One of the principal reasons people travel to South America, is to study Spanish in Ecuador. The language is clearly spoken, typically well-pronounced and not heavily accented. Schools are widely located and instructors are required to have university-level training and education in teaching Spanish to foreigners. While in Ecuador though, there are some inevitable experiences one shouldn’t miss. In this article, we’ll introduce you to five things to do in Ecuador.
Mitad del Mundo
At zero degrees latitude, a line called the Equator encircles the earth dividing it into a northern and southern hemisphere. In Spanish, this is referred to as “Mitad del Mundo”. Passing a mere five kilometers to the north of Quito, the capitol of Ecuador, the monument marking the position of the Equator is an experience you shouldn’t miss. On the grounds are an ethnographic museum, a scale model of Colonial Quito and an ample selection of stores, restaurants and souvenir shops. While there, step on a scale – you’ll weigh less due to the greater centrifugal force at the Equator. Learn more of the curious irregularities observable at the Equator during your visit. By the way, the name “Ecuador” is derived from the name “Equator”. Nearby you’ll find the thousand-foot deep crater of Pululahua Volcano with its mini-climate and working farms on the crater floor.
Amazon Rainforest
One of the wonders of the world, the Amazon rainforest stretches across the northern and central expanses of the South American continent. Among others, the Amazon rainforest reaches from Brazil into Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, French Guiana, Surinam, Bolivia and Guyana. The region contains 20% of the world’s fresh water and has a bio-diversity unrivaled in all the rest of the world. There are 40,000 known plant species with hundreds of these being the origin of modern-day medicines, and 2,500,000 species of insects, including voracious armies of carnivorous ants, with more of each species being discovered every year. Count in excess of thirteen hundred bird species with more than four hundred catalogued mammals, another four hundred plus reptile species like the almost ever-present crocodile, and virtually as many species of amphibians and you’ve only cracked the surface of the marvels awaiting you in any visit to the Amazon. We didn’t even mention the more than three thousand species of fish, including many of the dreaded species of Piranha.
Quito, Capitol of Ecuador
If your base for travel in the region is Quito, you have the opportunity to experience a number of day trips. To the north of Quito are Otavalo with its famed Indian market, Cotacachi – renowned for its leather craftsmen and Ibarra, the “white”, colonial city of Ecuador. Go south of Quito to visit Cotopaxi National Park, Quilotoa Volcano with its lake-filled crater, and nearby Saquisili and Pujili Indian markets where you can observe, buy and try local foods and crafts for yourself.
Also to the south are Tungurahua Volcano -Ecuador’s most active (it last erupted in December 2012) and the town of Baños at the volcano’s base, featuring its thermal baths, lie to the south of Quito.
Quito itself is a marvel of sights, sounds, smells and flavors waiting for you to experience them. From Colonial Quito – “Old town – home to the Presidential Palace, the historic Independence Plaza and a plethora of luxury hotels, restaurants serving a broad range of typical foods and more than enough stores, shops and commercial centers to satisfy the buying binges of even the most crazed shoppers. A number of schools are located in Quito where you can study Spanish for a period of from one week to six months.
The Galapagos Islands
Unique in all the world, the Galapagos Islands are a definite “must-see” for any trip to Ecuador, time and resources permitting. The dozen or so islands offer cruise visitors an exotic range of animals indigenous to this specific area of the world and nowhere else. All tours are controlled, guided and subject to strict government controls but are a unique experience you can enjoy nowhere else on earth. It is here that you can see, photograph and at times interact with such wildlife as Marine Iguanas, the Blue-foot Booby, Giant Tortoises, sea lions, fur seals and Galapagos Penguins, just to mention a few.
So whether you travel to Ecuador to study Spanish in Quito or tour the marvels of this scenic country, be sure to put these 5 things to do on your list.
Source: Larry M. Lynch
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