Our Trip to Ecuador – Part 2: The Landscapes

Hi, Everybody! As promised I’m sharing a little more about our trip to Ecuador with you today! If you missed the first post about our trip which was all about Ecuadorian food, you can find it HERE! Today I want to show you a little more of the landscapes of Ecuador; the beautiful nature and the busy cities. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do, I love going to new places, seeing new things and experiencing new cultures, and this was such a great first trip to South America. You never return the same from a journey that takes you to new places, I love the way that it opens your eyes to the world around you, and helps you see your own home through different eyes too. So let me show you a little more of Ecuador…

One of my favorite parts of our time in Ecuador was driving through the El Cajas National Park in the Andes mountains. It was a rough ride with lots of very sharp turns and the altitude was really hard to adjust to, since there isn’t as much oxygen so high up it was hard to catch your breath! But the views of the mountains were absolutely breath-taking! The picture above shows the tips of the mountains covered in a thick mist of clouds, it was just one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!

We walked up to the Continental Divide which runs through the El Cajas National Park and is 14,000 feet above sea level! I didn’t realize just how hard it would be to walk up there because of the high altitude, it was really hard to breathe with so little oxygen up there, and it made our hearts pound so hard! We had to walk slow and pace ourselves, and take lots of deep breaths, but it was definitely worth it!

 

The foggy way back down.

We also drove up to a horse ranch in the mountains near the city of Cuenca. It was a cold and rainy day, but the ranch had a cute little lodge with a big fireplace and a little seating area to relax in!

My husband and I.

 

The beautiful mountains around the ranch. The air was so fresh and everything was so peaceful and quiet.

The city of Cuenca, where we spent most of our time. Cuenca is in southern Ecuador, completely surrounded by mountains, as you can see in the picture.

The New Cathedral in Cuenca.

The flower market in the center of Cuenca. This was one of my favorite places, I absolutely LOVED all the beautiful flowers they sold. So many different colors of roses! Every morning we would see the vendors arranging the flowers and setting up their stalls, and I so wished I could have brought some flowers back with me!

Some of the beautiful handmade crafts sold at one of the markets in Cuenca.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour and pictures of Ecuador, and that you are having a great summer and going on lots of new adventures too! Hope you all have a great weekend!