Ecuador Attractions

A Galapagos Island tour, about 1,000 km off the western coast of Ecuador, offers a thoroughly unique experience. The only water park is the ocean, and the only rides have sails or two wheels. There is no place like them anywhere else on Earth. The Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador could be among the last truly unexplored frontiers on the planet. The forbidding volcanic islands are part of Ecuador's national park system, and much of their land area is completely off-limits to tourists and explorers. Groups and tours in the area are confined to no more than twenty visitors under the guidance of a trained naturalist. 

The Ecuadorian government, in concert with the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos, keeps a close eye on the fragile ecosystem of the islands, preserving it in as natural a state as possible for future generations. The Galapagos Islands were made famous by Charles Darwin, and helped him form his theories of evolution...

La Mitad del Mundo in Ecuador features a curious attraction – it lies smack in the middle of the world, which is exactly what La Mitad del Mundo means. La Mitad is to be found beyond the Pomasqui village, near the village of San Antonio del Pichincha. There is a long avenue there that features a monument that they say lies on the equator, or near it. This is where you go if you want to see the earth's waistline. Now, this is your chance to be in two places at the same time – to straddle to hemispheres. This is something you cannot do any place else.

The monument marking the equator features a bright red line and a huge globe mounted on a square pedestal. This monument is made of concrete and iron, with andesite stones as covering. The globe weighs five tons and has a diameter of 4.5 meters. There is a sign that proudly announces "Latitude Oo. You can ride the elevator to the top of the 30-meter tall monument for an entrancing view of the surrounding hills...