| Animals | Scenery | Culture | Shopping | Food |
| *** | *** | *** | ** | * |
| Highlights | |
| Quito | city in the clouds |
| Amazon jungle | the Amazon jungle provides a fascinating contrast to the volcanos |
| Market in Saquisili | an original market where animals and everything else imaginable is sold |
| Cotopaxi | a good opportunity to breath some really thin air; the car might have a problem too |
| Train from Rio Bamba to Alausi | riding on the roof through the country; great, if the machine doesn´t break down |
| Restaurants/Hotels | |
| Villa Rosa, Cuenca | excellent cuisine and a good place to try ceviche |
| El Delirio, Riobamba | charming restaurant in a historic house, you might also want to try the chocolate cake in the afternoon |
| Mare Nostrum, Quito |
the decor is a mix between a monestary and the interior of a ship, accordingly they serve nice fish dishes |
| La Selva Jungle lodge | one of the best (and most expensive) places in the jungle, but don´t expect much luxury; great food too |
| hotel Sierra Madre, Quito | good location and charming rooms, especially the one with balcon on the top floor |
| hotel Ali Shungu, Otavalo | nice hotel with a pleasant garden, helpful staff and a good restaurant |
| hosteria La Cienega, Lasso (near Cotopaxi) | the guest rooms are not that convincing, but the atmosphere of the hotel is exceptional; horse riding facilities (if you are not accustomed to catch your horse, you might want to book a guide) |
| Tips | |
| Galapagos | you can only reach the Galapagos from Ecuador, they are expensive but worth every sucre (or dollar more likely) |
| Amazon jungle | it is worth to go a bit further down, into the more remote areas, there are no leeches here (see Borneo) |
| buses | it is very easy to get around by bus, you can also flag them down at any place |
| horse riding | there are good opportunities to renew your horse riding abilities |
| train | try to get on the roof (all the tourists will do the same, only the locals ride first class); it can be quite cold in the morning and get very hot in the afternoon (when the train breaks down) |