Best Ecuador

The Chimborazo Hillstar, scientifically known as Oreotrochilus chimborazo, is a species of hummingbird native to the high-altitude Andean regions of Ecuador. It is named after the Chimborazo volcano, where a significant population of the species resides. This small bird is adapted to cold alpine env...

Goodnow Farms Special Reserve Putnam Rye Whiskey is crafted using rye grain grown and harvested on the farm, then distilled and aged in charred new American oak barrels for exceptional flavor complexity.

Mr. Salazar’s SOMA operates a bean-to-bar chocolate factory in Costa Esmeraldas, Ecuador, utilizing 70% cacao from the local Fazenda near the coast, focusing on direct sourcing and small-batch production.

Yasuní National Park is a protected wilderness area established in 1979 in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The park encompasses a vast expanse of tropical rainforest that has been documented by scientists as containing extraordinary levels of floral and faunal species. It provides a habitat for thousands of...

Goodnow Farms Special Reserve Lawley’s Rum is crafted by hand at their Michigan distillery, starting with locally grown sugar cane and progressing through fermentation, distillation, and meticulous tempering to create a rich, complex rum.

The Chocó-Darién Rainforest is a vast tropical rainforest region extending along the Pacific coast from eastern Panama, through western Colombia, and into northwestern Ecuador. It is recognized as one of the wettest regions on Earth, receiving extremely high levels of annual precipitation. This clim...

This dark chocolate bar originates from Dandelion Chocolate’s Costa Esmeraldas estate in Ecuador. The beans are grown on volcanic soil, contributing to its distinctive flavor profile featuring spices and fruit notes. It is a single-origin 70% cacao offering appreciated by chocolate enthusiasts seeki...

Goodnow Farms Esmeraldas 70% is a single-origin dark chocolate bar crafted by Goodnow Farms, utilizing beans sourced and roasted entirely within their Vermont operation for maximum freshness and flavor control.

This single-origin dark chocolate bar is crafted from cacao beans sourced directly from the Costa Esmeraldas region of Ecuador. The 2022 batch utilizes beans grown in shaded forests, resulting in a high percentage (85%) cocoa content. It offers a complex flavor profile with notes of fruit and spice...

Paccari produces organic chocolate bars focused on showcasing exceptional cacao flavors. The company meticulously controls its production process, starting with single-origin beans—primarily from Ecuador—and employing biodynamic farming practices. This results in complex, nuanced chocolates apprecia...

Pailón del Diablo is a dramatic waterfall located in Ecuador’s Alamano Valley. The falls feature two distinct drops within a narrow gorge, creating a powerful and visually stunning spectacle. Its unique formation and location make it a popular destination for tourists and photographers seeking impre...

The Sangay shrew opossum (Caenolestes sangay) is a small marsupial species belonging to the family Caenolestidae, a group of primitive, insectivorous mammals native to South America. It was formally identified and described as a distinct species in 2013 based on specimens collected from Sangay Natio...

Pinnacle Rock is a Pleistocene-formed tuff cone found on Bartolomé Island, part of Ecuador’s Galapagos Marine Park. The rock’s dramatic, sheer cliffs provide exceptional vantage points for observing marine life and the surrounding landscape. It's a significant geological feature studied by volcanolo...

Letterpress Chocolate’s Costa Esmeraldas 70% dark chocolate is crafted from single-origin cacao beans sourced directly from the Esmeraldas province of Ecuador, resulting in a bar with notes of red fruit and spice due to its high cocoa content.

Sangay National Park is a protected natural area located in the central Andes of Ecuador. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the park features dramatic topography that encompasses three volcanoes, including the highly active Sangay and Tungurahua. The site protects a series of disti...

Termas de Papallacta is a volcanic hot spring resort located in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador. The naturally heated waters originate from geothermal activity near Cayambe Coca National Park. It offers therapeutic benefits and is popular with travelers seeking relaxation and wellness experiences wit...

Dandelion Chocolate’s Camino Verde bar presents a rich, 85% dark chocolate crafted from single-origin cacao beans sourced directly from Ecuador's Camino Verde cooperative. Grown in the Upper Amazon region, these beans deliver intense flavor profiles featuring spice and fruit notes. This bar is ideal...

Chimborazo is a currently inactive stratovolcano in central Ecuador with an elevation of 6,263 m (20,548 ft). Due to Earth's equatorial bulge, its summit is the point farthest from the planet's center, even exceeding the distance from Earth's center to the summit of Mount Everest. The mountain was f...

A protected area in northeastern Ecuador covering approximately 600,000 hectares of Amazonian flooded forest and wetland ecosystem. Established in 1979, the reserve centers on a system of lagoons connected by the Cuyabeno and Aguarico rivers, creating habitat for pink river dolphins, caimans, anacon...

Amedei Ecuador 77% is a dark chocolate bar produced by the Italian chocolatier Amedei, utilizing cacao beans sourced directly from Ecuadorian farms and crafted through their entirely in-house bean-to-bar process.

The Phantasmal Poison Frog (Epipedobates tricolor) of Ecuador gained scientific attention because its skin secretion, epibatidine, was found in the 1990s to be a potent non-opioid painkiller 200 times more powerful than morphine.

Amano Guayas 70% is a single-origin dark chocolate made in Ecuador from cacao beans grown in the Guayas province, boasting a rich, intense flavor profile with notes of earth and spice due to its high cocoa content.

Pump Street Chocolate Cookie Chip 60% is a dark chocolate bar made by Pump Street, a British bean-to-bar chocolate maker and bakery located in Orford, Suffolk. The bar incorporates chunks of their house-made chocolate chip cookies into single-origin dark chocolate. Pump Street is known for combining...

The Ecuadorian caenolestid, Caenolestes caniventer, is a small shrew opossum in the marsupial family Caenolestidae. It occurs in cool, moist Andean forests and high-elevation grassland habitats in Ecuador and northern Peru, where it forages on or near the ground. Its elongated snout, small eyes, den...

The Clásico del Astillero represents the long-standing rivalry between Ecuadorian football clubs Barcelona SC and CS Emelec. Based in Guayaquil, this derby is widely considered the nation’s most passionate and intense soccer match. It's notable for its deeply rooted history and significant impact on...

Cotopaxi is a prominent stratovolcano located in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador, standing at an elevation of 5,897 meters. It is recognized as one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, characterized by a near-perfect symmetrical cone and a permanent summit glacier. The first recorded ascent...

Valrhona Alpaca 66% is a single-origin chocolate crafted by Valrhona using cocoa beans sourced directly from Madagascar, resulting in a dark chocolate with pronounced fruity and floral notes due to its high cacao percentage.

The blue-throated hillstar is a tiny hummingbird species endemic to a restricted region of southwestern Ecuador. Its distinctive vibrant blue throat plumage makes it notable for ornithologists and conservationists studying rare avian populations. The bird’s limited range and small population size hi...

To’ak Chocolate produces luxury chocolate bars crafted using Ecuadorian cacao beans. The company’s meticulous process, from sourcing rare Criollo beans directly from farmers in the national region to hand-making small batches, results in intense flavor experiences. This chocolate is particularly app...