My friend and I are going to ecuador in Dec. for two weeks. what are the MUST do's while being there?

We both love plants and animals, adventoures and diving.....

Anything you can rec. that is a must do while being there or any other advice would be much appreciated.

thanks

I was in Ecuador. Quito, Ecuador and another place outside of Quito, called Ba帽os. It was wonderful they had natural springs and the mountain views were amazing. I actually biked there and it was amazing!! Ba帽os Ecuador. You have to go here..this is a great place for outdoors. You can do an actual volcano tour..hiking..horse back riding-OMG SOO much a MECCA for ADVENTURE!
nightlife is pretty fun!
Also a roommate of mine in Ecador hiked Cotopaxi (Cotopaxi Volcano)-he said it was amazing..HARD because of the altitude, but WORTH IT!!
One thing to be cautious of are the Andes (mountain right over the city of Quito.) It's suppose to be a great place to hike and such..but beware because there are many thiefs, drug problems.
Guayaquil, Ecuador is suppost to be a great place near the beach, perhaps do some diving and beach stuff there.

Lucky you!! I loved it!! Have fun! the country is beautiful with wonderful ppl and loads to do adventure wise!!

walk on the equator without falling off - very dangerous ;-)
Enjoy your trip! Not been there myself so far (it' so far)

Not get kidnapped!

Definitely go to Montenita. It's a beach town near Salinas. They have any water activity you want to do, surfing, boogie-boarding, etc. Go to the volcano Cotopaxi, awesome! If you like animals, etc. you'll definitely want to go into the rainforest. You can go to any tourist shop in Quito and they have guided tours into the jungle. One thing you definitely should NOT do, is the Devil's Nose train ride. It's not worth it. The market in Otavalo is amazing, you can buy all kinds of amazing clothes made of alpaca wool. I'd skip Banos too, not worth it. There are some thermal baths just north of Quito that you should go to, and while in Quito visit the Teleferiqo, it's a cable car that goes to the top of the mountain over-looking Quito, beautiful! While in Quito, the best area to stay is the Mariscal. There are lots of hostels and hotels to choose from and restaurants too. The easiest way to get around Ecuador is by bus since it's such a small country, plus it's cheap. If you do visit Cotopaxi, the volcano, be aware that no public buses go to the visitors center. You'll have to go on an organized tour to get there, walk from the highway (3 hours walk from where the bus drops you off) or hire a car. Ecuador is a beautiful country. Enjoy!

I lived there for 12 years and loved it. There sanitation can be a little poor from time to time. Don't drink the water but there are all kinds of carbonated beverage. The CO2 kills every thing. Better not to eat foods that are not cooked well done. Grand mother house restaurant has a 1 kilo T bone stake that is great. If u go down into the jungle u should have your yellow fever shot. Go to the Equator and put 1 foot in each hemisphere. There ate many things that u try to grow that grow wild in the jungle. DO NOT go into the jungle by your self it is a dangerous place. The poinsettia is the size of a peach tree down there . Take vitamin E 400 units about 2 weeks before u go to Quito is 9200 ft. up so the air is thin. The vitamin E helps your air processing . It will help with altitude sickened . don't eat too much and definitely do not drink as the alcohol makes the altitude sickness worse. If u have heart or high blood pressure don't go. Your body will produce about 1 pint of blood to compensate for The altitude.
Have a good trip.

Diving in the Galapagos is fantastic. Galapagos sea lions will swim right up to you (but won't let you touch them). One of my best dives ever.

Go to intag it is located in imbabura province. I have gon there many times and it is a great place to go hike in the mauntains with fresh water that you can drink from the river.
I have a freind that ouns a some cabins the place is called La Florida.