1,000 Places to See Before You Die

by Patricia Schultz

Ecuador

  A modern-day traveler’s rules of thumb: Visit the most fragile places first; stay on the trails; disturb nothing. Nowhere does this apply more than to the 58 islands and cays of the Galápagos archipelago, which straddle the equator 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. They were essentially unknown until Charles Darwin’s arrival in 1835. It was here that he first developed his theory of evolution, using as evidence an amazing roster of wildlife that thrived on these islands, each remarkably individual in its topography, flora, and fauna. They are still home to the greatest proportion of endemic species in the world. The one most associated with the area is the 400-pound land tortoise, whose shell resembles a riding saddle, known to the early Spaniards as a galápago—thus their name for the archipelago. Marine iguanas (the only lizard in the world that lives in the ocean), blue-footed boobies, and 13 species of finches are also peculiar to these volcanic islands. In their isolation from predators, the animals of the Galápagos have no instinctive fear of man—their curiosity may surpass your own.

  The Galápagos Islands are as stunning underwater as above. Declared UNESCO’s first Natural World Heritage Site in 1978 and then a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1984, they host an astonishing variety of marine life: Scuba divers will see the hemisphere’s northernmost population of penguins (thanks to the cooling Humboldt Current), sea lions, fur seals, dolphins, and even the odd migrating whale. Some fully equipped live-aboards head for the remote and uninhabited islands of Wolf and Darwin, where you can expect to be surrounded by enormous schools of hammerheads and manta rays, for which the Galápagos are famous.

  The most popular way to visit the islands is by boat; you can choose among more than 80 options carrying 12 to 100 passengers each. Landlubbers can stay in one of a clutch of very comfortable resorts, such as the Royal Palm Hotel, occupying a 400-acre site on Santa Cruz; of the 18 main islands, it is one of the largest (380 square miles) and is the most populated. The resort’s private boat takes guests on wildlife-viewing day trips, delivering them back in time for a spa treatment followed by a candlelight dinner. Santa Cruz is also the site of the Darwin Research Station, which many giant tortoises call home.

  Blue-footed, red-footed, and masked boobies can all be found on the islands.

  WHERE: 618 miles/966 km west of Guayaquil. HOW: U.S.-based INCA offers 11-day trips that include an 8-day cruise on a 12–16-passenger ship. Tel 510-420-1550; www.inca1.com. Cost: from $4,895. Originates in Quito. U.S.-based Caradonna Dive Adventures offers an all-inclusive 7-day diving package. Tel 800-328-2288 or 407-774-9000; www.caradonna.com. Cost: from $4,150. Originates in Santa Cruz. ROYAL PALM HOTEL: Tel 593/5-527-408; in the U.S., 800-528-6069; www.royalpalmgalapagos.com. Cost: from $375. DARWIN RESEARCH STATION: Tel 593/5-526-146; www.darwinfoundation.org. BEST TIMES: mid-Apr–Jun and Sep–Dec for nicest weather and fewest crowds.

  Rain Forest Luxe and Wildlife to Match

  MASHPI LODGE

  Ecuador

  Ecotourism has reached new heights of comfort just 2 hours from Quito on the western slopes of the Andes with a modern masterpiece that might have won the approval of Frank Lloyd Wright. Built with cutting-edge, environmentally sound methods, the 18-suite Mashpi Lodge features contemporary, clean lines and natural materials that blend effortlessly into the 2,620-acre private rain-forest reserve—part of the Tumbez-Chocó-Darién biodiversity hot spot—in which it nestles. The lodge’s glass walls present breathtaking views of the forest and valleys from nearly every angle. Only electric vehicles are allowed within the reserve, so as not to disturb the wildlife.

  Learn about the rain forest’s wild beauty in the company of local guides and naturalists along miles of trails that pass by waterfalls and blooming orchids (Ecuador is home to 4,000 species). The area boasts 500 species of birds, including 36 endemic ones. Travel into the upper tree canopy via a mile-long aerial tram or take a nocturnal walk that offers a completely different, more mystical experience. Back at the lodge, a serpentarium and saparium will increase your appreciation for the snakes and toads of the rain forest.

  Families who live in the vicinity welcome guests to visit and learn about their methods of raising cocoa and other crops. Watch the beans being processed into dark chocolate and sample the goods, then strike off for the restored archaeological site of Tulipe, where the Yumbo civilization thrived between 800 and 1660. Finish your day at the lodge’s restaurant, which specializes in refined dishes complemented by a carefully selected wine list from South America and beyond. And don’t forget to visit the spa, which incorporates local traditions and herbs into its rejuvenating treatments. Going green is all pleasure here.

  WHERE: 71 miles/114 km northwest of Quito. Tel 593/9-2298-8200; in the U.S., 877-500-9402; www.mashpilodge.com. Cost: 2 nights from $1,300 per person, all-inclusive, with transfer from Quito. BEST TIMES: Jan–May for dry season; the solstices and equinoxes in Mar, Jun, Sep, and Dec, when ceremonies are performed at Tulipe.

  Exuberant World of Biodiversity

  EL ORIENTE, ECUADOR’S AMAZON

  Ecuador

  El Oriente (“The East”) is Ecuador’s vast, wild region of tropical Amazon forest. Among the world’s most biodiverse regions, it occupies more than one-third of Ecuador but holds only 4 percent of the population. It is here that snowmelt spreads from the base of the Andes, mixing with volcanic soil and making the rich earth that sustains this area’s varied plant and wildlife. You’ll glimpse everything from monkeys and birds to caimans. In the Cuyabeno, Pastaza, and Putumayo rivers—all tributaries of the Amazon—pink freshwater dolphins can sometimes be spotted. Nine native tribes inhabit the area too, including the Quechua, Huaorani, and Shuar.

  Sacha Lodge, set on a lake in 5,000 acres teeming with hundreds of species of birds, fish, and mammals, is one of the originals. The view from the virgin property’s 135-foot observation tower, where you can discover a world of treetop bromeliads and the exotic birds they attract, includes the snow-topped peak of Sumaco, an extinct volcano 100 miles away. Local English-speaking naturalists lead daily jungle walks.

  Kapawi Ecolodge and Reserve, among the area’s most remote lodges, has 20 eco-friendly cabins built on stilts over a lagoon cocooned by jungle that stretches for more than 2 million acres. The Achuar tribe helped to build the lodge and became its owners in 2008. The Napo Wildlife Center Amazon Lodge is another environmentally sensitive option, with 12 lakefront cabañas sitting on more than 82 square miles of forest within Yasuni National Park. Two observation towers allow you to see over the jungle canopy. Built with the assistance of the Añangu-Quichua community, who have owned the lodge since 2007, it’s also a birder’s paradise. Some of the most colorful of the more than 560 species recorded in the region are parrots and macaws, attracted to the mineral-rich clay licks.

  WHERE: Lago Agrio is 161 miles/259 km northeast of Quito. HOW: U.S.-based Andean Treks can customize all-inclusive 4- to 8-day packages at any of the various lodges. Tel 800-683-8148 or 617-924-1974; www.andeantreks.com. SACHA LODGE: Tel 593/2-256-6090; www.sachalodge.com. KAPAWI ECOLODGE AND RESERVE: Tel 593/2-600-9333; www.kapawi.com. NAPO WILDLIFE CENTER AMAZON LODGE: Tel 593/2-600-5893; in the U.S., 866-750-0830; www.napowildlifecenter.com. COST: all lodges charge from $695 to $800 per person, for a 4-day stay, all-inclusive with canoe transfer. BEST TIME: Dec–Apr for dry season.

  The Continent’s Most Famous Indigenous Market

  OTAVALO

  Ecuador

  The oldest, best-known, and most important Indian market in South America takes place every Saturday high in the Andes. Otavalo’s market has always served as the social and economic heartbeat of the northern highlands; today it is one of Ecuador’s most popular destinations, after the Galápagos Islands (see p. 1032). The otherwise sleepy town awakens at dawn to a cacophony of chickens, cows, and sheep and the trading of hemp, saddles, vegetables, grain, and textiles. There are also tourist trinkets galore—pottery, weavings, jewelry, carved wooden animals—but what most visitors are seeking is the authentic local atmosphere
as the brightly dressed otavaleños converge to barter. Early birds should ideally arrive before the animal market bedlam ends at around 8 A.M., or at the very least before day-trippers arrive on buses rolling in from Quito (see p. 1036) at around 10 A.M.

  Spend Friday night at the nearby Hacienda Cusín, a 17th-century colonial plantation reincarnated as a first-class rural inn. Rooms have a rustic, old-world charm—some with romantic fireplaces and wrought-iron balconies opening onto lovely vistas of the surrounding mountain scenery. Fifteen minutes away is the more sophisticated La Mirage, a lush flower- and vine-draped oasis perched high on an Andean hillside that combines the best of local culture and artistry with the owners’ love of European aesthetics and luxury. The staff at the impeccably run inn’s working farm can send you off with a guide on horseback through ancient Indian towns and unspoiled high country to the shores of a volcanic lake. Dining at La Mirage is as memorable for the view of the snowcapped Cotacachi and Imbabura mountains as it is for the excellent menu, enhanced by local Ecuadoran wines and served by young Otavalo Indian girls in traditional embroidered dress.

  Midway on the 2-hour drive from Quito to Otavalo is Mitad del Mundo, the “Middle of the World” monument celebrating Ecuador’s equatorial position. (Ecuador is Spanish for “equator.”) The equator actually lies 984 feet to the north of the monument, which was placed on the basis of measurements made during the 1736 French Geodesic Mission. Still, straddling the line here for a photo op is hard to resist.

  Bartering for goods at the local market is a tradition among otavaleños.

  WHERE: 80 miles/120 km north of Quito. HACIENDA CUSÍN: Tel 593/6-2918-013; in the U.S., Myths & Mountains, 800-670-6984; www.haciendacusin.com. Cost: $120. LA MIRAGE: Tel 593/6-2915-237; in the U.S., 800-327-3573; www.mirage.com.ec. Cost: from $350. BEST TIMES: Sat for best market, though markets take place almost daily; Jun 24–Jul 6 for celebration of the patron saints of Cotacachi.

  Latin America’s Best-Preserved Center

  QUITO

  Ecuador

  At 9,200 feet above sea level, Quito is among the world’s highest capitals. Ringed by mountains and volcanoes that are often crowned with snow, this city is as spectacular and welcoming as its year-round temperature (an average of 70°F despite its just-south-of-the-equator location). The ancient heart of Quito, the first city center to be declared a UNESCO Heritage Site, is rich with Colonial buildings built on Incan foundations, much like Cuzco, in Peru (see p. 1040). In fact, Quito was the ancient capital of the Inca’s northern realm long before it became the capital of the new Republic of Ecuador in 1830. The Quito School of Art, developed in the 1500s, combined European and indigenous influences, many of which can still be seen today.

  Among the most imposing buildings in Quito is the Iglesia de San Francisco (honoring the city’s patron saint), which rises over Plaza San Francisco. An immense Spanish Baroque church dating from 1535, it is one of South America’s oldest, built over the ruins of an Inca temple. Even more stunning is the Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesús, a late-18th-century masterpiece that combines Baroque and Mudejar design. With virtually no surface left unembellished, it is possibly the most beautiful of the capital’s 86 churches (95 percent of the population is Catholic). The 16th-century cathedral Iglesia de la Catedral can be found on the Plaza de la Independencia, also called Plaza Grande, the Spanish colonial administrative heart. Hotel Plaza Grande, in the opulent former home of Juan Díaz de Hidalgo, a founder of Quito, provides 15 luxury rooms in an unmatched plazaside location. Patio Andaluz, a Colonial boutique hotel designated a national treasure, also allows you to stay within walking distance in an ambience that mixes old-world charm with modern fittings.

  Handicrafts proliferate in Quito. For an incomparable display of those harking back to pre-Columbian times, as well as wares from contemporary artisans, drop by Olga Fisch Folklore, a crafts store-cum-museum.

  Cotopaxi, at 19,347 feet the world’s highest continuously active volcano, is an hour’s drive southeast. The climb to the summit is serious business and requires acclimation, so don’t attempt it on your first day. Or settle for the view of the snow-capped summit from Hacienda San Agustín de Callo. Built in the 15th century on the site of an Inca palace and owned today by a descendant of early 20th-century president Leonidas Plaza, the atmospheric inn offers 11 comfortable guest rooms, some of which still feature ancient masonry. It is a working farm, the source of much of the traditional Andean cuisine enjoyed by guests.

  The Jesuit order is the “company” behind La Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesús.

  HOTEL PLAZA GRANDE: Tel 593/2-2510-777; in the U.S., 888-790-5264; www.plazagrandequito.com. Cost: from $550. HOTEL PATIO ANDALUZ: Tel 593/2-2280-830; www.hotelpatioandaluz.com. Cost: $200. OLGA FISCH FOLKLORE: Tel 593/2-2541-315; www.olgafisch.com. HACIENDA SAN AGUSTÍN DE CALLO: Tel 593/3-2719-160; www.incahacienda.com. Cost: from $350, all-inclusive. BEST TIMES: Jun–Aug for nicest weather; Semana Santa (the week before Easter); 1st week of Dec for Fiestas de Quito.

  Where the Mighty River Begins

  PERUVIAN AMAZON

  Amazonas, Peru

  The confluence of the Ucayali and Marañón rivers in Loreto, Peru, forms the legendary head of the mighty Amazon, 2,400 miles from where it flows into the Atlantic. Though Brazil garners most of the fame as the home of the Amazon (see p. 1000), Peru is one of the best places to see it. Flying into Iquitos provides a peek at the region’s largest city, established by the Jesuits in the 1750s and a flourishing rubber tree plantation hub in the late 1800s. It’s the launchpad for exploring the headwaters of the longest river in the Americas (and, by recent calculations, in the world) and the 5-million-acre biodiversity-rich Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. Twice the size of Yellowstone Park (see p. 909), it is the largest wetland reserve in the world.

  International Expeditions, one of the first to establish a presence in the region more than 30 years ago, takes travelers deep into the jungle aboard the 28-passenger La Amatista, built in the style of a 19th-century riverboat. It stops at small settlements along the way, allowing you to visit the local shaman or one-classroom schools. Local naturalists point out the wealth of wildlife: More species of primates have been recorded in this region than anywhere else in the new world, and gray and pink river dolphins can be glimpsed swimming beside the ship. Small excursion boats penetrate narrow passages, flooded forests, and backwater lakes, allowing guided hikes through dense Amazon jungle. A new company, Aqua Expeditions, brings unprecedented comfort to Amazon explorations with its contemporary luxury cruisers, the 24-passenger Aqua and the 32-passenger Aria. Guests return from jungle forays to meals from a kitchen supervised by Lima chef Pedro Schiaffino, then repair to spacious suites with enormous picture windows.

  If you prefer to overnight on land, unpack at any of Explorama’s five lodges in the 250,000-acre Amazon Biosphere Reserve, all within 1 to 3 hours by boat from Iquitos. The 72-room Ceiba Tops, opened in 2004, is their newest and most luxurious—in these parts, that means air-conditioning and a large pool. A trip to the nearby nonprofit Swiss Family Robinson–style camp called the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research reveals a treetop system of ladders, cables, and netting. Visitors ascend 125 feet—about 13 stories—to explore the rain forest via an ingenious multilevel system of aerial platforms and suspended pathways. From here you might spy one of the estimated two-thirds of the rain forest species that live in, and never descend from, the canopy. Many of them have yet to be identified.

  WHERE: Iquitos is 1,153 miles/1,860 km northeast of Lima (1.5 hours by air; Peru’s largest jungle city is accessible by air only). INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITIONS: In the U.S., tel 800-633-4734 or 205-428-1700; www.ietravel.com. Cost: $3,498 for 10-day trip (7 days sailing), all-inclusive, air extra. Originates in Lima. AQUA EXPEDITIONS: Tel 51/65-601-053; in the U.S., 866-603-3687; www.aquaexpeditions.com. Cost: 7-night cruises $5,950, all-inclusive, air extra. (3- and 4-night also available.) Originate in Lima. EXPLORAMA TOURS AND LODGES: Tel 51/65-252-530
; in the U.S., 800-707-5275; www.explorama.com. Cost: $630 per person, all-inclusive for 4-night Ceiba excursions with Canopy Walkway Special. Originates in Iquitos. BEST TIMES: May–Nov for least rain; Jan–Feb for most rain and better animal viewing.

  A Little-Known Valley of Wonders

  COLCA CANYON

  Arequipa, Peru

  Just a few bumpy but highly scenic hours from Arequipa, at the heart of what writer Mario Vargas Llosa described as “the Valley of Wonders,” lie two of the world’s deepest canyons: Colca and Cotahuasi. Both measure 11,000-plus feet deep—twice the depth of the Grand Canyon, but with more gradually sloping walls.

  More accessible from Arequipa (see next page), Colca Valley welcomes greater numbers of tourists, who often come to visit the 14 villages founded in Spanish colonial times that are now home to the descendants of pre-Inca ethnic groups. Outdoor enthusiasts are drawn to the hiking, rafting, and other adventurous pursuits amid the snowcapped volcanoes and soaring mountains scored by agricultural terraces.

  In the morning, visitors gather at the Cruz del Cóndor, on what has become Peru’s most famous lookout point, to marvel at the Andean condors. Among the canyon’s most impressive sights is the condors leaping from the high cliffs to catch the valley’s rising currents of warm air, soaring with wings outstretched to nearly 10 feet.

  Amid this remote, unspoiled beauty, in an unparalleled canyon setting, Orient-Express has opened Las Casitas del Colca’s 20 rustic-luxe “little houses.” Guests here can continue to marvel at condors swooping below them and at the alpacas that roam the grounds. Or they can choose to indulge in treatments that use the valley’s indigenous herbs and plants at the hotel’s Spa Samay. Each casita has a private heated plunge pool for nighttime swims beneath the brilliant star-filled skies. The Colca Lodge is a more modest option deep within the valley that nevertheless impresses with an awe-inspiring view of the surrounding mountains and access to natural thermal hot springs. In Chivay, the canyon’s largest town, Casa Andina welcomes guests to make one of its individual stone houses their home base. The hotel’s attached observatory, associated with Maria Reiche, the German mathematician who studied Peru’s Nazca Lines (see p. 1045), offers guests the chance to study the Southern Hemisphere’s constellations.