Quito, the capital of Ecuador, named by UNESCO a World Heritage Site, lies in a spectacular mountain setting at 2800 meters (9184 ft.) above the sea level and just 25 kms. (16 miles) south of the equator, with a magnificent blend of colonial and modern architecture. The Amazon Rainforest in the east of Ecuador cover an area of nearly 40% of the country. The rainforest is home to a wide range of species, many of whom are yet to be discovered and named. Toucans, parrots, caimans, freshwater dolphins and a hundred species of butterflies and insects exist within an incredible biodiversity of plants. The Galapagos Islands are a natural paradise. Between three and five million years ago, submarine volcanoes surfaced from the bottom of the ocean forming thirteen major islands, six lesser islands, and about forty two islets six hundred miles away from the continent. Wind and water currents from both Northern and Southern hemispheres carried foreign fauna to settle in this young archipelago, which, due to the absence of large predators, eventually became a sanctuary of life. These befitting conditions allowed animals to develop characteristics reconciled with a new environment. Evolutionary processes like those within the community of finches inspired Darwin’s thought, which redefined our origin. Giant tortoises, penguins, iguanas, playful sea lions, yellow and black marine turtles, magnificent frigates, blue-footed boobies, albatross, leaping bottlenose dolphins, white tipped sharks, whale sharks and sperm whales conform a rather limited account of the formidable wildlife in the archipelago. Pristine white-sanded and red-sanded beaches, coastlines dominated by giant mangroves, waters filled with multicolored forms of live, and animals that still behave as though man is no enemy make Galapagos the Enchanted Islands.
EcuadorHighlights Travel Vacation Package (14N) includes:
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