Ecuador lies directly on the equator, so the entire country
enjoys 12 hours of direct equatorial daylight 365 days a year.
However, the climate you will experience depends largely on
where you are in Ecuador, since there are four distinct
geographical areas—the Sierra (mountains), the Oriente (eastern
rainforests), the La Costa (Pacific coastal plains), and the
Galapagos Islands. For example, Ecuador’s capital, Quito, lies
in the Central Valley between the Andean Mountains’ eastern and
western ridges. The equator is less than 20 miles north of the
city, yet at an altitude of 9,350 feet (2,900 meters), Quito’s
climate is spring-like year around: about 50° F (10° C) at night
and as high as 76° F (25° C) during the day. The sun makes the
difference. You can comfortably stroll out on a glorious Quito
afternoon in shorts and a T-shirt, but you’ll need to take your
wool sweater in case the clouds roll in. The equatorial sun is
intense, but when it’s obscured by clouds, you realize how high
in the Andes you really a