Crossing the border from the desert coast of Peru into the lush tropics of coastal Ecuador provides an incredible contrast.  I headed however, directly to the central sierra packed with volcanoes, waterfalls, culture and colour. 

My first excursion was around Latacunga (2 hours south of Quito), visiting the large farming market of Saquisili and then heading higher into the patchwork mountains to stay at the small community of Quilotoa next to the emerald lake filled volcanic crater of the same name.  From Quilotoa there is a stunning walk around the large crater and down into a rural farming basin via steep canyons.  Perched at the edge of the canyons the tranquil village of Chuychilan where one can relax and enjoy the splendour of this region, there is one hostel in town.  Transport is rare but it is possible to loop back around to Saquisili, I took a memorable ride back on the top of a bus. 

Despite its dangers, I found Quito refreshingly western and packed with good bars and restaurants.    Popular with tourists and famed for its arts and crafts, the town of Otavalo is a short trip north.  From here many excursions are available including horse riding and mountain walking.  Nearby city of Ibarra has a great market.  Also nearby is the village of La Esperanza where hippies used to stay in the 60's and pick magic mushrooms in its rural and colourful landscape.

Heading south again, I spent time relaxing in pleasant Baños which is a centre for many excursions including guided trips the many of the popular Ecuadorian volcanoes such as Cotopaxi.  Unfortunately as I was alone it was a task finding a group to climb with and at a cost $100+ per person for two days - I could afford to miss out.  Besides the weather is extremely unpredictable in Ecuador and I decided to settle for the sunny Cordillera Blanca in northern Peru for my climbing.

Baños is set in steep lush mountains making great walking and a canyon road to Puyo provides a good biking route to the Amazon basin.  Puyo provided me with a base for another good excursion into the Amazon foothills.  I took a bus heading to Pomona which passes indian settlements where I stopped at Cabañas Hola Vida and walked a forest trail to a spectacular hidden waterfall (OK, I was alone so I stripped off and went for a paddle in the lagoon!).Cabañas Indio Jorge Vargas is a two hour walk from Hola Vida and provided panoramic views and another jungle walk to a fabulous viewpoint over the meeting of two rivers, perfect sunsets were only spoilt by the noise of locals fishing with dynamite.

From Puyo a 18 hr gruelling jungle road passes Mishualli, a nice but uninteresting town, then to the ugly jungle oil town of Coca.  From here I hoped to cross the Amazonian border to Peru but this proved next to impossible although the countries are hoping to open the border in 2000.  Instead I booked a $130 - 4 day trip to a lodge near the beautiful lagoon of Pañacocha, 5 hours downstream of Rio Napo.  The lodge is deep in the jungle and the indian family running it provided superb meals.  All jungle tours are pretty similar offering piranha fishing, dugout canoe trips, jungle walks and catching caiman at night.  I managed to persuade the locals to lend me there dugout for a morning and had great fun chasing monkeys, although spent half the time tangled up in the river banks.  Other highlights on this trip were eating live ants and swimming in the mirror lagoon of Pañacocha - a real paradise. 

My objective was to cross the Amazon basin and with the Peru/Ecuador border closed and the guerrillas controlling the Colombian Rio Putumayo, the only option was to head back to Peru.  Therefore a week's trip to Northern Peru was broken up with stays at the colonial town of Cuenca and the smaller town of Loja in southern Ecuador.

Coastal Peru, Ecuador
Hot, humid and filled with mean insects this is an area I did not explore.  Guayaquil and Esmeraldas are crime hotspots.

Saquisili Market, Ecuador
Near Latacunga, just south of Quito, this farming village is famed for its local market every Thursday.  The village streets fill with stalls and in a nearby field the animal market is full of character.  Latacunga and Saquisili are at the start/end of the Quilotoa loop.

Locals, Quilotoa, Ecuador
The tiny hamlet of Quilotoa is perched on the edge of Volcan Quilotoa.  The huge crater is filled with an emerald lake.  On a clear day there is a good view of snow cappedCotopaxi amongst other volcanoes.

Canyons, Chugchilán, Ecuador
The long walk round the crater provides stunning scenery of the patchwork landscape.  Continuing down into the next valley to Chugchilán, the trail drops down into impressive canyons.  Farming is remote and basic, with relatively few travellers here.  Beware of vicious dogs.

Local, Ecuador
The remote hostels are basic and family run providing some entertaining children.  They love pencils, etc.

Cobbler, La Esperanza, Ecuador
People are very enterprising in South America, here a cobbler is making sandals from old car tyres.

Otavalo Woman, Ecuador
Dressed in white and black, the Otavalo  people have an eye for business.  There are excursions from Otavalo to visit the many craft villages in the area with their workshops.

Bus Station, Quito, Ecuador
The usual chaos.

Rio Verde Canyon, Baños, Ecuador
From the tranquil town of Baños there are many interesting walks.  The long bike trip down the Rio Verde to Puyo in the Amazon basin passes through an incredible canyon with many waterfalls.   Take a ride back on the roof of a bus for an unforgettable experience.

Puyo, Ecuador
This is were the cowboy mid-west meets the Amazon.  A unique town, it is filled with wooden buildings that overhang the sidewalks, very picturesque.  On a clear day there are fine views across the Amazon foothills with Volcan Sangay and Altar. 

Amazonian Foothills, Nr Puyo, Ecuador
Storm clouds rise menacingly.

Birds, Amazon Foothills, Ecuador (80K)
The foothills of the Amazon are full of bird life

Guided Walks, Amazon Basin, Ecuador
The local guides have eagle eyes for spotting wildlife and they need it, wildlife is either underwater, in the trees or very well camouflaged. 

Pañacocha, Amazon Basin, Ecuador
Located deep in the Amazon this name translated means piranha lagoon.  These fish can strip an animal to a carcass in less than a minute but only if they sense blood so swimming is relatively safe and a fantastic experience.  This area is an absolute paradise.

Galapogas Islands, Ecuador
Package trips to these Pacific islands where Darwin studied the origin of the species can be booked from Quito.  Prices are around $1000, for more pictures taken by Julie,click here.