Ecuador, a beautiful country on the equator in South America, was known to me mainly as the home of the Galapagos Islands. Someplace I’ve always wanted to visit as a travel writer and somewhere I learned about along with Charles Darwin in biology class. I have since learned alot more and had the opportunity to go to New York to meet Sandra Naranjo, the country’s Minister of Tourism.

I interviewed Minister Naranjo about All You Need Is Ecuador, the country’s tourism campaign, launched to let the world know there’s more to do here than visit the Galapagos. The campaign promotes four different areas within the country, including the Galapagos. The others are the Amazon, the Andes and the Pacific Coast.

AMAZON

• Award-winning eco-lodges are located in the heart of the Amazon.

• The Amazon can be visited aboard river cruises or from lodges, many community-run.

• The Amazon is home to numerous indigenous groups, some still uncontacted.

ANDES

• Ecuadorian cities of Quito and Cuenca are fascinating World Heritage Site cities.

• Ecuador’s railroad’s nine routes traverse both Andean and tropical landscapes.

• Cotopaxi is the world’s highest active volcano.

• Chimborazo is the closest point to the sun on the Earth.

PACIFIC

• The variety of seafood and Afro-Ecuadorian influences satisfies the most demanding palates.

GALÁPAGOS

• In the Galápagos Islands, options for exploration include small yachts and larger motor vessels, as well as the possibility of exploring from hotels on the four inhabited islands.

I’ll be writing more about this fascinating country and hopefully visiting soon.