Small in measurement, this nation is nice in its variety. It can delight travellers who love Andean tradition, in addition to hikers at heart and budding naturalists.
Touchdown in Quito, the world’s highest capital metropolis at 2,800m, units the tone: you possibly can anticipate to be breathless on this country straddling the Andes. A veritable backbone some 600 km lengthy, this mountain range separates the Pacific coastal plain, frequented by whales and surfers, from the wild Amazonian Oriente. A land of contrasts, which are also expressed via the tough opposition between custom and modernity, with the picturesque Otavalo market, where animals and ponchos are traded, constituting the Amerindian emblem of this region which turned the second centre of the Inca Empire.
The location of Ingapirca is among the rare vestiges of this time. After soaking up the baroque environment of the previous colonial centre of Quito, the Pan-American Freeway invites you to go south. Referred to as the “Avenue of the Volcanoes”, it takes in probably the most illustrious representatives of the Pacific Ring of Hearth, starting with Cotopaxi, one of the crucial dangerous on the earth. After admiring the turquoise waters of the Quilotoa lagoon, which occupies an historic crater, probably the most intrepid will check themselves towards the 6,310 m Chimborazo. The others will head for the spa city of Baños, and take the waterfall route that may cause them to the sting of the jungle, to Puyo. A break is then crucial in Cuenca, a UNESCO World Heritage website. This is a chance to purchase a straw hat woven by hand within the region… the well-known panama!
A number of kilometres away, the Cajas National Park presents hikers its enchanting wilderness with more than 200 lakes perched round 4,000 m. After enjoying a trout and blackberry juice, we descend to the sprawling city of Guayaquil to board a flight to the Galapagos Islands, the place sea lions and iguanas would be the welcoming committee. When you’ve greeted the enormous turtles of Santa Cruz, you’ll have to take a ship to discover the much less touristy islands and hope to identify a hammerhead shark or a manta ray. From the highest of Bartolomé, the view embraces the whole archipelago, the final postcard of a trip wealthy in unforgettable panoramas.
L’article EQUATOR AND GALAPAGOS : WATER AND FIRE est apparu en premier sur Galerie Joseph.
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