Wandering Well · Country

Ecuador.

Less-touristed places, sorted by Wander Well Score.

Cuenca, Ecuador
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Cuenca

Ecuador

Founded in 1557 on the ruins of the Inca city of Tomebamba, Cuenca is a large Andean city in Ecuador whose historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Herita…

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Otavalo, Ecuador
Gold

Otavalo

Ecuador

Otavalo, a highland town in Ecuador's Imbabura Province, is widely known for its indigenous Saturday market — one of the largest craft and textile markets in…

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Cotacachi, Ecuador
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Cotacachi

Ecuador

Leather goods and handicrafts define Cotacachi, a tiny highland town in Ecuador's Imbabura Province where artisan workshops line the streets alongside a stro…

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Zamora, Ecuador
Gold
Mountain villages

Zamora

Ecuador

Founded in 1549 at the confluence of three rivers on the eastern flanks of the Andes, Zamora is the capital of Ecuador's Zamora Chinchipe province and a base…

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Banos de Agua Santa, Ecuador
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Banos de Agua Santa

Ecuador

Sitting between the Pastaza river and the flanks of Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador's Andean highlands, Baños de Agua Santa is one of the country's most visite…

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Calceta, Ecuador
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Calceta

Ecuador

Compact Ecuadorian town in Manabí's green hills, Calceta draws visitors with its distinctive clock tower, brick-built streetscape, and a local craft traditio…

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Loja, Ecuador
Gold
Big-city explorations

Loja

Ecuador

Known across Ecuador as the country's "musical capital" and "cultural capital," Loja is a southern highland city founded in 1548, threaded by three rivers an…

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Pelileo, Ecuador
Silver

Pelileo

Ecuador

Known across Ecuador as "Ciudad Azul" — the Blue City — Pelileo is a town in the Andean highlands of Tungurahua province whose denim industry has made it one…

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Papallacta, Ecuador
Silver
Spa & thermal wellness

Papallacta

Ecuador

This tiny Andean village spread across a lush high-altitude valley, Papallacta sits beneath steep green mountain slopes in Ecuador's Napo Province, drawing i…

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Huaquillas, Ecuador
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Huaquillas

Ecuador

A busy border town on Ecuador's southern Pacific coast, Huaquillas sits on the Zarumilla River at the crossing point between Ecuador and Peru, forming the Ec…

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Salinas, Ecuador
Gold
Desert & arid landscapes

Salinas

Ecuador

Ecuador's most prominent beach resort sits at the westernmost tip of the South American mainland, on the Santa Elena Peninsula.

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Tena, Ecuador
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Tena

Ecuador

Riverside Amazonian town in Ecuador's Napo Province, Tena sits at the edge of the rainforest with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants and mountai…

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Guamote, Ecuador
Silver

Guamote

Ecuador

This compact Andean town spread across a highland valley in Ecuador, Guamote offers a genuine market-town atmosphere, colorful low-rise streets framed by rol…

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Quito, Ecuador
Bronze
Mountain villages

Quito

Ecuador

Quito holds one of the largest and best-preserved colonial city centres in the Americas — a dense historic quarter of more than 40 churches, convents, and mo…

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Latacunga, Ecuador
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Latacunga

Ecuador

A plateau city in Ecuador's Central Andean highlands, Latacunga sits near the confluence of the Alaquez and Cutuchi rivers with the active volcano Cotopaxi j…

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General Villamil, Ecuador
Silver
Coast & island escapes

General Villamil

Ecuador

Pacific-coast beach town in Ecuador's Guayas province, General Villamil — widely known as Playas — has been the province's principal seaside resort since 200…

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Pinas, Ecuador
Silver

Pinas

Ecuador

Known as "La Orquídea de los Andes" for the variety of orchid species found in the surrounding area, Piñas is a town in Ecuador's El Oro province set on the…

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Pedernales, Ecuador
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Pedernales

Ecuador

This pocket-sized Pacific-coast town in Ecuador's Manabí province, Pedernales sits where the Marcos River meets the ocean, with mountains visible inland.

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Zumbahua, Ecuador
Bronze

Zumbahua

Ecuador

This small Andean town spread along a highland road, with dramatic bare-flanked peaks rising on either side and the famous Quilotoa crater lake just a short…

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Puerto Francisco de Orellana, Ecuador
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Puerto Francisco de Orellana

Ecuador

Commonly called "El Coca," this Ecuadorian Amazon town sits at the confluence of the Napo, Coca, and Payamino rivers in the northern Amazon region, making it…

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Macará, Ecuador
Silver
Mountain villages

Macará

Ecuador

A small Ecuadorian border town on the Macará River, with a café and restaurant scene in its compact centre and mountain terrain close by.

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Riobamba, Ecuador
Gold
Big-city explorations

Riobamba

Ecuador

Known as the "Sultana of the Andes," Riobamba is a highland city in central Ecuador ringed by volcanoes — Chimborazo, Tungurahua, El Altar, and Carihuairazo…

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Ambato, Ecuador
Gold
Mountain villages

Ambato

Ecuador

Known as the "City of Flowers and Fruits," Ambato is a highland Ecuadorian city in the Tungurahua province, set in the Andes at a temperate elevation and cro…

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Santa Rosa, Ecuador
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Santa Rosa

Ecuador

Walkable town in Ecuador's El Oro province with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Santa Rosa sits on the right bank of the river that shares its name,…

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Pasaje, Ecuador
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Pasaje

Ecuador

A banana-industry town in Ecuador's El Oro province, Pasaje sits on a broad tropical plain between two rivers and has grown since the mid-20th century into o…

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Montecristi, Ecuador
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Montecristi

Ecuador

Montecristi, in Ecuador's coastal Manabí province, is best known as the birthplace of Eloy Alfaro — the leader who launched and consolidated Ecuador's libera…

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Portoviejo, Ecuador
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Portoviejo

Ecuador

Founded on 12 March 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pacheco, Portoviejo is the capital of Ecuador's Manabí province and one of the country's major…

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Balzar, Ecuador
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Balzar

Ecuador

A town on the left bank of the Río Daule in Ecuador's Guayas province, Balzar — also known as San Jacinto de Balzar — sits at the centre of the country's coa…

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Machachi, Ecuador
Silver
Spa & thermal wellness

Machachi

Ecuador

This Andean town in Ecuador's Pichincha province sits in a high valley ringed by volcanoes — Atacazo, Pasochoa, Rumiñahui, and Corazón — with a walkable cent…

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Milagro, Ecuador
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Milagro

Ecuador

Known across Ecuador as "the sweetest land in the country," Milagro is a city in the Guayas Province built on sugar cane and pineapple production, with the M…

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Samborondón, Ecuador
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Samborondón

Ecuador

Town on the right bank of the Babahoyo River in Ecuador's Guayas province, Samborondón is known as the Equestrian Capital of Ecuador for its deep-rooted hors…

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Mindo, Ecuador
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Mindo

Ecuador

A lush cloud-forest valley town northwest of Quito, Mindo draws visitors with dense tropical greenery, forested hillsides, a river winding through the valley…

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Santa Elena, Ecuador
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Santa Elena

Ecuador

Santa Elena sits at the western tip of Ecuador's continental coast — a point the city calls "Capital of the Sea and the Land" — where an arid, warm climate a…

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Puerto Villamil, Ecuador
Bronze
Mountain villages

Puerto Villamil

Ecuador

This small village on Isabela Island — the largest of the Galápagos Islands — offers an unusually well-developed café and restaurant scene for a settlement i…

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Balao, Ecuador
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Balao

Ecuador

Small Pacific-coast town in Ecuador's Guayas Province, Balao sits on the shore of the ocean with mountains visible inland.

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Nueva Loja, Ecuador
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Nueva Loja

Ecuador

Nueva Loja — also known as Lago Agrio — is Ecuador's oil capital, a town on the left bank of the Aguarico River in the northern Amazon that grew rapidly from…

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Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Bahía de Caráquez

Ecuador

This Pacific-coast town in Ecuador's Manabí province with a walkable centre, a café and restaurant scene, and scenic viewpoints in the surrounding area.

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Muisne, Ecuador
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Muisne

Ecuador

This little Ecuadorian town sits on an island off the northern Pacific coast of Esmeraldas province, with mountains visible from the waterfront and a modest…

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Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Ecuador
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Ecuador

The capital of Ecuador's Galápagos Province, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno sits on the southwestern coast of San Cristóbal, the archipelago's easternmost island, w…

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Daule, Ecuador
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Daule

Ecuador

Sitting on the left bank of the Río Daule in Ecuador's coastal lowlands, this city is known as the "rice capital of Ecuador" for its dominant role in the cou…

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San Miguel de Salcedo, Ecuador
Bronze

San Miguel de Salcedo

Ecuador

San Miguel de Salcedo, a modest Andean town in Ecuador's Cotopaxi province, is known for its traditional ice creams — a local specialty made only here — and…

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Gold

Tulcán

Ecuador

A high-altitude Ecuadorian border city with a walkable centre of cafés and restaurants, close to upland country and within reach of the wider region's UNESCO…

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Silver
Inland waterside towns

Portovelo

Ecuador

A compact Ecuadorian river town with a compact dining scene, scenic viewpoints in the surrounding uplands, and proximity to several UNESCO World Heritage sit…

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Silver

Naranjal

Ecuador

This mid-sized Ecuadorian town sitting directly on the water, with surrounding hills and access to a wider region recognized for its UNESCO World Heritage si…

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Silver
Inland waterside towns

Guayllabamba

Ecuador

This riverside town in Ecuador's highlands, Guayllabamba sits at the water's edge within easy reach of upland landscapes and several UNESCO World Heritage si…

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Silver

Saraguro

Ecuador

A tiny Ecuadorian highland town with a lively café and restaurant scene for its size, scenic viewpoints in the surrounding upland country, and easy access to…

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Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Tosagua

Ecuador

A small Ecuadorian town sitting directly at the water's edge, with surrounding hills providing a green backdrop for a low-key riverside stop in the country's…

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Bronze
Food scenes & café towns

Catacocha

Ecuador

A little Ecuadorian highland town with a lively café and restaurant scene for its size, Catacocha sits amid upland country and offers a practical base for ex…

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Bronze

El Guabo

Ecuador

A riverside Ecuadorian town within easy reach of upland country, El Guabo offers a genuine lowland-to-highland gateway with a local café scene and waterside…

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Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno

Ecuador

Little Ecuadorian town set close to the water, Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno offers a quiet riverside atmosphere and an authentic glimpse into everyday coastal lo…

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