The Andean mountain range runs from the North to the South of the country and has been named the “Belt of Fire of the Pacific.”  It is considered a highly intense, seismic and volcanic complex due to the collision of the Nazca and South American Oceanic Plates.  There are numerous active and dormant volcanoes in continental Ecuador, which offer a spectacular view in the Andes and the Amazon, and (needless to say) they command attention when they become active.  The list is extensive and includes volcanoes in the Andean Corridor (Volcano Alley) as well as on the Galápagos Islands.

(the decimal point in American terms would be a comma, so its in the thousands of meters)
Convert meters to feet

Credit photo and facts — loosely translated by drc

I am soaring, snowcapped peaks
and flat, grassy plains
I am lush rivers gurgling over
smooth stones and rocks
I am lanky eucalyptus forests
hushing in the breeze

I am revolution and political upheaval
I am celebrations and dancing
I am holiday after holiday after holiday.

photos all of Ecuador.
Photo credits unknown

If you’re in Quito, you don’t want to miss a visit to the Botanical Garden located in the La Carolina park.

Included in the gardens are tropical plants native to the rain and cloud forests, and different areas of the garden represent the high-altitude páramo plants, desert, jungle, Inca gardens, and separate areas for orchids, bromeliads, and palms.

More than 1,200 orchid species and a number of hybrids are exhibited in
“Crystal Palaces” inside the Quito Botanical Garden. One palace holds altitude orchids and the other tropical
species.

Did You Know….

• In Ecuador, one of each four plant species is an orchid.
• In one hectare of the Ecuadorian tropical rain forest there
  are more than 350 plant species, a true world record!
• Ecuador holds approximately 17.000 plant species, more than
  the whole European continent.
• The medicine that has saved the most lives in the world was
  discovered in an Ecuadorian plant, the “cascarilla”.
• Ecuador is the most diverse country in terms of plant species
  per area.

The gardens are new since the last time I was there in 2003.  I look forward to going the next time I’m home.

info and pictures from exploring-ecuador
  

PASOCHOA (elevation 13,776 ft.)

photo credit via link

Pasochoa is located only 20 miles from Quito, although reaching
a trailhead takes longer due to the difficult roadways, which are not always
paved. It is a favorite among those looking to acclimatize in preparation of an
attempt at one of Ecuador’s more renowned volcanic summits (Cotopaxi, Cayambe or
Chimborazo), and it is a fairly straightforward walk to the summit, with several
nice viewpoints. It is not very steep, although the last 200 meters of vertical
can be a bit of a challenge for those first arriving in Ecuador.

Pasochoa has been inactive since the last ice age. The area is unique in that it
preserves the last of the original forest and other vegetation including an
enormous variety of flowers that once covered the entire Quito basin. Pasochoa
Forest Preserve claims almost a hundred species of birds. This is a good place
to see the sword-billed hummingbird, the viridian metal tail, mountain tanagers,
red crested cotinga, and many more.

I liked the way they did this:

photo credit via link

Gorgeous Ecuadorian Sky

photo credit via link