Product Description

The most up-to-date trekking guide to one of the world's most biodiverse nations.

Includes a thorough introduction to Ecuador and its people.

No-nonsense information on what to expect, preparations, and safety.

Twenty-nine detailed trek descriptions, with 50 photos, 33 topographic maps, and 27 elevation profiles.

Comprehensive appendices, including lists of trekking companies, emergency contacts, and conservation organizations.

Ecuador's special appeal to trekkers, day-trippers, and nature lovers can be summed up in one word: accessibility. The country's unique combination of small size, exceptional geographic and biological diversity, and good transportation infrastructure places an outstanding variety of splendid natural experiences within easy reach of the adventurous visitor. Ecuador boasts more than forty-five protected natural areas, including national parks and private reserves, almost all of which offer trekking and day-hiking possibilities.

Many longer treks span several natural regions, from the highlands down toward the Amazon jungle or coastal plain. Ecuador receives many visitors (approximately 500,000 a year), but as yet relatively few people come specifically to trek. Unlike well-known trekking venues such as Nepal, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, and Chile's Torres del Paine National Park, trails in Ecuador are never crowded and offer virtually unlimited scope for exploration. Trekking in Ecuador is easily combined with a visit to the country's more traditional destinations: the Galápagos Islands, colorful indigenous markets, Amazon jungle lodges or Pacific coast beaches.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #76585 in Books
• Brand: The Mountaineers Books
• Published on: 2002-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 301 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780898868241
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Author
Trekking is our passion. Between 2000 and 2002 we explored 30 new trekking routes to write "Trekking in Ecuador", the most up-to-date hiking guide for this country. It remains an unforgettable experience and taught us that, however well we might know Ecuador, there would always be more to discover here.

We are graduates of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), in Wyoming, USA. We live in Ecuador and know the country intimately, its places, people, strengths and weaknesses. In addition to our personal knowledge, we have developed an extensive network of contacts throughout Ecuador and its travel community. We can therefore constantly keep our fingers on the pulse of local developments and regularly update "Trekking in Ecuador" on-line.

From the Inside Flap
"Robert and Daisy Kunstaetter have helped countless travellers realize ambitions of going beyond the beaten track. They give the trekker the confidence to be completely self-sufficient if he or she so desires - or to choose a group led by experienced guides... In other words, this book is blunder-proof."
- Ben Box, editor, the "South American Handbook"

"Trekking in Ecuador" is well-researched. ...it really made me want to break in a new pair of hiking boots and get back out on the wonderful trails of Ecuador."
- Jean Brown, partner, Safari Tours, and founding member, South American Explorers Club, Quito, Ecuador

"...I am indebted to the best expedition planners in Ecuador, Robert and Daisy Kunstaetter..."
- Mark Honigsbaum, journalist and author of "The Fever Trail"

Customer Reviews

Passed the boot test with flying colours.
I recently spent a month trekking in Ecuador with this guidebook and I would recommend it to anybody interested in hiking in this beautiful country. There is something for everyone with short dayhikes near travelling hubs, week long treks through remote mountains, hikes that end in hotsprings and hikes that take you in search of the elusive Ecuadorian wild orchid. This guidebook contains all the information you need to set out on your own and the hikes I did were unforgetable. I waited untill Quito to buy a guidebook so I could compare all the books available and I can say now that this is, by far, the best hiking guide for the country. I will be back in Ecuador to walk some more of the beautiful trails described in Trekking in Ecuador.

Great start for trekking Ecuador
I have been to Ecuador a number of times, but I didn't know what I was missing until I purchased "Trekking in Ecuador". Contained in this book is all of the information you need to plan a great trekking advanture to Ecuador. The treks are easy to follow and offer some of the greatest scenery in the world. Ecuador stole my heart on my very first visit, and with this book I was able to see even deeper into her soul.

Authors' Review
Trekking is our passion. Between 2000 and 2002 we explored 30 new trekking routes to write "Trekking in Ecuador", the most up-to-date hiking guide for this country. It remains an unforgettable experience and taught us that, however well we might know Ecuador, there would always be more to discover here.

We are graduates of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), in Wyoming, USA. We live in Ecuador and know the country
intimately, its places, people, strengths and weaknesses. In addition to our personal knowledge, we have developed an extensive network of contacts throughout Ecuador and its travel community. We can therefore constantly keep our fingers on the pulse of local developments. "Trekking in Ecuador" is regularly updated on-line.

Ecuador's special appeal to trekkers, day-trippers, and nature lovers can be summed up in one word: accessibility. The country's unique combination of small size, exceptional geographic and biological diversity, and good transportation infrastructure places an outstanding variety of splendid natural experiences within easy reach of the adventurous visitor. Ecuador boasts more than forty-five protected natural areas, including national parks and private reserves, almost all of which offer trekking and day-hiking possibilities.

Many longer treks span several natural regions, from the highlands down toward the Amazon jungle or coastal plain. Ecuador
receives many visitors (approximately 500,000 a year), but as yet relatively few people come specifically to trek. Unlike well-known trekking venues such as Nepal, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, and Chile's Torres del Paine National Park, trails in Ecuador are never crowded and offer virtually unlimited scope for exploration. Trekking in Ecuador is easily combined with a visit to the country's more traditional destinations: the Galápagos Islands, colorful indigenous markets, Amazon jungle lodges or Pacific coast beaches.