San Sebastian’s Old Town is a mythical destination for foodies, spoken of in hushed, reverent tones. On every cobblestone street, there’s a welcoming bar with small plates of “pinchos” already piled high to the delight of customers.
Cuenca is the prettiest city in Ecuador. Expect curved, narrow streets dotted with cute cafes, more patisseries than you’ve seen in the rest of Ecuador put together, and historic churches and squares.
Quito’s UNESCO-listed old town is a sight like none other. Distinctive green and gold domes, grey-faced churches with glittering baroque interiors, indigenous street sellers with stacks of avocados, cherries, mangoes and blueberries and endless buses spewing petrol fumes combine to…
Eating out in Ecuador can either be dirt cheap or surprisingly expensive, as restaurants seem either to be holes-in-the-wall or high-end. Our favourite local dishes were quinoa soup and llapingacho (a potato, cheese and egg concoction), as well as arepas…
Otavalo is home to Ecuador’s most famous market and it is the place to shop for ponchos, jumpers and other textiles in Ecuador. This highland town has a strong indigenous community who earn a living making and selling their beautiful…
According to travel guides, the only safe place to cross the overland border between Colombia and Ecuador is Rumichaca. The closest Colombian town is Ipiales (but we recommend staying in Pasto) and the closest Ecuadorian town is Tulcan (but we’d…
Pasto is a small city near the Colombia/Ecuador border and a frequent stopover for those making the long overland journey from Colombia to Ecuador. It’s an unappealing city and we wouldn’t recommend more than an overnight stop here, but it’s…
Popayán is known by two names: the white city (la ciudad blanca) and the fertile city (la ciudad fecund). It’s known as the white city because the old town is whitewashed and the fertile city because no other town has…
Wax palm trees and coffee farms — those are the two things that Salento is famous for. The little Colombian town of Salento is nestled in the verdant green Andes mountains and is just a short ride from the Valle…
Adventurous souls can see can see glaciers, the mighty condor and the other-worldly fraijones in El Cocuy National Park. Snow-capped peaks and wide valleys make the hiking in this Andes mountain range spectacular.