Ecuador: an underrated country that you definitely should know about

What do you know about other countries besides the European ones?

When asking people which country they would like to visit, the answers usually are countries or cities that have the highest truism rate in the world. Have you ever thought that there are countries that are underrated? Small countries don’t catch the attention of potential tourists, but maybe this could change if you would inform yourself about the things that each country has to offer and you might be surprised about the outcomes.

One country of those is Ecuador. Being surrounded by many big countries, Ecuador has been overshadowed by the popularity of countries such as Colombia, Peru, Brazil and others. Ecuador is more than football, and here are some interesting facts about this small country.

Let’s begin with geography and landscape? Does this sound boring to you? Ecuador is a country far from being boring. Quito is surrounded by mountains and volcanos; this provides a varied landscape and climate that you will rarely find somewhere else and has inspired some poets to call Quito the eternal spring. Why the eternal spring you would ask? Well, in Ecuador there are no seasons or better said, you can find all seasons within one single day. The capital city is the second highest of the world, so it might be hard to breathe at first but once you get used to it, you will enjoy the freshness of the air.

Why would you visit Ecuador if there are bigger countries in the continent you could ask? Ecuador has all you can see compressed in a smaller area. This can be useful for you, if you want to enjoy the jungle, the beach, mountains and even islands, and you don’t have enough time to travel from country to country or even within one only big country such as Colombia.

But let’s talk about culture and traditions. The variety of cultures are reflected even in small parts such as the language. Spanish and Kichwa are the official languages of the country and their coexistence has created a variation of Spanish that I call ‘Ecuadorian’. You have various festivities that depend on the region. But keep this in mind, every tradition involves food. Sharing food is an important cultural fact that might get your attention. Here is an example: For the Day of the dead - Yes, not only Mexico celebrates this day - the tradition in the Ecuadorian Andean region is to cook bread in shape of persons. It is called Guaguas de pan, and is accompanied with a thick, deep purple beverage made with wild forest fruits and some vegetables like purple corn. This is a precolonial tradition in commemoration of the family members that are no longer alive. There are more interesting traditions like this one, so don’t worry, regardless of the time of the year you decide to visit Ecuador, you will get your share of cultural experience.

As this country, there are many that have stayed in the shadows for too long, lets break this tradition and explore the world by expanding our knowledge.