ECUADOR ANatural Selection Embark on a journeyofdiscoverywith us through Ecuadorsnatural mega-diversity,following the path ofthesun on its daily passage across theEquator (afterwhichthecountry is named) and itsfour natural regions… Asthe sunrisesover the steamyeastern junglesof the Amazon,explore therainforest beneathgigantic trees, paddledugout canoes up creeksand rivers,and climb up observationtowers for a close encounter with theforest canopy, havenofmonkeys, sloths and screeching pairs of parrots. The sun was sacred to the earliest inhabitants of the Andean highlands, and as it rises to itszenith, one can understand why. Itilluminates every inch of the country: the snow-capped volcanoesand the green valleys–ploughed intocolourful patchwork patterns bypeople with a strong bond with the Earth – the cloud-shroudedforests andthe gleaming façades of the churchesof Quito. Thecapital citywas the first to benamedaUNESCOWorldHeritage Site, and today boasts the largest and least-alteredhistoric centre in the Americas. The sun wendsits way west,warming the tropical beaches on the Pacific, before it sets overthe Galápagos Islands,aharsh,rugged land where species mustadapt or perish: the archipelago that inspiredCharles Darwin in 1835and continuesto amaze every visitor since. Unveil the magic of this hidden jeweland discover the many faces of contemporaryEcuador,its culture, history andtraditions togetherwith world-class lodging andcuisine, following in the footstepsofLa Condamine, Humboldt,Bonpland, Darwin, Wolf and Whymper. Ecuador: ANatural selection.