We spent three days in Ecuador, first in Quito and then traveling up to Otavalo. My only regret is that we only had 3 days. There is so much to see. If you are considering a trip to Ecuador to visit the Galapagos Islands, I highly recommend you extend your trip by 4-7 days to visit the countryside of Ecuador.

There are essentially four regions in Ecuador: the jungle, the coast, the Andes and the Galapagos. We only had time to visit some sights in the Andes. We chose to visit the Otavalo Market in Northern Ecuador with our full day in Ecuador. It was a wonderful day and so interesting to see people selling sweaters and cloths they had made with their own hands. It was a very colorful market--make sure to bring small bills ($20 and lower) and you can buy many beautiful tapestries, bags, jewelry, and of course, T-shirts. You can read more about this in my full journal entry.

Check out the Equatorial Monument if you have time. We stopped briefly on our way back to Quito.

We were sorry not to visit the Cotopaxi National Park, the most popular park in mainland Ecuador and featuring Cotopaxi Volcano at 5897 meters. This is the highest active volcano in the world. Due to the high altitude, temperatures can be cold here, so guides suggest bringing a jacket!

Because of our limited time, we also were unable to visit the jungle area of Ecuador, and I think we would do that if we go back. There are several jungle lodges and national parks.

The last region in Ecuador (other than the Galapagos of course) is the Coastal area near Quayaquil. We flew through this area, and were struck by the beauty of this city. Evidently the nation has been investing heavily in Quayaquil and it was a much more cosmopolitan city than we expected to see.

Finally, spend some time in Quito itself. There is the Old Town and many museums. We will definitely return to Ecuador in the future and plan to spend much more time in the country on our next visit! ${QuickSuggestions} Dates worth noting: January 1 Año Nuevo

End of February Carnaval starts 2nd week of February and lasts through the end of the month.

April Holy Week or Semana Santa Semana Santa, Starts at the end of Lent

May 24 Battle of Pichincha

July 24 Birthday of Simon Bolivar is not one of the most important dates of the year but it´s celebrated in all of Ecuador.

July 25 Founding of Santiago de Guayaquil

First two weeks of September The Fiesta del Yamor in Otavalo

October 12 Dia de la Raza to celebrate hispanic races of the world, celebrated in most of Central and South America.

November 1 and 2 Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead)

November 7 Mama Negra in Latacunga is one of the biggest parties in Ecuador.

December 6 The Independance Day of San Francisco de Quito. ${BestWay} We used tours and arranged transportation with private drivers. The local bus system is supposed to be very cheap and safe.

From journal Thinking of Ecuador