With lush hillsides, jungle rivers, city skylines, white sand beaches and cloud forests — I personally think it´s difficult to declare one place the winner of beauty in the small, yet diverse country of Ecuador. But nestled in the south of the nation´s illustrious landscape is certainly a contender for the prize — Cuenca. It´s a small city of 400,000 people, and deservedly known as Ecuador´s gem.

