Ecuador, a country boasting a wealth of vibrant indigenous cultures, colonial architecture, volcanic landscapes and tracts of dense rainforests packed into its tiny borders. Welcome to the smallest Andean country in South America. You can change your surroundings here as fast as you can change your mind - one day your cold fingers are picking through hand-woven woollen sweaters at a chilly indigenous market in the Andean highlands, and the next they're slapping mosquitoes on a tropical beach. Then there are the Galapagos Islands, lauded as one of the world's greatest natural history treasures.

Best time to visit

May to December on the mainland, or January to April for the Galapagos.

Essential experiences: Travelling to the Galapagos Islands to snorkel with harmless shark; wandering through the splendid colonial streets of Cuenca; outdoor pursuits in the Oriente - where you can hike, visit indigenous communities, white-water raft, fish for piranhas and spot caimans; bouncing around the spectacular high Andean road known as the Quilotoa loop; visiting Ecuador's most stunning crater lake, Laguna Quilotoa; journeying down the Rio Napo to the Amazon River by canoe; hopping on a cargo boat from Coca in the Oriente to Iquitos in Peru.

In a few words, Ecuador is

The Galapagos Islands, panama hats, panpipes, the Andes, and eating roasted guinea pigs.

Did you know?

Ecuador has one of the highest deforestation rates in Latin America and the oldest tools found in Ecuador date to 9000 BC.