Pichincha, Ecuador

destination • experience • outdoors

Cotopaxi

Okay, so it's more of a climb than a hike. Get a guide. Spend the night in El Refugio at 4,800 meters, then start your day around midnight. Navigate crevasses, berms, ice caves and glaciers to reach Cotopaxi's vaunted, often active summit at 5,897 meters above sea level. Bragging rights? Oh yeah.

Pichincha, Ecuador

destination • experience • outdoors

Rucu Pichincha

Where can you climb a 4,784-meter volcano just outside of town? Quito, Ecuador, that's where. Take the gondola to the trailhead, then head straight for Rucu's summit, which will probably have storm clouds gathering regardless of the time of day. After a sporty scramble, you'll find yourself at the summit cross. I roundtripped this hike in 3 hours, but plan on anywhere from 3-6 depending on how much you want to sweat.

Baños Canton, Provinz Tungurahua

destination • outdoors

Cascada de Ulba

A short distance from the center of Baños, Cascada de Ulba requires nothing more than a short hike up a canyon to get to its thunderous base. Go.

Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador

destination • experience • outdoors

Quilotoa Lake

Ecuador's most spectacular crater lake, Quilotoa can be explored via a short, steep trail down to its shores, or via a much longer loop backpacking trail. Or, you can stay up at the parking lot viewpoint and still get a lot of bang for your buck.

Tungurahua, Ecuador

destination • experience • outdoors

Pailon Del Diablo

One of the most dramatic places on the planet. Pailon del Diablo, an 80-meter waterfall in Baños, combines power, beauty, grace, and rage into one stunning cascade. After a short hike, you'll begin to hear the roar of one of Ecuador's most powerful waterfalls. Upon arrival, you can climb up the tiny La Grieta del Cielo to a spot directly behind the waterfall, or climb down a number of stairs to a perch just above the roiling cauldron at the base of the falls. Then, take a narrow bridge across the river canyon to take in an otherworldly view of the entire waterfall.

Guayaquil, Guayas

destination • experience • outdoors

Parque Seminario

Okay, so it's not really a hike. At all. But anytime you can walk around a park (even wearing hiking boots if you want) and hang out with hundreds of tame iguanas, you should do exactly that.