Cotacachi

Leather goods and handicrafts define Cotacachi, a tiny highland town in Ecuador's Imbabura Province where artisan workshops line the streets alongside a strong café and restaurant scene. The town is also known for its local dishes — carne colorada (pork cooked in red achiote sauce) and queso de hoja (soft cheese wrapped in a leaf) — and was designated one of Ecuador's five original Pueblos Mágicos by the Ministry of Tourism in 2019. The wider canton was declared South America's first ecological county in 2000.

• Population8,238
• Nearest water0.7 km
• Nearest mountain11.4 km
• UNESCO within 50 km4