Razor-sharp beak pointing towards the sky, the blue-footed booby flaps its wings in a couple of wide-angled swooshes, then returns to preening its brown and white feathers. Its bright blue feet seem to be suckered onto the rock, never slipping as it grooms and turns about, having a good wash. Beside...

Equator obelisk Looking up at the Equator Obelisk in Calacalí, a short drive from Quito, Ecuador, it’s very confusing as a relatively short distance down the road is a huge complex which touts itself as the ‘Mitad del Mundo’. So if this is the REAL centre of the earth, why aren’t...

South America’s such a massive continent that many travellers panic when people ask them what they’ll be seeing. Should they spend all their time in Argentina, or Peru? Maybe Ecuador is their best bet? Brazil? Help! We’ve scoured the internet and found the top ten most exciting, overwhelming sights in...

When you finally achieve a life-long ambition, there is the danger that it will not live up to expectations. Dreams become reality and illusions take on a definite shape and form that may not be one you want to see. So finally visiting Ecuador had an element of risk, having...

Hummingbirds in flight It’s the sound of whirring wings that you notice first. In front of the wooden observation shelter are pagoda-shaped ‘feeding stations’, filled with sugar water. Hundreds of jewel-feathered hummingbirds zoom off and onto the ledges to sip at this sweet treat. Mashpi rainforest bio-reserve has over 20 different...

A large sea lion galumphs his way across the sand, his nose pointing disdainfully to the sky, seemingly oblivious to the delighted visitors to his domain. Sea lion on San Cristobal Finning away from him, clad in wetsuit with snorkel and mask clamped firmly in place, I gaze down into cool, clear...

The Inca Trail in Peru is one of the world’s most spectacular walks. In this World Travel Blogger series, share one hiker’s experience to the heady heights of Machu Picchu and back … My breath was shallow in my chest.  The air up here in the Andes was thin, but...