Recommend March 2011 - (Page 34)

THE ANDEAN QUARTET continued from page L6 ECUADOR This small country is packed with cultural and historic treasures. While the Galapagos Islands make every traveler’s wish list, mainland Ecuador—from the Andes to the Amazon—is a natural beauty sitting right astride the equator. QUITO, the first city designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1978, was once the northern capital of the Inca Empire and often called the Florence of the Americas. Nowadays, all eyes are on Quito’s Historic Center, considered the largest, least altered, and, following a $220-million-dollar restoration, the best preserved in the Americas. Boutique hotels and chic restaurants now occupy colonial mansions, while top monumental treasures here remain the same: La Compañia and San Francisco cathedrals. Most hotels are in the more modern part of town, as is the Museo Nacional del Banco Central, the city’s granddaddy of museums. In November, Quito expects to debut its new international airport, 16 miles east of the capital. + Day excursions from Quito take visitors to EQUATORIAL MONUMENT, located right on Latitude 0, or by train to COTOPAXI NATIONAL PARK for a day of hiking, horseback riding and volcano climbing, or superb birdwatching in the cloud forests of El Mindo. Quito is also the take-off point for visiting many colorful Indian markets along the Pan American Highway: Ambato on Monday, Saquisili on Thursday, and Pujili on Sunday. North of the capital is the most famous market of all: Otavalo, where plaza after plaza is bedecked in the excellent weavings of the highlands. Leave time to spend at least one night or two in one of the romantic highland inns. + Colonial CUENCA, an hour by air from Quito, is a UNESCO World Heritage site town whose hallmarks are red-roofed houses, cobblestone streets, religious art treasures and flower-filled plazas. The shopping highlight is for original Panama hats, finely woven and fashioned here, and the five-star excursion from Cuenca is to the archaeological complex of INGAPIRCA, the most northerly ruins of the Inca Empire. + COCA is the airline gateway to the eastern El Oriente region. Fed by the River Napo, this jungle area calls for hiking and boating through the rainforest, spotting dozens of bright-winged birds and tree-swinging monkeys, and visiting Indian settlements. Naturalist guides, associated with such lodges as NAPO WILDLIFE CENTER or SACHA LODGE, make the best companions on these adventures. + Until recently, Guayaquil was just an important port city, 30 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. But nowadays and after a total urban makeover, the town’s “new look” includes the excellent Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art along the harbor promenade, as well as the restored Las Peñas district, whose steep streets are lined with art galleries and cafes. + Up the coast is the MACHALILLA NATIONAL PARK, embracing important archaeological sites and two islands; one is Isla de la Plata, a great sanctuary for birds and sea lions—often called the “poor man’s Galapagos.” + Without doubt, the real GALAPAGOS ISLANDS stage one of the greatest natural shows on earth. Covering an area of about 3,000 sq. miles—600 miles off mainland Ecuador—these scores of islets and 13 major islands are part of the Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve, whose headquarters is at the Darwin Station on Santa Cruz Island. Visitors fly from Quito or Guayaquil to either Santa Cruz (Baltra) or San Cristobal Island when joining a 4- to 14-night cruise aboard either 100-passenger ships or smaller yachts. There are small hotels on both these islands, as well as new safari-style lodges now open on Isabela and Fernandina islands. HOTEL HIGHS: Ecuador’s abloom in spas: best known is award-winning LA MIRAGE RESORT in the Highlands, joined by jungle-spa ARASHA RAINFOREST LODGE, ANDEAN LUNA RUNTUN at Baños, and the MASHPI LODGE in the Mindo, opening this fall. TOUR SAMPLE: ADVENTURES BY DISNEY (ABD.DISNEY.GO.COM) offers a 9-night Ecuador & Galapagos Islands Family Adventure highlighting Quito, a Highlands hacienda stay, and 4-night Galapagos cruise; priced from $5,139 pp dbl per adult, from $4,639 per child (minimum age 7); includes internal air, most meals. FAST FACTS: GETTING THERE: From the U.S., nonstop air service to Quito and Guayaquil ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: U.S. passport, valid for six months beyond visit BEST TIME TO GO: May-November; (El Oriente, August-November); (Galapagos, May and June tops) Peru is the cradle of South America’s ancient civilizations and offers a grand treasure house of colonial arts and architecture. Of course, Machu Picchu, celebrating its 100th anniversary since discovery, is the country’s iconic monument. LIMA—whose Miraflores and San Isidro districts are alive with restaurants serving up world-acclaimed Peruvian cuisine, fine hotels, and nightclubs—is also a major museum town. Among many choices, don’t miss the Museo Larco, occupying a renovated 18th century mansion and built atop the remains of a seventh century pyramid, and the Museum of Religious Art, which is part of the spectacular Convent and Cloisters of San Francisco. + Head overland to the Pacific Ocean for a flyover of the extraordinary and still mysterious geometric, animal and bird figures etched across the Nasca plain and a stay in the beach resort of PARACAS, with boat excursions to the bird sanctuaries of BALLESTAS ISLANDS. + Desert borders most of Peru’s Pacific coast, stretching north from Lima to the most exciting archaeological zone in Peru: the DESERT KINGDOMS, whose cultures pre-dated the Incas by centuries. First stop is the colonial city of Trujillo, gateway to the adobe city of Chan Chan whose pyramids and citadels loom over the Moche Valley. A day’s drive or a short flight away is Chiclayo, well-known for its inter- PERU L8 recommend.com http://ABD.DISNEY.GO.COM http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend March 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk
Tour Talk
Disney Dream
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Baja Airventures
Central Gems of Japan
2011 Guide to Latin America
The Tastier Side of Central Japan
Ireland With Brian Moore International Tours
Exploring Antiquity: Egypt, Israel & Jordan
Sailing Into Antiquity on the Nile
Florida's Ever-Changing Hotel Landscape
Riding North America's Rails
Small Ships in the Old South
Turks & Caicos Keeps Expanding
St. Lucia—Beyond the Pitons

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