I had saved up for months, endured four rounds of injections, and finally had my backpack, medical kit and Universal Sink Plug at the ready. Albeit plagued by the nerves that inevitably accompany leaving home for the first time, I was now set to take South America by storm - not least thanks to a bit of careful planning, a decent Spanish phrasebook and two nights pre-booked in a good hostel.

Whether you're planning a two-week summer break or a two-year Gap adventure, Ecuador is the starting place to launch yourself into backpacking. Loved by seasoned backpackers and new-starters alike, the country will blow you away. Being just slightly bigger than the UK, two-three weeks is ideal to cover this rich country, enough for a short-term backpacking holiday, or as part of a wider trek around South America. As a starting point for a first backpacking trip, it will ease you gently into the routine of hostelling (at some of the finest in developing South America) and long-distance bus journeys.

And what better place to start your adventure than the capital - the second highest in the world, after Bolivia's 'La Paz', Quito will take your breath away - literally. If you're flying in from sea level, don't count on being too active until the altitude sickness has flushed out of your system. But once it does, you'll be kept on your feet for days. When you're not exploring the cobbled backstreets of the stunning colonial district, taking in the anti-American protests and shady looking cash-point stalkers, you'll find yourself scouring the seedy "Gringolandia" district, complete with its hoards of late-night bars filled with Ecuadorian teenagers and all-too-eager young white men.

It's not just the city centre which holds a feast of activities for you to sink your teeth into. The bizarre "Mitad del Mundo" is an entire town, an hour's bus ride from the city centre, built around a French monument marking the location of the equator. Yet despite the painted red equator line and the numerous museums and signs pointing you at latitude 0, it seems these guys are keeping a secret. In fact, the French were 200m out, but don't tell that to the locals who will deny any knowledge of modern GPS technology. For the real fun, wander north up an unmarked dirt track and visit the site of the real equator, where the highlight of your day will be watching toilets flush in opposite directions. (You were paying attention in Physics class, weren't you?)

The beauty of Ecuador is that even when you're being a tourist, you're almost fooled into thinking you're miles off the beaten track. Ninety minutes south of the capital lies the dusty town of Latacunga - launchpad for one of the world's highest, and scalable active volcanoes - Cototpaxi - and the unbelievable natural beauty of Lake Quilatoa. Driven up 1,000m of rugged mountains, through Quechuan markets and villages, and past hamlets of wooden shacks miles from any civilisation, you're dropped at the top of a mesmeric crater lake that fools you into clumsily hiking down to its shores. Be warned - the return journey, at altitude, is no small feat, and expect a full memory card on your camera before the day is out.

Jumping ship after hearing a local volcano had entered 'amber' alert for an impending eruption, I headed straight for the quaint town of Baños sat right at its feet. This charming and colourful addition to the itinerary, perched under the perpetually cloud-enveloped and very active volcano, offers rafting, mountain-biking, and a chance to get up close and personal with the volcano's lava-spitting vent from the relative safety of a 4-wheel-drive jeep.

Ignoring the supposed beauty of the Galapagos Islands (which are very much outside a backpacker's budget), Ecuador's number one tourist trap has to be 'El Nariz Del Diablo' (The Devil's Nose). And what a trap it is. Hopping on the roof of a rusting iron train at 5am, my companions and I were forced to buy hand-made gloves and scarves to fight off the bitter chill, gripping the hand-rails as the train lurched into motion. What follows is six hours of dazzling beauty, racing through mountain passes, under crumbling stone bridges and past waving schools of children. The final stretch, a train-wide passage carved high into the side of a mountain, is exhilarating, as is the constant fear of derailment.

And with tourist buses waiting for you as you disembark the train, it couldn't be easier to keep moving on, down to the beautiful colonial city of Cuenca (complete with an enormous student population holding regular outdoor raves on campus). Onwards is the filthy and intimidating city of Guayaquil - best enjoyed from the safety of your hotel room and venturing out only during daylight hours. From here, backpackers either head south towards Peru (take plenty of advice for the border crossing - it's said to be one of the most criminally active of all of South America's checkpoints), or head north along the coast back to Quito, taking in the village of Montañita, a perfect town-sized replica of an Hawaiian surfing community.

If you're short on time, two weeks is more than enough time to get over your jet lag and get on the road and back to Quito in time for your homeward bound flight. But with more time on your hands, you can afford to kick back and drift your way through this wild and vibrant country. Throw in a week of one-to-one Spanish lessons in the capital and you'll be fully prepared to take on what is one of South America's most breathtaking and accessible countries.

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