Ecuador on Earth Day 46

Friday, April 22nd, will mark the 46th year of what would prove to be the birth of an amazing social, political and environmental movement. It comes barely a week after the devastating earthquakes hit Ecuador’s southern coast.  The affected area continues to suffer from hundreds of aftershocks.

About 90% of the world’s earthquakes and some 81% of the largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, which includes Ecuador and much of west coast of South America.  Saturday’s quake was a megathrust quake that occurs in the boundary zone where one of the planet’s tectonic plates is sliding under another, a process called subduction. In the case of the Ecuadorean quake, the Nazca, a heavy oceanic plate, is sliding under the South American, a lighter continental plate, at a rate of about two inches a year. Strain builds up at the boundary, which is then released suddenly in the form of an earthquake.

On this 46th Earth Day, we support Ecuador’s road to recovery.  Many of the most visited areas in Ecuador were unaffected by the quakes, which allows us to aid the people of Ecuador in a real, tangible way – through continued tourism that will provide essential dollars vital to the rebuilding efforts of the country.

As a sign of our solidarity with Ecuador and its engaging and determined people,  we launch our new President’s Pick: Mainland Ecuador.

Please note: Some areas of this itinerary may have been affected by recent events. We launch this program knowing that Ecuador will rebuild and that these areas will emerge better than before.