IMAGES: ALAMY
T R AVEL TALK ASK THE EXPERTS
NEED ADVICE FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP? ARE YOU AFTER RECOMMENDATIONS, TIPS AND GUIDANCE? OUR EXPERTS HAVE THE ANSWERS…
THE EXPERTS
Sorrel Moseley-Williams Food and travel writer
Steph Dyson Travel writer and guidebook author
SJ Armstrong Project editor, National Geographic Traveller (UK)
Nori Jemil Travel writer and photographer
Can you recommend some family- friendly experiences in Ecuador? Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, is often the kick-off point for a trip to the Andean nation. Given that the city is located over 9,300ft above sea level, take your time here to acclimatise the whole family to the altitude. A vertiginous yet effortless way
Clockwise from above: Los Frailes beach in Machalilla National Park; Cotopaxi volcano over San Jaloma Church; a blue-footed booby
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to understand Quito’s geography is riding the city’s teleférico (cable- car) to Cruz Loma: the 18-minute ride takes you to a breathtaking 13,000ft. On alighting, you can soak up vistas of the moors dotted with volcanic and mountainous peaks, including the impressive Cotopaxi volcano on a clear day.
teleferico.com.ec With the country being named
after the Equator, the kids will love hopping between the northern and southern hemispheres. Head
NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVEL
to latitude 0”00 at Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) park, where the invisible line becomes reality on the ground. You can also scale the 100ft-high equatorial monument to reach the viewing platform, while a small museum depicts the lives of Ecuador’s various Indigenous people.
mitaddelmundo.gob.ec Meanwhile, for an urban preview
of Ecuadorian biodiversity — the country is guardian to more than 6% of the world’s animal and plant species — take the family to Quito’s Botanical Garden. Besides admiring beautiful blooms in the orchid and tropical greenhouses, they’ll like the flesh-eating plant garden.
jardinbotanicoquito.com If you’re on a budget but after
a taste of the postcard-pretty Galápagos Islands, Los Frailes beach is a fantastic alternative.
It’s an unspoiled, almost white- sand beach found in Machalilla National Park, on the Pacific Coast. Make the cosy, three-star
Mantaraya Lodge your base. A short drive from the fishing village of Puerto Lopez, this family-friendly hotel has various family rooms, one of which can accommodate up to six. You might need to hire a car to reach Los Frailes, but the hotel also offers daily tours to Isla de la Palta, a small island that’s a refuge for wildlife species including blue-footed boobies and South American sea lions. And for those family members who might still have some energy left to release at the end of the day, the outdoor swimming pool and games room will come in handy.
mantarayalodge.com SORREL MOSELEY-WILLIAMS
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