Andean highlands around Quilotoa Lake

The people here speak predominantly Quechuan, then Spanish. The high altitude panorama includes grassy highlands (paramo), cloud-forests with medicinal plants, mountain lakes, active volcanoes, colorful market days, and haciendas. The farmers are raising potatoes, corn, beans, alfalfa & other crops across steep hillsides. Besides the new highway, the roads are gravel with deep ruts from the rainy season. While llamas still transport goods, the vehicle of choice is the pickup truck where everyone piles into the cab and flatbed to make rugged journeys around the region. Many women wear the bowler hat brought first to Bolivia by the British Railways in the early 1900s.

Avenue of the Volcanos, Ecuador

Stretching over 200 miles, the Andean range around the Quito area has seven peaks over 17,000 ft high.

Quito

Ecuador's capital, Quito, is the highest capital in the world, sitting at an altitude of 9,350 ft on the eastern slopes of Pinchincha, an active volcano in the Andes mountains. It is also the closest capital to the equator. The Spanish word for equator is ... ecuador! Constructed on the foundations of an ancient Incan city, Quito is also known for its well-preserved historical center, rich with 16th- and 17th-century churches and other structures.