Ecuador is one of the most diverse and interesting countries in the world. Considering its size it is literally crammed full of stunning sites and destinations from opposite ends of the ecological scale. The top of Volcán Cotopaxi is the spot on earth that is closest to the sun, and the equator passes directly through La Mitad del Mundo. Wander through the cloud forests, spotting the rare, exquisite flowers and the inquisitive animals and then take a walk through the rainforest and marvel at the differences in the flora and fauna.

Buy a jumper made from alpaca fur at one of the village markets to keep you warm as you zip across the grasslands on horseback. While you're trekking through the Andes you could have a go at white-water rafting (more like white-knuckle rafting) to get your adrenalin pumping. The beautiful cities are not too far away. You can stroll along the tree-lined avenues and soak up the bustling atmosphere as you pass by the impressive colonial buildings. Enjoy the exciting night-life, the modern shopping centres and the fancy restaurants before heading off on your next excursion, maybe this time to the coast.

The white sand beaches edged with warm, azure waters are the perfect place to chill out for a few days and just enjoy the sunshine. If you start to get itchy feet and begin to feel like it's time to move on, then you can always hop on a flight and head over to the Galápagos Islands. Once there you can immerse yourself in the ancient culture, visit the ruins and be amazed by the variety of wildlife.

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The Pacific coast's rainy season is from December to May and the dry season is from June to November. The temperature ranges between 23°C and 26ºC . The highlands have a rainy, cold climate from November to April and a dry one from May to October. The temperature here is between 13ºC and 18ºC. In the Amazon the climate is rainy and humid between January and September, with temperatures between 23ºC and 36ºC, and it is dry between October and December. The Galápagos islands have a temperate climate with temperatures ranging between 22ºC and 32ºC.

You are allowed to take personal belongings such as clothes, toiletries, books and personal electrical equipment like a hair-dryer, a camera, etc. into Ecuador without having to pay any duty tax. You also have an allowance of one litre of alcohol, 300 cigarettes and a reasonable amount of perfume, which is tax free. Endangered animal products and Pre-Colombian artifacts are not allowed to be taken out of the country; this includes mounted insects and the like.

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Ecuador is over 90% Roman Catholic, therefore most of the country's major holidays are religious celebrations. Most of the remaining holidays are celebrated to commemorate important political or historical events and achievements. The religious holidays can often best be appreciated in the highland indigenous villages, where days of nonstop feasting, drinking, dancing, and performing ancient rituals give traditional holidays an Indian air.

These occasions are great for experiencing the colourful culture of the country and for getting tourists involved with the locals, as one and all celebrate together. However, they can create havoc with travel plans as banks and most other businesses tend to close down for a day or more. There are different celebrations almost every month.

For most visitors, the easiest place to make phone calls is an Internet café, most of which provide VIP service at reasonable rates. You can call the United States for about $0.10 per minute and Europe for a bit more. Avoid making a phone call through an operator; the cost for an international call can be $3 or more per minute. For calls within Ecuador it is possible to use a telephone cabin. This is an entire storefront filled with telephones. Generally, you are assigned a booth by the proprietor, you make your call, and then you pay as you leave. Calls within Ecuador are more expensive than domestic calls in most countries, but not unreasonable, except for calls to cell phones, which generate most of their revenue by charging the caller.

Also, call prices increase depending on the distance of your call within Ecuador. Visitors making an extended stay should consider purchasing a cell phone. Most are sold on a prepaid-call basis and phone refill cards can be purchased in all but the smallest towns.

Internet cafés can be found nearly everywhere in the major cities and in many of the smaller ones. Cost is from $1 to $2 per hour in the large cities and the better places have high-speed access.

If you are planning a trip to Ecuador you should take some precautions. First and foremost you should get a health insurance policy that gives you comprehensive coverage for the duration of your trip. Be very careful if you are visiting tropical areas because of diseases transmitted by insects. You also need to be particularly cautious with respect to what you eat and drink. Firstly, because food may not be prepared hygienically (food vendors, popular markets, restaurants that may not be clean), and secondly, because your immune system is not accustomed to some bacteria or parasites present in foreign food. The symptoms appear as relatively mild stomach and intestinal tract problems such as diarrhoea and vomiting.

While in Ecuador eat only well cooked food or fruits and vegetables you have peeled yourself, do not eat unpasteurized dairy products, refrain from eating food sold by street vendors, eat only in restaurants that seem clean and avoid ice in drinks. Drinking tap water is not advisable anywhere in Ecuador, so drink only bottled or boiled water. In case of a long trip to a place where you can't buy bottled water, you should buy water-purifier pills. Water-purifiers can be found in most camping/outdoor supply stores. There are no mandatory vaccinations for entering Ecuador but if you do plan to explore the more tropical areas, such as the Amazon jungle or the coastal region, then a yellow fever vaccine and a course of malaria tablets are recommended. Also recommended are hepatitis A & B, and typhoid, make sure you are up-to date on all your boosters too. You should visit your doctor well beforehand to have the vaccines and to start a course of malaria pills. You can also take precautions to protect yourself from mosquito bites by using insect repellent (the repellent must contain DEET), always wearing long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, and sleeping beneath mosquito nets. Good medical care is available in Quito and Guayaquil. In most of the big cities you will find well trained and specialized doctors, many of them bilingual. There is a lack of hospital infrastructure in small towns but you will find health centres that provide first aid.

Travellers entering Ecuador will be required to present a T3 card (available upon arrival at borders and airports), in addition to a valid passport. You will automatically receive a 90-day tourist visa. Take care not to lose your T3 card as it is necessary for exiting the country, visa extensions and military check points. If you do lose it don’t worry, you can easily get a replacement- but do it ahead of time to avoid problems at the border or airport. If you are coming from Colombia you’ll have to cross the border at Tulcán and Ipiales, or Lago Agrio and San Miguel.

There are also places to cross the border from Peru; Macará is one of them but it’s a bit of an unsafe area due to drug smuggling, the other is Huaquillas – Tumbes. Driving into Ecuador is discouraged. It is preferable to enter the country by airplane or boat because of the frontier issues with neighbouring countries.

There are two international airports in Ecuador, located in Quito and Guayaquil. Most international travellers land in Quito. There are many flights from all over Canada and North America. Flights to Ecuador from Europe leave from London, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt and all include at least one layover. There are regular flights from Bogotá, Caracas, Lima, and Santiago de Chile to both Quito and Guayaquil. There are also flights from São Paulo and Manaus in Brazil, and from San José in Costa Rica.

The Galápagos Islands are one of the Ecuadorian provinces and of course have their own airport on the only island which is not considered part of the national park. Aerogal is the name of the airline which flies to Galápagos and there is no way to get to the Galápagos without first coming to Ecuador. Foreigners going to the Galápagos or the Amazon can expect to pay more than double what nationals pay for flights.

Flying within Ecuador, with the exception of the Galápagos, is quite affordable and you can get to almost anywhere within about 30 minutes. TAME has flights to almost all destinations in the country including: Guayaquil, Quito, the Galápagos, Bahía, Esmeraldas, Manta, Portoviejo, Machala, Cuenca, Loja, Tulcán, Coca, Lago Agrio, and Macas. All flights to the Galápagos Islands originate in Quito or Guayaquil. You can get almost anywhere in Ecuador by bus –as long as there’s a road. All of Ecuador's top destinations are within a day's ride from Quito and prices are very low. Ecuador has a network of national highways maintained by the Ministry of Public Works and Communication government agency. The Pan-American Highway connects the northern and southern portions of the country as well as connecting Ecuador with Colombia to the north and Peru to the south. The quality of roads is highly variable.

To hire a car in Ecuador you need to be 25 or over, hold a valid driver's license and carry an internationally recognized credit card. There are plenty of rental offices in the big cities, however, be sure to read the details of the insurance coverage extremely carefully - it will not be as comprehensive as car insurance at home. Depending on the car company, you will be responsible for the first US$ 1,000 - 2,000 in repair costs, in the event of an accident, sometimes even if it is not your fault. Hiring a taxi or private transportation may be a bit more expensive in the short-term but at least you can sit back, relax and not have to worry about repair costs if any damage does occur. Hire one for a few hours or a few days. In big cities taxis are the best way to get around. Travelling around by boat is popular, fun and sometimes necessary. Take a luxury cruise from one island to another in the Galápagos or paddle a canoe along the Amazonian rivers and really get back to nature. Hitching a ride in the back of a truck may be your only option if you are traveling to very remote areas. It may be uncomfortable but it offers great views and a chance to get to know the locals. Trains are not a great option for getting from one place to another but they’ll certainly give you an experience you’ll never forget. Mudslides and floods often play havoc with the schedules but the chance to ride on the roof, ducking through the tunnels is too amazing to be missed.

Quito airport charges an international departure tax of $31.60. The tax is $25 from Guayaquil. This tax is not usually included in the cost of the flight. There is no departure tax on internal flights.

The first phase of Ecuador's history began somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 BC, with the rise of indigenous societies. These peoples developed social organizations with their own beliefs, rites and ceremonies, and an economy based primarily on hunting, gathering and agriculture. Traces of their existence can be found in archaeological sites located all across Ecuador. This era lasted until the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the XVI century. Ecuador has gone through the Pre-Colombian period, the Inca period, the Conquest period and is now in the Independence period.

The Republic of the Ecuador was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbours. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999.