Posted 31 Mar 2010

Gap year travellers journeying through South America might want to make a stop-off in Ecuador one of their top priorities as a travel writer has recommended the destination.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Simon Worth extolled the virtues of the country following a recent break there.

The reporter set off to find the spot where north meets south in the country whose name is Spanish for equator.

He visited a theme park called Middle of the World – which is based on the spot where an 18th century French expedition believed the mark to lie.

This location, however, was proved to be incorrect by satellite technology, so Mr Worth headed to Quitsato – an area surrounded by volcanoes that has been proven to lie at zero degrees latitude.

Earlier in the month, actress Miranda Richardson revealed in the Daily Telegraph her admiration for Ecuador, which she described as an "overwhelmingly terrific" country.

Category: South America