Ecuador

Look the wrong way out of Latin America's oldest astronomical observatory in Quito and you'll see poncho-wrapped Indigenas outside glass skyscrapers.

Recent arrivals gravitate towards the Casa de la Cultura, a huge glass dome containing enough Inca gold to make Indiana Jones weep. La Mitad del Mundo research museum, meanwhile, allows you to snap yourself in two hemispheres at once.

Nature lovers are overwhelmed by choice in Ecuador. Jungle-enthusiasts might take an Amazonian flat-bottomed boat cruise while condor-lovers could catch the ancient train to the world's tallest active volcano in Cotopaxi National Park.

Keen divers head for Montanita on the Pacific Coast which is surf heaven with perfect waves and luxury hotels like Baja Montanita.Shoppers, on the other hand, go to Otavalo, the centre of the textile industry, whose Saturday markets are legendary.

The incorrectly named 'Panama' hat, made famous by Napoleon III, actually comes from Montecristi, where it is woven from the local toquilla straw which is perfectly bendy, but never snaps.

The Galapagos Islands are Ecuador's prize treasure. Almost 1,000 km away, Charles Darwin located the home of the giant tortoise and the only seagoing lizard in the world in 1835. The islands are unforgettable - visit sensitively and keep them that way.