Category: Ecuador Facts & Information

The name Ecuador comes from the French word or Équateur, meaning “The middle of the world”, since the country straddles in the southern and northern hemispheres. It is exactly for this reason that Ecuador is such a biodiverse and strikingly beautiful location. Due to its location and the geography, the country consists of four regions namely: The Coast, the Highlands, the Ecuadorian Amazon and Galapagos Islands. This diversity host famous landforms, natural attractions as well as cultural manifestations which are must-visit for every traveler. The beauty of it is that they are all so different that you will get the feeling you’ve been to more that one country, and Ecuador is only 109,484 square miles! Check-out our top visiting spot in Ecuador, a great start when planning your itinerary for your Ecuador trip. Ecuadorian Sierra: Otavalo Market Otavalo is a largely indigenous town in the Imbabura Province, northern part of Ecuador. The indigenous Otavaleños are famous for weaving textiles, usually made of wool (that is sometimes as black as a raven), which are sold at the famous Saturday market. Although the largest market is on Saturday, there is a very wide range of wares available throughout the week in the “Plaza de los Ponchos”, and the many local shops. A full day trip to Otavalo Local Market from Quito is enough to fall in love with the palce. Ecuadorian Sierra: Quilotoa Loop hike The Quilotoa loop is made of mostly small, Andean villages which surround the famous Quilotoa Lake. The scenic beauty of the place is astonishing, specially considering it is actually an old volcanic crater. This spot is also home to the rich cultural hieritage of the high mountain villages. The famous lagoon offers a great opportunity for hiking and landscape photography, a trurly spectacular views. It takes 1

Tungurahua Volcano, The Day The Earth Moved   The Latin American country of Ecuador is home to some of South America's most famous and active volcanoes. Almost daily, in some part of this beautiful country, one or another of its active volcanoes spews smoke and ash out into the atmosphere of this country severely troubled by its many other problems as well, especially shortages of commodities from every day groceries to medicines. Supplies are in short supply throughout the country. One of Ecuador's more memorable volcanic eruptions occurred on February first, 2014. That afternoon around 5:30 p.m., (local time) an increase in activity became noticeable as darkening clouds of ash rose more and more ominously into the deep blue of the late afternoon sky. Within a very short period of time, the heavy thick clouds of ash had spread over the sky above covering it as they rose to some thirteen kilometers. Cities as far away as Guayaquil and Quito felt and saw the effects of the eruption. Tungurahua, from the Quechua term that calls the volcano the "throat of Fire", gives its name to the province of Tungurahua in which it dominates the skyline. Although remaining dormant for a considerable time, Tungurahua began showing signs of restlessness in August, 1999 and since that time, its activity level has continued to be a concern not only to seismologists but to local inhabitants as well. An earlier eruption with pyroclastic flows in 1999 created a great deal of ash and more than 25,000 locals from the area around Baños had to be evacuated. Activity inside the volcano has increased in recent years, growing ever more disturbing. It reached a peak on February 1, 2014 when about five in the later afternoon, Thick heavy ash began spewing from the crater, rising rapidly

Ecuador Snorkeling Sites - Why you cannot miss exploring Ecuador marine life Snorkeling is one of the most accessible water sports when traveling anywhere in the world. The equipment is cheap, certainly cheaper that diving, and anybody with decent swimming skills can do it.  Any snorkeling aficionado can tell you that Ecuador snorkeling spots are ideal due to the geographic location. Surrounded by the Andean Ecosystem (Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south) and bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean, Ecuador has a must-see marine ecosystem for every snorkeling lover. Here's short account of the best Ecuador snorkeling spots. A short list specially thought for snorkeling aficionados, we shall leave Scuba-diving for another article.   *  The Galapagos Islands Marine Reserve, of course! Certainly the most bio diverse spot in Ecuador is the area where the warm Panama Current meets the colder Humbolt and Cromwell currents. In this coalition of currents lies a unique and extremely diverse ecological system filled with fascinating marine life. This area known as the Galapagos Marine Reserve has 133 000 square kilometer of pure life and magic.  Though the Galapagos Islands do not have a coral reef like the rest of the famous snorkeling locations in the South Pacific, it houses a large variety of wildlife and a good visibility for snorkeling. Manta rays, white-tipped sharks, eagle rays, sea-turtles, sea-lions, you name it, the Galapagos has it all, a colorful life-filled ecosystem of easy access. This is what makes it so special for snorkeling; you don’t need to go that deep to observe wildlife. Here´s a list of the best spots for snorkelling in Galapagos: 1.  The ever so beautiful Bartolomé Island near Santa Cruz Bartolomé Island is probably one of the most recognized sites in Galapagos. Pinacle Rock prOivdes one

Ecuador train crucero Train Ecuador crossing Chimborazo Ecuador Train Crucero won the Wider World Project or better tourism product outside Europe, this award was given by the British Guild of Travel Writers. The Ecuador train was started by president Gabriel Garcia Moreno in 1873 and was restored by president Rafael Correa in 2008 who named the railroad a "National Cultural Patrimony". Some of the routes are from Quito - Cotopaxi National Park to Latacunga, Alausi to Saimbambe (Devil's Nose / Nariz del Diablo), El Tambo to Baños del Inca, Duran to Yaguachi and Ibarra to Salinas. History Train Ecuador construction in 1873 Railroad started a service 41 kilometers of track from Yaguachi to Miracle on the coast. In 1895, with the triumph of the Liberal Revolution, the railroad work was taken over by General Eloy Alfaro Delgado. In 1897, the company "Guayaquil and Quito Railway" was established and began the construction of the Southern Railroad. 'The Devil's Nose', a very challenging work of engineering, which led to it's designation as "The most difficult Railway in the World". In 1905  the train arrives for the first time at the train station of Chimbacalle. Train in the early 1920s Photo: Katharine Brainard - www.railroadinthesky.com 1975 marks the beginning of the decadence of the Railways caused by competition with road transport and lack of government interest. 1992 In an attempt to recover the Railroads, the government of Rodrigo Borja acquires electrodiesel locomotives, however without any success. During 1993 the stretch of the Chanchán river is destroyed by the climatic phenomenon 'El Niño'. On April 1, 2008, the National Institute of Cultural Heritage (INPC) officially declares the Railway Network in Ecuador as property belonging to the Cultural Heritage of the State. Train Ecuador Duran 2013 Ecuador Train Routes and pictures Ecuador Train Routes: Machachi Festivo: Quito - Machachi - Quito Camino al