South America on a Shoestring - Ecuador (Chapter)

This is the Ecuador chapter from Lonely Planet's South America on a Shoestring guidebook.

Ecuador may be small, but it's big on natural and cultural wonders. Amazonian rainforest, Andean peaks, premontane cloud forests and the Galápagos Islands set the stage for the country's spectacular biodiversity. Get to the heart of the Andes with this chapter.

• Quito: delve into the picturesque streets of the Old Town
• maps
• The Oriente: spot caimans, howler monkeys and two-toed sloths in Ecuador's slice of the Amazon Basin
• transport & directory
• Galápagos Islands: snorkel with penguins, stare down meter-long iguanas and scuba dive with manta rays
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Quito, Mitad del Mundo, Refugio de Vida Silvestre Pasochoa, Termas de Papallacta, Northern Highlands, Otavalo, Ibarra, Western Andean Slopes, Central Highlands, Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, Latacunga, The Quilotoa Loop, Ambato, Banos, Guaranda, Salinas, Riobamba, Volcán Chimborazo, Alausí, The Southern Highlands, Cuenca, Saraguro, Loja, Zamora, Parque Nacional Podocarpus, Vilcabamba, The Oriente, Lago Agrio, Reserva de Producción Faunística Cuyabeno, Coca, Río Napo, Nuevo Rocafuerte, Parque Nacional Yasuní, Tena, Misahuallí, Jatun Sacha Biological Reserve, Puyo, Macas, Pacific Coast & Lowlands, San Lorenzo, Playa de Oro, Esmeraldas, Atacames, Súa, Same & Tonchigue, Muisne, Mompiche, Canoa, San Vicente, Bahía de Caráquez, Montecristi, Manta, Parque Nacional Machalilla, Puerto López, South of Puerto López, Montanita, Santa Elena & La Libertad, Playas, Guayaquil, Machala, Huaquillas, The Galápagos Islands, Isla Santa Cruz, Isla San Cristóbal, Isla Isabela, Isla Santa María.