecuador, all of it.

162 curated places across 21 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.

Cotopaxi · via Wikimedia Commons

The 4 biggest regions — Pichincha Province, Galápagos Province, Cotopaxi Province and Imbabura Province — read below as chapters, with 17 more waiting past them.

Chapter I · Pichincha Province · 31 places

Pichincha Province

A cloud-forest zone on the western Andean slopes northwest of Quito, Mindo occupies a narrow altitudinal band that produces exceptional avian diversity — over 500 bird species recorded, including numerous hummingbird and tanager species concentrated at lodge feeders. The Nambillo Ecological Reserve contains waterfalls reachable by tarabita — a cable-car basket — crossing the forest canopy. The area also produces cacao cultivated under forest shade.

Mindo cloud forest

Pichincha Province, Ecuador

✦ October to February · $

Mojanda

Pichincha Province, Ecuador

✦ June to September for the best chance of clear skies · $

Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve

Pichincha Province, Ecuador

✦ Mornings from June to September, before the daily clouds fill the crater · $

All 31 places in Pichincha Province →

Charles Darwin Research Station, Ecuador

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter II · Galápagos Province · 13 places

Galápagos Province

The scientific heart of the Galápagos on the edge of Puerto Ayora, run by the Charles Darwin Foundation since the 1960s. Exhibits explain conservation programs, and the adjacent breeding center raises giant tortoises and land iguanas for repatriation to their home islands.

✦ Year-round; mornings are cooler for walking the grounds · $

Meet Charles Darwin Research Station All 13 places in Galápagos Province →

Chapter III · Cotopaxi Province · 10 places

Cotopaxi Province

One of the world's highest active volcanoes at 5,897 meters, Cotopaxi rises in near-perfect symmetry above the central Ecuadorian Andes within a national park that encompasses high-altitude páramo grassland. A refuge at 4,800 meters serves as the base for mountaineering ascents, and the road to it passes through a landscape of wild horses against the volcanic cone. The classic photography angle from the north captures the glaciated summit reflected in Limpiopungo lagoon on calm mornings.

Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador

✦ June to September · $$

Quilotoa

Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador

✦ June to September · $

Cotopaxi National Park

Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador

✦ June to September for the driest, clearest weather · $

All 10 places in Cotopaxi Province →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter IV · Imbabura Province · 9 places

Imbabura Province

A highland Andean town north of Quito renowned for its Saturday artisan market, one of the largest in South America, where Otavaleño weavers sell textiles, tapestries, and crafts from a central plaza and surrounding streets. The market has operated continuously for centuries and serves both local and international commerce. The nearby lakes of Cuicocha, set in a caldera, and San Pablo, below Imbabura volcano, complement the cultural experience.

✦ Year-round (market operates Saturdays) · $

Meet Otavalo All 9 places in Imbabura Province →

Every place in Ecuador

162 places, one country.

Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador

✦ June to September · $$

Quilotoa

Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador

✦ June to September · $

Chimborazo

Chimborazo Province, Ecuador

✦ June to September · $$

Otavalo

Imbabura Province, Ecuador

✦ Year-round (market operates Saturdays) · $

Cuicocha

Imbabura Province, Ecuador

✦ June to September · $

Baños de Agua Santa

Tungurahua Province, Ecuador

✦ June to September · $