Guayaquil

You couldn’t dream of a place like Guayaquil being in the same country as Ecuador’s capital, Quito). Guayaquil is Ecuador’s main port, commercial hub, and largest urban sprawl. It extends over what was once a veritable “green Venice” dominated by the mangroves that escort the imposing River Guayas on its path to the Pacific Ocean, yet today, most of nature has given way to a busy port city with malls, condos, peripheral highways, and a bustling downtown in constant motion.