Perched high in the Andean valleys of Azuay Province, Cuenca is a patchwork of majestic colonial architecture and quaint Latin townhouses with red-tiled roofs, all intermingled with heady strips of yellow street lights and traffic-laden boulevards, and completed with cool coffee joints and world-class bistros. Take a walking tour around the Palaza Abdon Calderon, where the Old Cathedral and Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception are the clear favourites in an area enriched with museums and markets ripe for souvenir shopping. Even more scenic paths can be wandered along the Rio Tomebamba close by, as it runs through town creating a natural divide between the historical and new city. Ask about the unique sights here, and your Cuenca tourist guide who will show you the Turkish baths and hot springs at Banos, or arrange a jaunt to the ruined fortress of Ingapirca to the north, to spy out the curious amalgamation of Incan and pre-Incan cultures in the hills. Adventure travellers, explore the wilds of nearby El Caja, a regular UNESCO candidate and jewel in Ecuador’s National Parks system. There’s fishing, rock climbing, hiking and wild camping opportunities to boot, not to mention one some of the best chances to catch a glimpse of the country’s elusive giant hummingbird.