Visitor Information

Ecuador's Ministry of Tourism operates a network of iTur information offices in Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Ibarra, and Riobamba—we find Quito's and Guayaquil's branches to be of limited use—and has an informative Web site but is ill-equipped to handle specific pretrip inquiries. Once you're on the ground, city-run tourist offices are a better bet for information (Quito's and Guayaquil's are extraordinary).

Gray Line and Metropolitan Touring are two of the country's biggest and best tour operators.

Tourist Office

iTur. 800/004–887; www.vivecuador.com.

Tour Operators

Gray Line. 800/472–964; www.graylineecuador.com.

Metropolitan Touring. Av. República de El Salvador 970, Quito, Pichincha. 02/246–4780; 800/527–2500; www.metropolitan-touring.com.