Humidity, blasts of hot air, heavy traffic... Embark for Guayaquil, the largest city of Ecuador even though Quito is the capital. We're off for a visit of the "Pearl of the Pacific", from its landscaped river promenade (the Malecón 2000) to the cerro Santa Ana, not to mention the city centre!

Guayaquil, pearl of the Pacific

In this article you will find a presentation of Isla de la Plata, nicknamed "the poor-man's Galapagos", which can be reached from Puerto López.

Leaving Puerto López for the little Galapagos

Ecuadorian Amazonia possesses the densest biodiversity in the world. With its 6034 square kilometres, the reserve is an incredible mix of rivers and flooded forests (due to the large quantities of annual rainfall in the Amazon). The result? A part of the Amazon that is unique and which will not leave you unaffected...

Cuyabeno, the jewel of the Amazon in Ecuador

In this article we visit Otavalo, the best market in Ecuador and perhaps the best in the world.

Otavalo and its most wonderful markets

Quito

Otavalo

Amazonia

Riobamba

Alausi is a small town perched at an altitude of 2,600 metres and located around 120 kilometres from Riobamba. The mountains all around the town create a perfect setting and offer a wonderful environment for hiking.

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Oceania

The only reason to come to Alausí when visiting Ecuador is to catch the train to Nariz del Diablo. I arrived here in the morning, did the train trip in the afternoon, then departed again the following morning. That said, it is also possible to organise a several-day hike along the Inca Trail from Alausí You can do this on foot or on horseback, depending on your preference, and it really is a superb trip to make. It also gives you the chance to visit the Inca site of Ingapirca, which you arrive at after passing through through some absolutely gorgeous landscapes and scenery. The town of Alausí itself, however, is normally a very calm, quiet place. But just to give the lie to what I've just said about it, on the day I arrived here there was a huge organised celebration taking place to mark the opening of a new bakery. Fantastic concerts, incredible noise, dance shows: I didn't get much sleep that night, and I can truly say that I got to see Alausí in circumstances much at odds with the quiet atmosphere you can normally expect from the place.

Alausi is a small town perched at an altitude of 2,600 metres and located around 120 kilometres from Riobamba. The mountains all around the town create a perfect setting and offer a wonderful environment for hiking.

Ecuador's tourist train departed from Riobamba at the time of this journey and used to stop at Alausi after visiting Guamote. Next it would head on to the Nariz del Diablo before finally stopping at the disused station in Sibambe.
It's this second part of the journey I found most interesting. The valley we travelled through was completely arid. The train went round a number of tight bends, slowed down, then reversed its way down to Nariz del Diablo. 
Many tourists headed all the way back to Riobamba on the return journey. However, it made more sense to get off at Alausi if you were continuing on to southern Ecuador, to Cuenca for example. This is what I did. When waiting for the bus in the afternoon, I got some lunch near the train station in Alausi then went for a little tour around the town. I remember this quite well because it proved easy to find transport.

Alausi is currently the station where the most difficult train in the world departs from, the one that goes to Nariz del Diablo.

Alausí Holidays

Alausí: How to get there?

Alausí: See when to go?

Alausí: For how long?

Alausí: What to see nearby?

Ecuador: our articles for your holidays