Quito

Quito is Ecuador's capital — population 2M at 2,850m elevation in a long valley between Andes peaks (some snow-capped + 5,000m+), the world's highest official capital with continuous Spanish colonial heritage. UNESCO World Heritage 1978 (the FIRST inscribed site in the world!) for its Old Town — the largest + best-preserved historic center in the Americas with 16th-17th century churches + 130 monumental buildings.

Highlights: Plaza Grande + Cathedral + Presidential Palace (heart of UNESCO Old Town), La Compañía de Jesús (most ornate church in the Americas with 7 tons of gold leaf interior), El Panecillo ('the little bread loaf' hill with 45m aluminum Virgen del Quito statue, larger than Christ the Redeemer), and Calle La Ronda (oldest street in Quito with traditional crafts + canelazo hot cinnamon liquor).

The Equator line passes 25km north — Mitad del Mundo monument ('Middle of the World') where you can stand with one foot in each hemisphere. Adjacent Intiñan Solar Museum has the actual surveyor's equator line + experiments (egg balancing, water draining straight down, weakened muscles standing on equator).

Beyond the city: Cotopaxi (5,897m active volcano + national park, 50km south, 4,800m refuge hike), TelefériQo cable car (city to 4,100m up Pichincha volcano in 18 min, optional Rucu Pichincha summit hike to 4,696m), Otavalo Indigenous market (largest in South America, 100km north — best Saturdays), Mindo cloud forest (2h west, 350+ bird species + zip-lining + chocolate factory), and Galapagos Islands (2h flight west — but day trips can't replace 4-7 day cruises).

Iconic Ecuadorian cuisine: Locro de papa (potato + cheese soup with avocado, $5-10 — Andean comfort food), Cuy (whole roasted guinea pig, $15-25 — controversial but traditional), Ceviche de camarón (Ecuadorian shrimp ceviche, $8-15 — different from Peruvian), Hornado (whole roasted pig, $8-15), Chocolate Ecuador-grown (chocolate origin, $5-15/bar — Pacari + República del Cacao), Canelazo (hot cinnamon + fruit liquor, $3-5 — winter warmer at La Ronda).

Bottom line: Quito is canonical Andean colonial + UNESCO #1 inscribed + Galapagos gateway. 3-4 days hits city + Mitad del Mundo + Cotopaxi or Otavalo.