Top Ten Places not to miss when planning your trip to Ecuador

10 - Riobamba This is the starting point of the famous train ride down the Nariz del Diablo and gateway to Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador's highest peak

9 - Cuenca  Cobble streets, old city charm, flower markets and museums.  This is the real place the Panama Hat came from.

8 -  Mindo Excellent bird watching in a cloud forest setting located in the Andean Foothills. An easy day trip from Quito

7  - Quito The city that will probably be your gateway in and out of your own Ecuadorian adventure.  It was declared a Unesco World heritage site in 1978, and has two distinct sections the "old" and the "new" town. Behind La Paz, Bolivia it is the second highest Capital city.

6 - Papallacta Hot Springs Two hours drive from Quito, in between the Highlands and the Amazon Basin lies the hot springs.  A perfect place to relax in the thermal springs.

5 - Baños  A little town on the way into or out of the jungle. Beautiful waterfalls are all around make it no surprise how the city got its name.  It sits on the edge of the Tungurahua Volcano, a very active Volcano.  Great place for outdoor adventures

4 - Otavalo Market Try to be there on a Saturday to see the biggest Andean Market of all of South America. It's a good idea to go near the end of your trip as you'll be sure to leave with a fuller bag - even if you're not a shopper.

3 - Cotapaxi - An hour's drive from Quito, this Volcano is the highest in the Southern Hemisphere.  Very photogenic and very recognizable by it's conic shape and glacier at the top.  Very accessible, you can drive almost 4300 meters up it, the more adventurous can even attempt to summit.

2 -  The Amazon Rainforest - A few hours drive from Quito will get you straight into the authentic Amazon jungle, however if wildlife is your thing than perhaps a short flight to Coca, before a long-boat ride into a lodge.  The ama

1 -The Galapagos Islands - An unspoiled archipelagos a thousand kilometers offshore. Where the animals are just animals, isolated and left to evolve their own way.  Each island is distinctive in it's own right, this is a not to miss destination on your next trip to Ecuador.