Chimborazo
Volcano and highest mountain in Ecuador
A stratovolcano in Ecuador, in the Andes' Cordillera Occidental. Its last known eruption is thought to have taken place around AD 550.
Photo: Eduardo Navas, CC BY-SA 2.0
EC · Curated travel guide
Ecuador: 10 places worth the journey
Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Galápagos Islands and 7 more — what each one is, and why it is worth the detour.
- Places
- 10
- World Heritage
- 1
- Language
- Spanish
- Currency
- USD
What to see in Ecuador
Chosen from everything Wikidata knows about Ecuador and ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions describe them, which is about as close to "famous" as open data gets. One is on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
Cotopaxi
Active stratovolcano in Ecuador
An active stratovolcano of the Andes in Cotopaxi National Park, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador. Quito is about 50 km (31.1 mi) to its north, and the city of Latacunga 31 km (19 mi) to its southwest. At 5,897 m (19,347 ft), it is Ecuador's second-highest summit.
Photo: camilogaleano.com, CC BY-SA 4.0
World Heritage
Galápagos Islands
Ecuadorian volcanic archipelago
Volcanic islands of the Eastern Pacific, straddling the equator some 485 nautical miles off South America's mainland, to the west. As Ecuador's Galápagos Province they were home to just over 33,000 people in 2020.
Photo: European Space Agency, Attribution
Tungurahua
Volcano in Ecuador
An active stratovolcano in Ecuador's Cordillera Oriental, which gives its name to Tungurahua province.
Photo: Dabit100 / David Torres Costales, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cayambe (volcano)
Volcanic mountain in Ecuador
Also called Volcán Cayambe, a volcano of the Cordillera Central, one of the ranges of Ecuador's Andes, in Pichincha Province, some 70 km (43 mi) northeast of Quito.
Photo: Fabricio Guzmán T., Public domain
Pichincha (volcano)
Volcano in north-central Ecuador
A stratovolcano in Ecuador, with the capital, Quito, spread around its eastern slopes.
Photo: Timwryan, CC BY-SA 3.0
Volcán Wolf
Highest mountain in the Galápagos Islands
Also called Mount Whiton, the Galápagos Islands' highest peak, on Isabela Island, rising to 1,710 m (5,610 ft).
Photo: NASA Landsat 7, Public domain
Antisana
Volcano in Ecuador
Rising 5,753 metres (18,875 ft), a stratovolcano of Ecuador's northern Andes, 50 kilometres (31 mi) SE of Quito, the capital; three Ecuadorian volcanoes are higher.
Photo: camilogaleano.com, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quilotoa
Westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes
The westernmost volcano of Ecuador's Andes, and a crater lake filled with water. Its caldera, 3-kilometre-wide (2 mi), formed when this dacite volcano collapsed after a catastrophic VEI-6 eruption about 800 years ago; that eruption sent pyroclastic flows and lahars all the way to the Pacific, and spread volcanic ash through the air over the northern Andes.
Photo: Stitched by Seattle Skier , photos by Martini, CC BY-SA 3.0
About Ecuador
Officially the Republic of Ecuador, a country in South America's northwest. Colombia lies to its north, Peru to its east and south, and the Pacific to its west. The country also includes the Galápagos Province, with the Galápagos Islands, about 1,000 kilometers out in the Pacific west of the mainland. Quito is the capital and Guayaquil the biggest city.
Officially The Republic of Ecuador.
Based on the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: the facts are Wikipedia's, the wording is this site's.
Questions travellers ask
What is worth seeing in Ecuador?
This guide lists 10: Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Galápagos Islands and Tungurahua and others. Galápagos Islands is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How were these places chosen?
By machine, from open data, with no human ranking them and nobody able to pay for a place on the list. Everything Wikidata records in Ecuador that is a building, a landform, a protected area or a tourist attraction, has coordinates, a photograph and an English Wikipedia article, is ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions wrote about it. Provinces, cities, airports, stations and stretches of sea shared with the neighbours are filtered out.
Which places here are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
1 of the 10 in this guide: Galápagos Islands. That is not the full count for Ecuador, only the listed sites that made this guide.
What language is spoken in Ecuador, and what currency?
Spanish. The currency is USD.
How do I get mobile data in Ecuador?
A travel eSIM is usually the cheapest way, and avoids a roaming bill. The plans suggested at the foot of this guide start at $3.37 for 1GB for 7 days. The eSIM is data-only and sits alongside your normal SIM, so calls, texts and WhatsApp keep working on your own number.
Which networks would my phone use in Ecuador?
Claro. Your phone picks whichever has the best signal where you are, the same way a local phone does.
One practical note: staying online
Maps, tickets and translation all want data, and roaming is the expensive way to get it. A Computatus eSIM eSIM connects to Claro once you land, and installs by QR code before you leave.
See 10 Computatus eSIM plans for Ecuador from $3.37
| Plan | Data | Valid | Price | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB for 7 days Cheapest | 1 GB | 7 days | $3.37 | Get it → |
| 1GB per day | 1 GB | 1 day | $3.76 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $7.05 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 15 days | 3 GB | 15 days | $9.13 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 30 days | 3 GB | 30 days | $9.40 | Get it → |
| 3GB per day | 3 GB | 1 day | $13.75 | Get it → |
No app needed. Install by QR code before you fly, keep your own number for calls, and it connects the moment you land.
Claro 4G
A commission on plans bought through these links is what pays for this guide. Nothing above depends on it: the places are chosen before any price is looked up.