Insight Guides Ecuador & Galapagos

Insight Guides

Description

Insight Guides: all you need to inspire every step of your journey. 

From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this is all you need to plan your trip and experience the best of Ecuador and Galapagos, with in-depth insider information on must-see, top attractions like The Avenue of the Volcanoes and Banos and hidden cultural gems like Cuenca and Otavalo.

· Insight Guides Ecuador and Galapagos is ideal for travellers seeking immersive cultural experiences, from exploring Quito to discovering the Pacific Coast beaches
· In-depth on history and culture: enjoy special features on the Amazon and Panama hats, all written by local experts
· Invaluable maps, travel tips and practical information ensure effortless planning, and encourage venturing off the beaten track
· Inspirational colour photography throughout - Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books
· Inventive design makes for an engaging, easy reading experience

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

Sujets

• Galapagos Islands
• América del Sur
• Travel
• South America
• Ecuador

Informations

• Publié par: Apa Publications
• Date de parution: 01 mai 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781789198256
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 8 Mo

Extrait

How To Use This E-Book

Getting around the e-book
This Insight Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration for your visit to Ecuador and Galapagos, as well as comprehensive planning advice to make sure you have the best travel experience. The guide begins with our selection of Top Attractions, as well as our Editor’s Choice categories of activities and experiences. Detailed features on history, people and culture paint a vivid portrait of contemporary life in Ecuador and Galapagos. The extensive Places chapters give a complete guide to all the sights and areas worth visiting. The Travel Tips provide full information on getting around, activities from culture to shopping to sport, plus a wealth of practical information to help you plan your trip.
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights in Ecuador and Galapagos are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
You’ll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Ecuador and Galapagos. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.
About Insight Guides
Insight Guides have more than 40 years’ experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.
Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

© 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd




Table of Contents
Ecuador’s Top 10 Attractions
Editor’s Choice
Introduction: Latitude Zero
Coast, Sierra, and Jungle
Decisive Dates
Lost Worlds
Hub of Two Empires
Independence and After
Economy and Environment
The Ecuadorians
Insight: The Bright Colors of Everyday Wear
Life and Lore in the Sierra
Peoples of the Amazon
Artesanías
A Nation of Painters
Sounds of the Andes
Outdoor Adventures
Food
Introduction: Places
Quito
Insight: Colonial Architecture
Day Trips from Quito
Northern Sierra
The Avenue of the Volcanoes
Insight: Railway Journeys
The Southern Sierra
The Oriente
Oriente Wildlife
The Western Lowlands
The Pacific Coast
Guayaquil and the South Coast
Introduction: The Galapagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands: Darwin’s Laboratory
Insight: Birds of the Galápagos
Visiting the Islands
Travel Tips: Transportation
Travel Tips: A–Z
Travel Tips: Language
Travel Tips: Further Reading


Ecuador’s Top 10 Attractions



Top Attraction 1



Avenue of the Volcanoes. These snow-capped peaks span Ecuador’s Andean spine. Hike and climb at the top of the world, as measured from the earth’s center. For more information, click here .
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 2



Cuenca. Cupolas of the 19th-century Catedral Nueva blend in with the older buildings of Cuenca, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and one of Latin America’s best-preserved colonial Spanish cities. For more information, click here .
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 3



Otavalo. Culture does not get more Andean than in Otavalo, with its excellent textile market. Nearby lakes, haciendas, and colonial Ibarra round off the experience. For more information, click here .
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 4



Baños. Nestled in the Andes, this traveler magnet boasts thermal springs heated by the volcano above, and two little-visited national parks. For more information, click here .
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 5



Quito. The historic Old Town of Quito, one of the biggest in the Americas, is studded with Baroque churches, such as La Compañía de Jesús. For more information, click here .
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 6



Galápagos Islands. Marvels of isolated evolution, the Galápagos Islands boast unique wildlife, approachable like nowhere else on the planet. Swim with sea lions, and dive with sharks and marine iguanas. For more information, click here .
iStock


Top Attraction 7



Ingapirca. Possibly a temple for sun worship, fortress-like Ingapirca is Ecuador’s best-preserved pre-Colonial monument, built by the Inca Tupac Yupanqui in the late 15th century in imperial Inca style. For more information, click here .
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 8



Pacific coast beaches. Offering leaping whales, water sports, and some of the oldest archeological remains in the Americas. For more information, click here .
iStock


Top Attraction 9



Amazon lodges. Just a hop away by plane and canoe, Amazon lodges offer a doorway to the world’s most diverse ecosystem. For more information, click here .
iStock


Editor’s Choice




Sculptures at Capilla del Hombre.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Best wildlife-watching

The Galápagos Islands. The most famous wildlife reserve in the world and the place where Charles Darwin formed his theory of evolution. For more information, click here .
Parque Nacional Machalilla. Most visitors come for the whale-watching around Isla de la Plata, but you can also see frigate birds and blue-footed boobies on Isla de la Plata. For more information, click here .
Parque Nacional Yasuní. Ecuador’s largest nature reserve is home to the elusive jaguar and the vocal howler monkey. For more information, click here .
Mashpi Biodiversity Reserve. A private 3,000-acre cloud forest reserve only accessible if you’re a guest at the lavish Mashpi Lodge (located here), where over 30 endemic bird species have been spotted in the surrounding area. For more information, click here .



Blue-footed boobies, Galápagos Islands.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Best art museums

Capilla del Hombre. Guayasamín’s masterpiece in the Bellavista district of Quito is perhaps the most stunning example of Modernist Latin American art on the continent. For more information, click here .
Centro Cultural Libertador Simón Bolívar. On Guayaquil’s Malecón 2000, this modern museum has some of the best contemporary art in the country, along with a fascinating anthropological collection. For more information, click here .
National Musuem. This art museum in Quito showcases a wide range of Ecuadorian art, from pre-Columbian artifacts to contemporary pieces. For more information, click here .



Balancing an egg along the equator line at Museum Solar Intiñan.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Best for families

Salinas. The most complete beach resort on Ecuador’s coast. For more information, click here .
Teleférico. Quito’s cable car whisks you to the top of a hill, beside an active volcano, for awe-inspiring views of the city. For more information, click here .
Museo Solar Intiñan. Located right on the equator, this small museum to the north of Quito has interactive exhibits that will keep kids of all ages amused. For more information, click here .



Stunning church décor at Iglesia Santo Domingo, near La Compañía.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Best churches

La Compañía de Jésus. With gold-plated walls and ceilings, this cathedral in Quito is one of the most impressive churches in Latin America. For more information, click here .
El Sagrario and Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción. Cuenca’s “old” and “new” cathedrals dominate the main plaza. The first dates back to the mid-16th century, while the second was built in the late 19th century and contains a famous crowned image of the Virgin. For more information, click here .



Female White-necked Jacobin hummingbird in flight.
iStock


Best adventures

Hiking the Inca Trail to Ingapirca. This three-day trek is not nearly as crowded as its Peruvian cousin, but it takes