Ecuador - as the name implies - lies draped across the equator in the northwestern corner of South America. It shares a border with Peru to the south and east, and is bounded by Colombia to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Quito, the national capital, sits centered at the northern end of the country in an Andean valley only 22km (14mi) south of the equator. Guayaquil, Ecuador's other main city (and its only major port), basks on the sweltering southern coast just north of the Peruvian border.

The country can be divided into four regions: the western coastal lowlands, the central Andean highlands, the eastern jungles of the Amazon basin and - some 1000km (620mi) west of the mainland - the Galápagos Islands. The western lowlands - once thick with forests - are today blanketed by banana, palm and cacao farms and have little to interest most travelers. Only a few protected pockets, such as the Maquipucuna biological reserve, still provide glimpses of Ecuador's once spectacular forestlands. The Andean highlands - the country's backbone - are composed of two volcanic ranges separated by a central valley in which the bulk of the population lives. The highlands also contain the nation's highest mountain, Chimborazo, whose 6310m (20,700ft) peak stands out - thanks to Earth's equatorial bulge - as the farthest point from the center of the planet.

The Amazon basin lowlands east of the Andes are an almost impenetrable tangle of rainforest known to Ecuadorians as the

Thanks to its agreeable climate and patchwork of habitats (alpine grasslands, coastal swamps, tropical rainforest), Ecuador is one of the most species-rich nations on earth. Dubbed by ecologists a 'megadiversity hotspot,' it boasts 300 species of mammal alone, including monkeys, sloths, llamas and alpacas. Birdwatchers come from all over to gawk at the famous Andean condor, but there are plenty of other bird species, and about half of the 58 species found on the Galápagos Islands are endemic. Ecuador's freshwater fish are equally exotic, though most visitors prefer to experience from a distance the amazing qualities of electric eels, stingrays, piranhas and the tiny candiru catfish - a little charmer who swims up the human urethra and lodges itself in place with the help of its sharp spines.

The only thing predictable about Ecuador's weather is its unpredictability, and it's not uncommon to run the gamut of 'seasons' in the course of a single day. Generally speaking, Ecuador has two seasons, wet and dry, but local weather patterns vary greatly depending on geography. The mainland coastal areas and the Galápagos Islands are both influenced by ocean currents and are hot and rainy between January and April, an unpleasant time visit.

If you hit the beaches between May and December, it rarely rains and the temperature is a few degrees cooler. In the highlands, the dry season is between June and September and around Christmas, but even the mountains' wet season isn't particularly wet. The central valley is generally springlike all year, with temperatures no higher than 24°C (66°F). The Oriente experiences rain year round; July and August are the wettest months, September through December the driest. It's usually as hot here as it is on the coast.

In 1999 President Jamil Mahuad banned any further oil exploration, mining, logging and colonization in the Cuyabeno-Imuya and Yasuni National Parks. This 2.7 million acre area hosts some of Ecuador's most diverse flora and fauna and is home to several indigenous tribes.

Costs in Ecuador are among the lowest in Latin America. From year to year, prices for travel basics like transportation, meals and lodging may vary up or down by as much as 50%, but they remain cheap by Western standards. On 14 March 2000, President Gustavo Noboa ratified a law making the US dollar legal tender in Ecuador. The dollar is replacing the sucre at a rate of US$1 = 25,000 sucres. The government claims 'dollarization' will reduce Ecuador's chronic inflation (approaching 100%), and decrease the national debt.

Ecuador has a two-tier pricing system in effect, and foreigners pay a lot more for certain services (mainly transportation and top-end hotels) than locals do. It's colloquially known as the 'gringo tax' and is avoidable by staying in budget to mid-range hotels and by taking buses rather than trains or planes. Doing so, travelers on a budget should be able to get by on as little as US$10 per day, including the periodic indulgence. A less frugal approach to visiting Ecuador might set you back US$50 to US$80 per day, allowing more comfort in travel and sleeping arrangements and a more interesting diet. Living like visiting royalty is also an option, and you can play the part for a modest outlay of around US$150 per day.

Banks and

Tipping is expected by tour guides, porters and other tourist industry workers, though not by taxi drivers. Quality restaurants add 10% tax and a 10% service charge to their bills; cheaper restaurants usually don't. If you want to tip your server, give the money to them directly - don't just leave it on the table. Bargaining is accepted and expected at craft markets. Elsewhere, if you're not sure, try asking for a

Travelers can visit Ecuador year-round; certain areas are better at certain times of the year, but there are no absolutes. In terms of the weather, El Niño hits hard about one winter every decade, playing havoc with road and rail connections and making communication spotty in some outlying areas. If you're visiting the Galápagos, you'll find the warm rainy season from January to April is the best time for snorkeling; the rest of the year the water is cooler, typically around 20°C (68°F). The mainland coast has similar weather patterns, and its beaches fill up from January to May during coastal Ecuador's school holidays. June through August sees gringo vacationers descend, though the weather's generally gone chilly by then.

The highlands' dry season (the best time for hiking and climbing) is June to August, which coincides with the wettest months in the Oriente. Trekking in the Oriente is best done in the dry season, from late August through February. As for crowds and costs, the high season both on the mainland and in the Galápagos tends to be mid-December through January and June to August, when most of the vacationing foreign visitors arrive.