With its astonishing geographical diversity, Ecuador also boasts huge cultural diversity within such a small country. There are no less than 17 ethnically-distinct indigenous groups. In the Highlands people’s dress and accents differ from one valley to the next. Down on the coast, African origins influence the coastal cultures, while the remote peoples of the Amazonian basin, where some groups have only recently come into contact with the modern world, present an all-together different face. These peoples and cultures present a vast variety of music, dance, gastronomy, handicrafts, languages, religions, literature and art all waiting to be discovered.

One of the best places close to Quito to get an idea of Ecuador's astonishing cultural diversity is at the Otavalo market, under two hours' drive from the capital.