GETTING THERE
Direct flights to Ecuador’s international airports in Quito and Guayaquil depart from a relatively small number of places. Higher prices are likely in the July to September high season and during the Christmas holiday season.
If you’re planning to include Ecuador as part of a South American tour, consider an “open-jaw” ticket, which lets you make your own way overland between your arrival and departure points.
Ecuador is too small to warrant its own airpass, but is
included in larger networks, such as the LAN airpass (
lan.com), which links LAN destinations and
offers further discounts if you have a trans-atlantic ticket with them.
It’s also possible to enter Ecuador by bus from neighbouring Peru and Colombia.
A BETTER KIND OF TRAVEL
At Rough Guides we are passionately committed to travel. We believe it helps us understand the world we live in and the people we share it with – and of course tourism is vital to many developing economies. But the scale of modern tourism has also damaged some places irreparably, and climate change is accelerated by most forms of transport, especially flying. All Rough Guides’ flights are carbon-offset, and every year we donate money to a variety of environmental charities.
Flights from the US and Canada
While there are few direct routes to Ecuador, it’s easy to pick up connecting
flights to the main hubs. From the US, direct
routes to Quito and Guayaquil are operated by American Airlines ( aa.com), Delta ( delta.com), LAN ( lan.com) and United ( united.com) from Atlanta, Houston and
Miami. Avianca ( avianca.com), Copa
Airlines ( copaair.com) and Insel Air
( fly-inselair.com) have
indirect flights via cities such as Bogotá, Panama City and San Salvador (El
Salvador). There are no direct flights from Canada to
Ecuador; Canadian travellers generally have to travel via the US.
Approximate flying times from the US to Quito without stops are around four hours from Miami, and around five hours from Houston and Atlanta. Prices are roughly $500–700 return from Miami, $600–800 from Houston and Atlanta, and CAN$700–900 from Toronto, but shop around, as prices can vary greatly.
Flights from the UK and Ireland
There are no direct flights to Ecuador from the UK and
Ireland, but there are plenty of indirect flights to both Quito and
Guayaquil involving a change of plane in either a European or American city. The
US airlines fly via their
respective hubs, while Iberia ( iberia.com) routes via Madrid, and KLM ( klm.com) via Amsterdam. Other
possibilities include taking a flight to a South American hub, such as Bogotá or
Lima, from where connections to Ecuador can be made.
Typical journey times are between 15 and 17 hours. You can expect to pay around £700–900 return in low season and £800–1100 in high, though prices can vary widely.
Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
There are no direct flights to Ecuador from Australia or New
Zealand. The most straightforward route is with Qantas/LAN ( qantas.com and lan.com) from Sydney to Quito and
Guayaquil, stopping in Auckland and changing in Santiago. Alternatively, you can
travel via the US, or fly to Buenos Aires with Aerolineas Argentinas ( aerolineas.com.ar) and pick up a
connection from there. Typical travel times are around
25 to 40 hours. Expect to pay at least around A$2000 from Australia, and NZ$2100
from New Zealand.
To get to Ecuador from South Africa, you’re best off
flying to a South American hub, such as São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago or
Lima, from where there are ongoing services to Quito. Johannesburg to São Paulo
with South African Airlines ( flysaa.com) is a ten-hour flight costing from ZAR6000. Ecuadorian
state airline Tame flies to São Paulo several times a week (6 hours) and is the
only direct option, but booking can be complicated and service poor.
Buses from neighbouring countries
It is possible to enter Ecuador by bus from Peru via Macará or Huaquillas, or from Colombia via Tulcán. However, the region around the border with Colombia is unsettled and may be unsafe – check the latest security situation before attempting this route. It’s also worth noting that cross-border buses are notorious hunting grounds for pickpockets and bag-snatchers; keep a very close eye on your belongings. Be aware, too, that scams are common – spurious stories along the lines of “the road is closed” or “there are protests” can be ploys to get travellers into the scammers’ vehicles or to an isolated place with the aim of robbing them.
AGENTS AND OPERATORS
Abercrombie & Kent US 
1 888 611 4711, UK
01242 547 760, Australia 03 9536
1800, New Zealand 0800 441 638; abercrombiekent.com. Top-end tours of Ecuador
and the Galápagos Islands.
Adventure Associates Australia 02 4758 9922, adventureassociates.com. A variety of mainland
tours involving markets, the Devil’s Nose train ride, Amazon lodges,
volcanoes and Galápagos cruises.
Adventure Center US 1 844 227 9087, adventurecenter.com. Hiking and “soft adventure”
specialists with a number of tours to Ecuador and Galápagos.
Andean Treks US 1 800 683 8148, andeantreks.com. For Ecuador, Andean Treks offers
customized tours including one or more of four “segments”: Amazon,
highlands and haciendas, cities and the Galápagos Islands.
Austral Tours Australia 03 93706621, www.australtours.com. Central and South American
specialist offering trips to Kapawi Lodge and
Galápagos cruises.
Dragoman Overland UK 1 855 273 0866, dragoman.com.
Small-group overland trips in a special truck with several routes across
South America that take in Ecuador.
Intrepid Travel UK 1 510 285 0640, intrepidtravel.com. Small-group tours with the
emphasis on cross-cultural contact and low-impact tourism.
Journey Latin America UK 0203 3582 8684, journeylatinamerica.co.uk. Specialists in
flights, packages, adventure tours and tailor-made trips to Latin
America.
Kellie Worldwide UK 07887 642 897, kellieworldwide.com. Agent for Galápagos cruises
on a selection of top-class boats, with extensions to the Andes and
Amazonia.
Metropolitan Touring UK 203 371 7096, US 1 888
572 0166, metropolitan-touring.com. Ecuador’s leading
travel company, with three Galápagos vessels and luxury lodge Mashpi in Andean cloudforest.
Mountain Travel Sobek US 1 888 831 7526, mtsobek.com.
Galápagos cruises.
Myths and Mountains US 1 800 670 6984, mythsandmountains.com. Socially responsible
tours visiting indigenous communities in the highlands and
Oriente.
Naturetrek UK 01962 733 051, naturetrek.co.uk. Specializes in birdwatching and
botanical holidays, with cloudforest tours and trips to the Amazon and
Andean páramo.
North South Travel UK 01245 608 291, northsouthtravel.co.uk. Competitive travel
agency, offering discounted fares worldwide. Profits are used to support
projects in the developing world.
On the Go Tours UK 020 7371 1113, onthegotours.com. Runs two different group-only
tours to Ecuador and the Galápagos, from 13 to 37 days in length.
Ornitholidays UK 01794 519 445, ornitholidays.co.uk. Specialist birding tours of
Ecuador and the Galápagos.
Quasar Expeditions US 1 866 481 7790, UK 0800
883 0827, galapagosexpeditions.com. Well-respected
Galápagos specialist, owning a range of luxury and first-class yachts.
Also arranges high-quality tailor-made land tours.
Reef and Rainforest UK 01803 866 965, reefandrainforest.co.uk. Trips to the Galápagos,
plus birding groups in the Amazon basin and cloudforests.
Select Latin America UK 020 7407 1478, selectlatinamerica.co.uk. Specializes in
Galápagos cruises on a variety of yachts, but can combine these with
treks and jungle trips.
Sunbird UK 01767 262 522, sunbirdtours.co.uk. Specialist birdwatching tours to
Ecuador, the Oriente, Podocarpus and the Santa Elena peninsula.
Tribes UK 01728 685 971, US 1 800
608 4651; tribes.co.uk. Environmentally and culturally
sensitive operator offering a range of small-group and special-interest
tours around Ecuador.
Wilderness Travel US 1 800 368 2794, wildernesstravel.com. Established adventure
company offering Galápagos trips combined with hiking, kayaking and
snorkelling options, plus trips to the highlands.
GETTING AROUND
Ecuador’s inexpensive and generally reliable buses are the country’s preferred form of public transport, and trundle along just about anywhere there’s a road. By contrast, the train network covers only a small fraction of the country, and is mainly used for tourist excursions, rather than as a way of getting from “A” to “B”.
Road coverage is limited by North American and European standards, but expanding and improving all the time, though you can expect a bumpy ride off the main routes. The Panamericana (Panamerican Highway, often called la Pana by locals) forms the backbone of the country’s road network, linking all the major highland towns and cities from Tulcán, by the northern border with Colombia, to Loja and on to Peru. A handful of other good roads spill down the Andes to important coastal cities including Guayaquil, Manta and Esmeraldas, while in the Oriente the road system is the least developed and exists almost entirely to serve the needs of the local oil industry.
The network’s biggest problem has always been the weather, with floods and landslides both common, knocking out roads sometimes for weeks on end. Even in fine conditions, rough terrain means that travelling in the country’s highland regions is often much slower than you might expect.
By bus
Ecuador’s comprehensive bus service makes getting around simple. Hundreds of companies ply the country’s roads, transporting people at relatively little cost to all but the remotest regions. Levels of comfort can vary widely between companies: some have fleets of a/c buses with TV, toilet and on-board snacks, while others run beaten-up old monsters. As a general rule, luxury buses (ask for an autobús de lujo) travel the most popular long-distance routes, and require passengers to have a pre-booked ticket. They won’t allow standing passengers on board, and only stop at scheduled destinations, reducing journey times.
The further into the backwaters you go, the more the comfort level is likely to drop. Standard buses will stop anywhere for anyone who wants to get on until all available space has been filled. At the margins of the bus network, pick-up trucks (camionetas), minibuses (busetas) and open-sided trucks converted to hold wooden benches (rancheras or chivas) often fill the vacuum. For reasons of safety, avoid travelling at night on buses, when hold-ups and accidents are more likely.
Larger towns usually have a main bus terminal (terminal terrestre), where all the long-distance bus companies are based. In smaller towns, company offices and departure points may be scattered around the place. Out of town, it’s easy to hail non-luxury buses if you stand in a place where they have plenty of time to spot you; the standard gesture to flag one down is to point to the ground in the middle of the road next to you.
You can buy fares from the conductor (ayudante) on board, who will come and collect it. Overcharging is uncommon, but keep an eye on what others are paying. To get off, make for the door and say “bajo” or “gracias”. If possible, buy your ticket in advance at the company office to guarantee a seat, something you can do on all long-distance buses.
Local city buses in the larger towns generally carry a board in the window showing their route, with a list of street names and key landmarks, and cost 25 cents. Local buses often stop to pick up and put down anywhere on request, though in some city centres proper bus stops, marked “parada”, are respected. Guayaquil and Quito have buses on dedicated lanes.
For bus timetables, check the scheduling website horariodebuses.com/EN/ec.
By train
A train ride here is a real treat, with several routes offering excellent
views, but it’s not an efficient way to travel the country. The network is
currently limited to upscale tourist-oriented excursions (see Getting around), topped by a luxury “rail cruise”, a multi-day
affair running from Quito to Guayaquil; check trenecuador.com for the
latest.
By air
Flying within Ecuador is a quick, convenient and relatively inexpensive way of
avoiding the country’s serpentine and often clogged roads. Those short on time
can cut an all-day bus journey down to a 30-minute hop – and if the weather’s
clear, enjoy wonderful aerial views of volcanoes and rainforests on the way.
Domestic carriers include Avianca ( avianca.com), LAN ( lan.com) and Tame ( tame.com.ec), plus a number of
small-scale and local charter companies, particularly in Cuenca and in the
Amazon. With the exception of services to the Galápagos, internal flights can be pretty inexpensive, but prices vary
depending on the type of ticket, how far in advance you purchase it, and the
popularity of the route – generally starting from $100 for a round-trip,
including taxes. Busier routes should be booked days, if not weeks, in advance
of holidays. The weather can be a problem, particularly in Quito and the Amazon,
resulting in fairly frequent delays, cancellations or diversions.
By car
If you intend to zoom around the country in a short space of time, or want to get to really off-the-beaten-track destinations, renting a car is a worthwhile, but potentially stressful option. You will need to be at least 21 years old (extra charges may be payable if you are under 25) and have a major credit/debit card for the deposit. Theoretically, you only need your national licence to rent a vehicle, but you’re strongly advised to bring an international licence as well – the Ecuadorian police, who frequently stop drivers to check their documents, are much happier when dealing with international licences. The national speed limit is 90kmh on highways (or less if indicated), and usually around 50kmh in towns or urban areas. There are draconian penalties for some minor motoring offences, such as not wearing your seat belt; driving the wrong way down a one-way street is supposedly punishable by a 14-day mandatory jail sentence, and speeding 20km faster than the limit can also get you three days in jail.
Rental outlets, costs and vehicles
For convenience’s sake, you might want to arrange your car rental in
advance through your nearest branch of an international rental company, but
it nearly always works out cheaper to sort it out when you get there,
typically at the airport in Guayaquil or Quito. Expect to pay from around
$50 a day for a small hatchback, and $100 a day for a 4WD, including insurance and IVA (value-added tax, or VAT) – always
check whether the price quoted includes insurance, IVA and unlimited
mileage. Check, too, what the excess is on the
insurance – known as “el deducible” – as it is
usually frighteningly high. It’s a good idea to use agencies such as insurance4carhire.com,
which provide year-long cover for rental vehicles, pay all excess costs and
cover anyone named on the rental agreement.
When choosing which type of vehicle to rent, remember that 4WDs, or at least high clearance and sturdy tyres, definitely come in handy on unpaved roads, but aren’t necessary for the big cities and better-maintained parts of the road network.
On the road
Ecuadorian drivers tend to be undisciplined and sometimes downright dangerous; aggressive overtaking is particularly common, as is abruptly veering over to the wrong side of the road to avoid potholes. As long as you drive defensively and keep your wits about you, however, it’s perfectly possible to cover thousands of kilometres without running into problems. Never drive at night if you can avoid it, as this is when most accidents occur, in part due to the absence of decent road markings, lighting and the lack of signs alerting drivers to hazards. In addition, although ambushes against drivers are extremely rare, when they do happen it’s most often at night.
Never leave valuables in your car, or your car on the street overnight, as it will almost certainly be broken into; try to stay in hotels with a garage, or else leave your vehicle overnight in a securely locked parqueadero (car park).
In the event of an accident, try to come to an agreement with the other party without involving the police if you can. This will not be possible if it is serious, and the upshot is often that both parties are detained until one admits liability. Unsurprisingly, hit and runs are common in Ecuador.
Hitchhiking
Hitching is not recommended as a safe way of getting about, but it’s widely practised by Ecuadorians in rural areas. For backpackers, the bus service is such that you’ll only really need to hitch in the remoter places – you’re most likely to get a ride in the back of a pick-up truck. The etiquette is to ask “¿Cuánto le debo?” (“How much do I owe you?”) at the end of the journey, at which point you may be asked to pay a small amount, rarely more than the bus fare would have been, or let off for free.
By taxi
Most towns in Ecuador have a fleet of yellow taxis – in rural areas, green-and-white camionetas (pick-up trucks) take their place. In tropical areas, you may also come across mototaxis – motorbikes with small trailers converted to take passengers, who sit on a couple of makeshift benches. Since 2014 it has been compulsory across Ecuador for taxi drivers to have a taximeter, though a small percentage are still without one. The new law has led to fares for some journeys going up and others going down, with the result that some passengers and drivers still prefer to negotiate a price. In Guayaquil, most taxi drivers still refuse to use the taximeter, even when they have one. The minimum fare is usually $1–2, depending on the size of the town or city, and is higher at night, with a standard short journey, outside Quito or Guayaquil, typically costing $1.50–4. Most drivers are honest, but where drivers refused to use the taximeter, the best way to avoid being ripped off is to ask locals what the standard fares are to various destinations. Always agree on the price with the driver beforehand, and don’t be afraid to haggle. Tipping isn’t necessary, but it’s common to round up fares.
Taxis are also sometimes the best way of getting to out-of-the-way places such as national parks or mountain refuges, particularly if you’re in a group and can share the cost. Hiring a taxi for the day costs from about $60.
ADDRESSES
Written addresses appear as a street and a number (Sucre 353), a street and the nearest intersecting street (Sucre y Olmedo) or all three (Sucre 353 y Olmedo). The number is often hyphenated – such as Sucre 3-53 – so that there’s no confusion between the first digits (the block number) and the last digits (the house number). Some out-of-the-way places don’t have a numbered address, which is then written s/n for “sin número”. Note that the ground floor (US first floor) is known as the planta baja, while the first floor (US second floor) is the primer piso.
By boat
The most likely place you’ll end up travelling by boat is in the Oriente, where the best of the jungle is often a boat ride away. On the coast, a highway runs the entire length of the Ecuadorian seaboard, meaning you’re less likely to need to travel by boat, but it’s still fun to tour through the mangroves around San Lorenzo or Muisne.
Unless you’re on a private boat transport to a smart jungle lodge, seats are invariably wooden and thoroughly uncomfortable. Bring something to sit on and keep food and water with you, as the bulk of your luggage will usually be put under wraps at the front of the boat.
A chartered boat (flete) is more expensive than going on a public one, though you can reduce costs by gathering a group. Travel around the Galápagos Islands is almost exclusively by boat.
By bicycle
Even if Ecuador’s chaotic roads don’t always make the ideal cycleways, cycling can offer unrivalled closeness to the land and its people. Besides, cycling is growing in popularity within the country – president Rafael Correa is an enthusiast – and there are a growing number of cycleways in the major cities and along the coast, most notably the 21-kilometre route between Canoa and Bahía de Caráquez. For proper cycle touring, you’re better off bringing your own bike and equipment from home. The best cycling is off the busy main roads, so you’ll need wide tyres, decent pannier clearance, plenty of low gears and preferably 36-spoke wheels. It’s good to know that once you’re out of the scrum of Quito, the busy Panamericana is often paralleled by less-travelled asphalt and cobbled roads. A good rack, fully waterproof panniers and a secure bike lock are essential. Bicycle repair shops (talleres de bicicletas) are fairly widespread, but outside major cities will only have parts for rudimentary repairs – bring a comprehensive toolkit and a selection of essential spares. When planning your route, don’t forget to take account of the altitude.
In the UK, the CTC (Cyclists’ Touring Club; 01483 238 337, ctc.org.uk), is an excellent source of
information and has a great website.
ACCOMMODATION
Ecuador provides good value for money across the accommodation spectrum. At the high end, you’ll find beautiful haciendas and well-known international luxury hotel chains. Mid-range hotels are as good as any in North America or Europe, while travellers on a tight budget can find a decent budget hotel or hostel in just about every town in Ecuador.
Supply is such that it’s unlikely you’ll have any trouble getting a cheap room, though coastal resorts can get very crowded during holidays, and city accommodation tends to fill up for major fiestas. Except for the Galápagos Islands, the top jungle lodges and the most popular seaside resorts, there’s not much of a price difference between seasons, but broadly speaking the high season is mid-June to August and December to January, and at beach resorts during national holidays. Choices at the top end are always fewer, so if you’re on a higher budget, it’s a good idea to book ahead. Discounts are sometimes negotiable out of season too and midweek in places that are mainly weekend destinations, such as Otavalo. The more expensive hotels are likely to add 22 percent onto your bill: 12 percent for the IVA, plus a 10 percent service charge. We have included the total amount in the price where relevant.
Hotels masquerade under a variety of names in Ecuador; generally, in increasing order of comfort, they are: pensión, residencial, hostal, hotel and hostería. Beware of anything calling itself a motel, which in Ecuador indicates the sort of place that charges by the hour. Some hoteles are as bad as the worst pensiones, however, and there’s no substitute for having a good look round yourself before you sign in.
There are differences between the highlands and lowlands, too. In the highlands, you’ll get hot water in all but the cheapest joints, but in the lowlands, where people sometimes consider it unnecessary, only the smarter places will offer it. Conversely, a/c and fans are more common at a cheaper level in the lowlands than in the highlands. Mosquito nets are usually only in evidence on the coast and in jungle lodges–consider bringing one from home.
ACCOMMODATION PRICES
The accommodation prices in this book refer to the cheapest en-suite double room in high season, and include all taxes, but not breakfast, unless otherwise stated. They should only be treated as approximations however; room rates fluctuate significantly, often depending on how busy a hotel is at any particular time, while haggling and booking online can often secure you a discount or a cheaper deal. Note also that some coastal destinations will hike their prices even higher for holiday periods such as Christmas, Carnaval or Easter.
Pensiones and residenciales
The humblest type of accommodation is the pensión, usually a simple family home around a small courtyard with a couple of basic rooms and a cold-water shared bathroom. At $10–15 for a double, this is about as cheap as you can go without being in a tent. At these prices pensiones tend to be either great value or uninhabitable. Residenciales are larger, slightly more comfortable versions of the pensión, on the whole offering simple, modestly furnished rooms, often arranged around a courtyard or patio. They usually contain little more than a bed, and most, but not all, have shared bathrooms.
Hostales and hoteles
A hostal or hotel can be anything from an attractive nineteenth-century family house, with waxed wooden floorboards, floor-to-ceiling windows and courtyards draped with flowers, to a generic, uninspiring hotel block, or a fabulous luxury chain hotel. Facilities, on the whole, are better than in a residencial, with more likelihood of private bathrooms, hot water, clean towels, soap and cable TV. They can cost anywhere between $15 and $100 for a double. Rooms should be well kept, clean and fresh, have good mattresses, phone, cable TV, air conditioning (in the lowlands) and all-day hot water powered by a calefón (water heater) rather than an electric shower – a terrifying-looking contraption bolted on to the shower head with wires dangling around everywhere (touching the pipes can give you a mild shock when it’s on). The best luxury hotels have all you’d expect of such places anywhere in the world and charge prices to match.
Ecuador has numerous hostels (note, these are not that same as hostales) several of which are accredited with Hostelling International (HI). They’re often quite comfortable, with dorms as well as double rooms. Prices are often a bit more expensive than perfectly adequate non-hostel accommodation, but hostels usually have advantages such as a social atmosphere and organized events.
TOP 5 BOUTIQUE HOTELS
Casa Gangotena Quito.
Finch Bay Puerto Ayora.
Hacienda Cusín Otavalo.
Hotel Casa del Águila Cuenca.
Mansión del Río Guayaquil.
Haciendas and lodges
Among the accommodation treats of highland Ecuador are the haciendas, grand farming estates of colonial times converted into magnificent, out-of-the-way hotels – and some are still also working farms. Many are truly luxurious, with period details, such as open fires in each room, augmented by modern comforts, including plush carpets and thundering hot-water showers. They’re sometimes called hosterías, which signifies a large country hotel, but this category also includes the far less charming out-of-town tourist complexes.
Lodges are normally found in forested regions and serve as bases for exploring the surrounding environment. The top-end ones have all the modern comforts allowed by their isolated locations. Most, though, won’t have electricity, and some are lodges only in name, perhaps little more than open-sided shelters with raised platforms, mattresses and mosquito nets. Lodges usually consist of a collection of cabañas, simple cabins with thatched roofs and wooden walls and floors. These are also popular on the coast.
Camping
With so few designated campsites in the country and accommodation being so cheap, few people bother with camping, unless they’re out exploring Ecuador’s wildernesses. Generally, you are allowed to pitch a tent inside most parks and reserves, where you can sometimes use the facilities of a nearby guard post or refuge, but on the whole you’ll have to be entirely self-sufficient. Camping near towns is uncommon and not particularly safe. A few hotels allow you to pitch a tent on their grounds and use their facilities at low rates.
FOOD AND DRINK
You can eat well for little money in Ecuador, though standard restaurant meals throughout the country tend to be the same – either fish, chicken or beef served with rice, chips and/or patacones (fried plantain), topped off with a bit of salad.
TOP 5 ECUADORIAN RESTAURANTS
HJ Gourmet & Grill Bahía de Caráquez.
La Mirage Cotacachi.
Tiestos Cuenca.
Urko Quito.
Zazu Quito.
Eating out
Ecuador’s restaurants range from those charging Western prices for top-class international cuisine to grimy roadside diners serving chicken, rice and little else. The majority of restaurants, however, are clean but modest and offer decent food at low prices. Most of them simply call themselves restaurantes, but others you might encounter are cevicherías (for ceviche), asaderos (usually roast chicken), pizzerías (pizzas), marisquerías (seafood), comedores (usually for cheap set meals), picanterías (cheap snacks and sometimes spicy food), parrilladas (grillhouses) and paradores (roadside stophouses). The Chinese restaurant, or chifa, is to Ecuador what the curry house is to the UK.
Vegetarian food
Vegetarians are likely to become well acquainted with pizzerías and chifas for their tallarines con verduras (noodles and veg), among the few hot veggie meals available across the country. There’s no shortage of vegetarian food in the main tourist centres, but away from those, the cry of “soy vegeteriano” or “vegeteriana” for a woman (“I’m a vegetarian”), will sometimes be met with offers of fish or chicken. A quick discussion with the staff usually ends with them finding something appropriate for you, even if it’s just egg, chips and rice.
Costs
Eating out can be very economical if you stick to set menus; at lunch this is called almuerzo and at dinner merienda, and consists of two or three courses and a drink for about $3–5. À la carte and individual main courses (platos fuertes) are typically $6–9 – you’re probably in a smart place if it’s much more than $9. Remember, many places will add twelve percent tax (IVA) and ten percent service to your bill; prices in this book include all relevant taxes. At some restaurants (usually at the cheaper end of the scale) you will only be charged IVA if you ask for an itemized bill.
Markets and street food
Markets are among the cheapest sources of food, not only because of the nutritious fruits and produce on offer, but also for the makeshift restaurants and stalls doling out fried meats, potatoes and other snacks. Although some stallholders may not be overly scrupulous on the hygiene front, sizzling-hot food prepared and cooked in front of you should be fine. Street vendors also offer snacks such as salchipapas, a bag of chips propping up a sausage. Vendors often sell their wares on buses – as you haven’t seen how or where these have been prepared, you should probably resist their advances.
Comida típica
Ecuador’s three geographical regions produce a startling array of foods, including unusual exotic fruits, and distinct regional styles of cooking. It’s easy to tire of Ecuador’s standard restaurant cuisine, so look out on menus for the more exciting comida típica, the traditional food of each region.
Highland cuisine
In the highlands, a typical meal might start off with a locro, a soup of potato, cheese and corn with half an avocado tossed in for good measure. Its relative, the yaguarlocro, swaps the avocado for a sausage of sheep’s blood, tripe and giblets. Other soups include caldo de patas, cattle hoof soup, and caldo de gallina, chicken soup. A number of different grains, such as morocho, similar to rice, and quinoa are also thrown into soups, along with whatever meat and vegetables are available. Other starters, or snacks, include empanadas, corn pasties filled with vegetables, cheese or meat.
For a main course you might go for llapingachos, cheesy potato cakes often served with chorizo (sausage), lomo (steak) or pollo (chicken) and fried eggs. The famous cuy, guinea pig roasted whole, has been for centuries a speciality of the indigenous highlanders. Another traditional dish is seco de chivo, a stew usually made out of mutton in the highlands, and goat on the coast. The unappetizing-looking guatita, pork stomach smothered in peanut sauce, is much better than it sounds.
Mote, a hard corn peeled with calcium carbonate solution and then boiled in salt water, is frequently served as an accompaniment to main courses, particularly fritada, seasoned pork deep-fried in lard, and hornado, pork slow-roasted in the oven. Motepillo is a Cuenca speciality, in which the mote is mixed with eggs to make corn-filled scrambled eggs. Another common side dish is tostado, toasted maize, or canguil, popcorn that often comes with soups and ceviches.
For pudding, there’s morocho de leche, similar to rice pudding; quesadillas, baked cheese doughballs brushed with sweet syrup; humitas, ground corn mixed with cheese, sugar, butter and vanilla, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed; or quimbolitos, which are similar but more spongey. Higos con queso, figs with cheese, is another common highland dessert.
Coastal cuisine
Coastal delicacies, unsurprisingly, centre on seafood. The classic ceviche is prepared by marinating raw seafood in lime juice and chilli, and serving it with raw onion. It can be dangerous to eat uncooked seafood, so it’s worth knowing that shrimps (camarones) and king prawns (langostinos) are usually boiled for ten minutes before they’re marinated. If a cevichería (ceviche restaurant) looks unhygienic, skip it. On the north coast, encocados are fantastic fish dishes with a Caribbean flavour, cooked in a sauce of coconut milk, tomato and garlic and often served with a huge mound of rice. Bananas and plantain may replace the potato, appearing in many different forms. Patacones are fried thick-cut plantains served with plenty of salt, while chifles are thinly cut plantains cooked the same way. Bolón de verde is a rather stodgy ball of mashed baked plantain, cheese or baked pork and coriander traditionally served as a snack with coffee. The cuisine of Manabí is particularly fabled for creativity, while that of Esmeraldas has the strongest African influence.
Amazon cuisine
The Oriente has rather less well-defined specialities, but you can count on yuca (a manioc similar to yam), alongside rice, bananas and river fish. As a guest of a forest community, you may eat game such as wild pig or guanta, a large rodent not that different from cuy. You will also see chontacuro – a thick edible larva eaten live or, more palatably as a kebab, tasting a bit like smoked sausage.
Drinks
Ecuador has more types of fruit than you can imagine – certainly far more than there are English names for – and just about all of them are made into mouthwatering juices (jugos). The most common fruit juices are made from maracuyá (passion-fruit), tomate de árbol (tree tomato, also known in the West as tamarillo; it’s orange and more fruity than a tomato), naranjilla (native to Ecuador, sweet and tart at the same time), piña (pineapple), naranja (orange), guanábana (a very sweet white fruit), taxo (another kind of passion-fruit), mora (blackberry) and babaco (indigenous relative of the papaya, juicy and slightly acidic), but there are many others. Juices can come pure (puro) or mixed with water (make sure it’s purified). When they’re mixed with milk they’re called batidos. Fizzy drinks (colas or gaseosas) can be obtained all over Ecuador, as can bottled mineral water: still is “sin gas”, sparkling is “con gas”.
Hot drinks
Considering Ecuador is a major coffee-producing country, it’s a shame there’s not more of the real stuff about. Most cafés and restaurants will have a jar of Nescafé on the table, though a few places have esencia de café, a liquid coffee distillate. You’ll get a cup of hot milk if you ask for café con leche, and hot water for black coffee if you specify café negro (tinto). Only in smarter places are you likely to get a café pasado or filter coffee. Tea (té) is served without milk and usually with a slice of lemon. Asking for té con leche is likely to get you a cup of hot milk and a teabag. For just a dash of milk, it’s best not to say anything until your (milkless) tea arrives, and then ask for a little milk. Herbal teas (aromáticas or aguas de viejas) are widely available.
Alcohol
Apart from the output of a few small microbreweries in the biggest cities, Ecuadorian beer essentially comes in two forms: Pilsener is the people’s beer, weak, light and in big bottles; Club is a bit stronger, a bit more expensive and comes in a green bottle; Club “rojo” ambers and “negra” and new “chocolate” stouts are periodically available. Latin American imports like Brahma and Corona are increasingly common, while European and US beers are pricey, as are beers from the booming local craft beers scene. You’ll find good Chilean and Argentine wine in the better restaurants for much more than you’d pay at home.
The local tipple, especially in the sierra, is chicha, a fermented corn drink of which there are many varieties. Buckets – literally – of the stuff do the rounds at all highland fiestas. In the Oriente, the chicha is made from yuca, which is chewed up, spat in a pot and allowed to ferment. Aguardiente (also called caña or punta) is a sugar-cane spirit, sharper than rum (ron), that will take off the roof of your mouth. In fiestas they might mix it with fruit juices, or in the sierra drink it as canelazo, adding sugar, cinnamon (canela), naranjilla juice and hot water. On the coast it stars in many cocktails, the most ubiquitous being caipiriña.
The sale of alcohol, except during daytime hours in restaurants, is illegal on Sundays except in restaurants until 6pm, though this law isn’t always adhered to.
THE MEDIA
The media in Ecuador are divided between its two great cities, with ownership of the main national and television stations based in Quito and Guayaquil. Even on the televised nightly news, coverage is split equally between newsdesks based in each city. Under the Correa administration, media have become largely polarized between independent private companies subject to government harassment, according to human rights organizations, and publicly funded outlets supporting the government.
Newspapers run the gamut from national broadsheets offering in-depth reporting to tabloids revelling in lurid tittle-tattle. Television, on the whole, has a smattering of quality programmes, but is dominated by imports, soaps and game shows. Ecuador has many local radio stations, which are considered the glue that binds remote communities together.
Newspapers
Ecuador produces several high-quality daily newspapers. Leaders of the pack are the Quito-based El Comercio, a traditional broadsheet that has good coverage of home and international news, and El Universo, with Ecuador’s widest circulation, from Guayaquil. There are a number of regional newspapers too, such as Guayaquil’s Expreso and El Mercurio in Cuenca, and La Hora, with numerous regional editions.
A few English-language city guides and
magazines are published in Quito, including This is
Ecuador ( thisisecuador.com) and Ñan ( nanmagazine.com), which has an app. Imported news magazines are
usually only found in the tourist centres, where you’re also likely to get
copies of the International New York Times and the
overseas edition of the Miami Herald.
Radio
Radio is an important part of community life, particularly in the rural regions. Religious broadcasting from evangelical Christians is also widespread. With a smartphone and near-ubiquitous wi-fi or a local 4G SIM card, radio apps get you broadcasts from around the globe.
Television
Ecuador has several private and public national television broadcasters, and numerous other regional channels. Of the nationals, Ecuavisa and Teleamazonas are the most highbrow, providing the best news bulletins and the occasional quality imported documentary. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s government-run Gamavision, which has a penchant for screening soaps (telenovelas). Cable and satellite TV have made big inroads, and even budget hotels often have it, with programming in Spanish and English.
FESTIVALS
Ecuador has a long tradition of festivals and fiestas, dating from well before the arrival of the Spanish. Many of the indigenous festivals, celebrating, for example, the movements of the sun and the harvests, became incorporated into the Christian tradition, resulting in a syncretism of Catholic religious imagery and older local beliefs. Most national holidays mark famous events in post-Conquest history and the standard festivals of the Catholic Church.
For most Ecuadorians, big fiestas are community-wide events that define local and national identity. If you get the chance, you should get to a fiesta at some point during your stay; these are among the most memorable and colourful expressions of Ecuadorian culture.
Carnaval is one of the more boisterous national festivals, culminating in an orgy of water fights before Lent. Local fiestas can also be rowdy, and are reasonably frequent. Most towns and villages have a foundation day or a saint’s day festival, and then maybe another for being the capital of the canton (each province is divided into several cantons). Provincial capitals enjoy similar festivals. You can expect anything at these celebrations: music, dance, food, drink, gaudy parades, beauty pageants, bullfights, marching bands, tournaments and markets. In the remoter highland communities, they can be very local, almost private affairs, yet they’ll usually welcome the outsider who stumbles in. Local people will be much more wary of ogling, snap-happy intruders – sensitivity is the key.
Public holidays and festivals
On public holidays just about all shops except malls and facilities are closed all day.
JANUARY
New Year’s Day (Año Nuevo), January 1. Public holiday.
Epiphany (Reyes Magos), January 6. Celebrated mainly in the central highlands, most notably at Píllaro in Tungurahua, but also in Montecristi on the coast.
FEBRUARY/MARCH
Carnival (Carnaval; Monday and Tuesday are public holidays). The week before Lent is marked by nationwide high jinks, partying and water-throwing. In Ambato, it’s celebrated by the grand Fiesta de las Frutas y las Flores, with parades, dancing, bullfights and sporting events – water-throwing is banned here.
MARCH/APRIL
Holy Week (Semana Santa; Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are public holidays). Religious parades take place across the country during Holy Week, when lots of people head to the beach. The big processions in Quito are on Good Friday.
MAY
Labour Day (Día del Trabajo), May 1. Public holiday.
Battle of Pichincha (La Batalla del Pichincha), May 24. Public holiday commemorating the 1822 battle that secured independence from Spain.
JUNE
Corpus Christi A moveable festival sometime in mid-June, on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday. Celebrated in the central sierra, particularly Salasaca and Pujilí, with danzantes (masked dancers), wonderful costumes and, in the latter town, 5–10m poles people climb to get prizes at the top; also notable in Cuenca.
Festival of the Sun (Inti Raymi), June 21 and onwards. A pre-Conquest festival celebrated on the solstice at important ancient sites such as Cochasquí. Also subsumed into the Catholic festivals of San Juan, San Pedro and San Pablo, collectively known as “Los San Juanes” in the Otavalo and Cayambe regions.
San Juan June 24. St John the Baptist’s day, celebrated particularly heartily in the Otavalo region, beginning with ritual bathing in Peguche and ending with tinku – ritual fighting – in San Juan on the outskirts of Otavalo (now discouraged). Outsiders should avoid these two activities.
San Pedro and San Pablo June 29. Celebrated across the country, particularly in Cayambe and the northern sierra.
JULY
Foundation of Guayaquil July 25. Local celebrations featuring parades, preceded by three weeks of cultural events and assorted festivities.
AUGUST
Independence Day (Día de la independencia) August 10. Public holiday commemorating the nation’s first independence (and thwarted) uprising in Quito in 1809.
Festival of the Virgin of El Cisne August 15. The effigy of the virgin is paraded 72km from El Cisne to Loja followed by thousands of pilgrims.
SEPTEMBER
Yamor Festival A big shindig in Otavalo for the first two weeks of September.
Mama Negra de la Merced September 24. The religious one of two important fiestas in Latacunga, focusing on the Virgen de la Merced.
OCTOBER
Independence of Guayaquil October 9. Big celebrations in Guayaquil. Public holiday.
Columbus Day (Día de la Raza), October 12. Marks the discovery of the New World. Rodeos held in Los Ríos, Guayas and Manabí provinces.
NOVEMBER
All Souls’ Day/Day of the Dead (Día de los Difuntos) November 2. Highland communities go to cemeteries to pay their respects with flowers, offerings of food and drink, and incantations. Public holiday.
Independence of Cuenca November 3. The city’s largest celebration, which merges into the preceding holidays. Public holiday.
Mama Negra First Friday or Saturday of November. Famous fiesta in Latacunga with colourful parades and extravagant costumes, centred around the Mama Negra – a blacked-up man in woman’s clothing – thought to be related to the town’s first encounter with black slaves. Events continue up to November 11 celebrating the independence of Latacunga (possibly subject to the Cotopaxi eruptive process).
Festival of the Virgin of El Quinche November 21. Pilgrims celebrate at the baroque Quinche church outside Quito.
DECEMBER
Foundation of Quito December 6. Festivities across the capital over the preceding week, with parades, dances, bullfights and sporting events. Public holiday.
Christmas Day (Navidad), December 25. Public holiday.
New Year’s Eve (Nochevieja), December 31. Años viejos, large effigies of topical figures representing the old year are burnt at midnight.
SPORTS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Having so much untamed wilderness within easy striking distance of major population centres, Ecuador is a superb destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Traditionally it’s been a target for climbers, as it boasts ten volcanoes over 5000m, including the beautifully symmetrical Cotopaxi, and the point furthest from the centre of the Earth, the summit of Chimborazo. Ecuador has also made a name for itself in international rafting and kayaking circles, while hiking, mountain biking, surfing, diving, fishing and horse riding are all possible. Birdwatching is another big draw, with Ecuador having more than 1600 species of bird, more than a sixth of the world’s total.
Climbing
Ecuador’s “Avenue of the Volcanoes”, formed by the twin range of the Andes running the length of the country, offers numerous climbing opportunities, from relatively easy day-trips for strong hill-walkers to challenging technical peaks for experienced climbers. The most popular snow peaks, requiring full mountaineering equipment, include Cotopaxi (5897m), Chimborazo (6268m), Cayambe (5790m) and Iliniza Sur (5248m). Lower, less demanding climbs, not requiring special equipment and suitable for acclimatizing or simply enjoying them in their own right, include Guagua Pichincha (4794m), Sincholagua (4893m), Corazón (4788m), Rumiñahui (4712m), Imbabura (4609m) and Pasochoa (4200m).
Not all the higher peaks require previous mountaineering experience; many (physically fit) beginners make it up Cotopaxi,
for instance. Others, such as El Altar (5319m),
are technically difficult and should only be attempted by experienced climbers.
It’s essential that climbers with limited mountaineering experience should be
accompanied by an experienced and reliable guide,
whose first concern is safety. Ecuador’s best-trained mountain guides are
certified by an organization called ASEGUIM (Asociación Ecuatoriana de Guías de
Montaña, Pinto E4-385 and J.L. Mera in Quito 02 2234109, aseguim.org), whose members have to
pass exams and take courses spread over a three-year period before receiving the
Diploma de Guía. It’s always worth paying extra
for an ASEGUIM guide – even relatively straightforward, non-technical climbs
carry an inherent risk, and your life may depend on your guide. More experienced
climbers should also consider ascending with a guide, whose intimate knowledge
of the route options, weather patterns, avalanche risks, glaciers and crevasses
can make all the difference to the safety and success of an expedition,
especially when the rapid melting of the glaciers is changing routes and
climbing conditions at a pace. Recommended guides are listed in the relevant chapters
(see Climbing and trekking operators, Tour operators, Climbing and other tour companies).
Practical considerations
December and January are generally considered the best months to climb, followed by the dry summer months of June to August. March, April and May are the worst months, but because of the topography and microclimates of the land, several mountains, such as Cotopaxi, are more or less climbable throughout the year. The weather is highly changeable, as are snow and glacier conditions. Unlike their alpine counterparts, Ecuadorian glaciers do not follow normal patterns of ablation and accumulation in summer and winter months respectively. Instead, glacier conditions can change from day to day, meaning the technical difficulty is also constantly changing; all the more reason to employ a properly trained guide who knows the mountain and its variable conditions well.
All your equipment will be provided by the guiding company if you’re going with one, or can be rented from the listed companies. If you have your own plastic mountaineering boots, bring them with you; they will invariably be in better condition than most of the rental boots. Check the equipment over very carefully before deciding which company to sign up with. Guides also provide all food on the climb, but you should take your own snacks to keep energy levels up, as well as your own water bottle. Accommodation is usually in mountain refuges, which serve as the starting point of the climbs. You will typically only get three or four hours’ sleep before a big climb, as it’s common to set off around midnight or 1am to arrive at the summit around dawn, and descend before the sun starts to melt the snow.
One point that cannot be stressed forcefully enough is the importance of acclimatizing before attempting the higher peaks. This should involve spending a few days at the altitude of Quito (2800m), taking a combination of rest and moderate exercise, followed by at least four or five days around 3500–3800m, interspersed with day-walks up some lower peaks. If you ignore this warning and try to shoot up Cotopaxi after a couple of days’ hill-climbing around Quito, you may find yourself suffering from altitude sickness as you ascend, or simply feeling too dizzy and nauseous to leave the refuge. A couple of good bases for acclimatizing include the walker’s refuge at Urbina (3620m), near Riobamba, hotels in and around Cotopaxi National Park, and the tiny village of Salinas (3500m), near Guaranda.
Several popular, though potentially hazardous, climbs are on active volcanoes – particularly Guagua Pichincha,
Reventador, Sangay, Cotopaxi and Tungurahua and you should be fully aware of
the current situation before you ascend. You can check the latest volcanic
activity news on the Instituto Geofísico website igepn.edu.ec, or contact the
South American Explorers
(SAE), for
up-to-date climbing conditions. At time of writing, Reventador, Cotopaxi,
and Tungurahua summits were off limits to climbers.
Hiking
Ecuador’s great wilderness areas and striking landscapes offer fantastic opportunities for hiking, though a general absence of well-marked trails and decent trekking maps does mean a little effort is required to tap into the potential.
The widest choice of hikes is found in the sierra, where numerous trails lead into the mountains and up to the páramo, providing access to stunning views and exhilarating, wide-open spaces. The country’s best-known long-distance hike is in the southern sierra: the Inca Trail to Ingapirca, a three-day hike ending up at Ecuador’s most important Inca ruins. Also down in the south, Parque Nacional El Cajas provides some of the best hiking in the country, in a landscape strongly reminiscent of the Scottish highlands, while Parque Nacional Podocarpus offers a fabulous two-day hike across the páramo to the Lagunas del Compadre.
Elsewhere in the sierra, rewarding possibilities include day-hikes in the area around Laguna Quilotoa, and a wonderful two-day hike to El Placer hot springs in Parque Nacional Sangay. There are fewer options for hiking in the Oriente; but hikes descending from highlands to lowlands, such as the one from Oyacachi to El Chaco, are good for revealing Ecuador’s various habitats and landscapes. Cotopaxi and Machalilla national parks also present good hiking possibilities, as do the highlands.
HIKING EQUIPMENT
If you’re thinking of going long-distance hiking without a guide, you should be competent at route finding and map reading, and equip yourself with the necessary IGM topographical maps (1:50,000 is the most useful scale) before you leave Quito. You will also need a compass (GPS is also useful) and – for multi-day hikes – a waterproof tent, a warm sleeping bag (which needs to be good for –5°C in the sierra), a reliable stove, candles and waterproof matches. Other equipment essential for hiking in the sierra – whether you’re on a day-hike or long-distance hike, and with or without a guide – includes: strong, water-resistant hiking boots; thermal underwear; warm layers such as a fleece or down jacket; waterproof jacket, trousers and gaiters; hat and gloves; water purification tablets; sunglasses; sunscreen; spare boot laces; and medical kit. You might also consider taking rubber boots for wading through the deep mud that commonly blights mountain paths after rainfall. As a general rule, weather conditions in the sierra are driest from June to September and wettest from February to April.
Guided hikes
One way of getting around logistical difficulties is by hiring a guide, usually through a local tour operator. This solves the problem of arranging transport to the trailhead, and means there’s far less danger of getting lost. A good guide can also enhance your enjoyment of the hike by sharing his or her knowledge of local flora and fauna with you, or of the history, legends and customs associated with the area. A bad one, however, can really sour the whole experience. When booking a tour, it’s always a good idea to ask to meet the person who will be guiding you before parting with your money, and it’s essential to make clear what level of difficulty you’re willing to tackle, and what pace you want to go at. In many national protected areas, hiring of an official guide is mandatory for groups.
Rafting and kayaking
Whitewater rafting combines the thrill of riding rapids with the chance to reach some spectacular landscapes that otherwise can’t be visited.
A small number of whitewater rafting and kayaking companies, mainly based in Quito, Tena and Baños, organize trips to dozens of rivers. Not far from Quito, on the way to Santo Domingo, the ríos Blanco and Toachi offer a selection of popular runs suitable for beginners and old hands alike. A high density of rivers around Tena has brought the town to the fore as a centre for the sport in Ecuador. Among the most popular is the Upper Napo (Jatunyacu), a typical beginner’s run, while the nearby Río Misahuallí is suitable for more advanced paddlers; it weaves through a stunning canyon in a remote section of rainforest, described as the best rafting trip in the country. Other options from Tena and Baeza include the Río Hollín, Río Anzu and the Río Quijos and tributaries. In the southern Oriente, the Río Upano is one of the best runs, involving a trip of several days with the spectacular Namangosa Gorge on the itinerary.
Rapids are categorized according to a grading system: beginners can happily handle waters of Class II and III rating, which usually involve substantial sections of quiet paddling between rougher and more exciting rapids; Class V runs are very difficult, sometimes dangerous, and can be terrifying for the non-expert.
VOLCANOES
Ecuador is one of South America’s most volcanically active areas. Its highlands are studded with snow-crested cones either side of a broad central valley, grandly described by explorer Alexander von Humboldt as the “Avenue of the Volcanoes”. The volcanoes here include the furthest point from the centre of the Earth (Chimborazo); the highest point on the equator (Cayambe); and one of the world’s highest active peaks (Cotopaxi) – they attract mountaineers from across the globe.
Although many of Ecuador’s 55 volcanic peaks are extinct, eight remain active, while
a further nine have erupted in the last few thousand years and are
classified as “potentially active”. In recent years the volcanoes causing
most disruption have been Cotopaxi and Guagua Pichincha near Quito,
Reventador in the Oriente, and Tungurahua, which has been threatening the
town of Baños for years. These are not the only active volcanoes in the
country; you can keep abreast of any volcanic activity at Ecuador’s
Instituto Geofísico website igepn.edu.ec (in Spanish), the Smithsonian Global Volcanism
Program volcano.si.edu (in
English), or through local media, authorities and your embassy.
Safety
Safety is the prime consideration before you
choose to go whitewater rafting or kayaking. Rainfall can have a dramatic
effect on a river, and an easy Class II in the dry months can turn into a
swollen torrent too dangerous to run in the rainy season. A good rafting
company will be on top of the situation and will not attempt to run unsafe
water. A few shoddy outfits with untrained guides and inappropriate
equipment do exist; only go rafting with a reputable company, those that
have fully trained guides who know first aid, can supply good-quality life
jackets and helmets and employ a safety kayak to accompany the raft on the
run. For runs around Quito, try Yacu
Amu rafting. Rafting
companies in Baños are not as highly regarded as those listed in Tena and Quito. General information
can be obtained from the Ecuadorian Rivers Institute (ERI), based in Tena
( 06 288 7438, kayakecuador.com).
Birdwatching
With roughly as many species as North America and Europe combined crammed into a country smaller than Nevada, Ecuador has the best birding in the world, including hundreds of endemic species. The greatest diversity is in the transition zone habitats and montane forests, most famously on the western flank of the Andes, part of the Chocó bioregion. Mindo, west of Quito, is internationally recognized as an Important Bird Area, and there are several fine private reserves in the northwestern forests renowned for their birdlife.
On the eastern slopes of the Andes the Cosanga and Baeza areas are recommended, and, in the south, Podocarpus national park and the areas around Loja, Zamora and Vilcabamba. The most convenient way to watch birds in the Oriente is at one of the lodges, where ornithologist guides and bird lists, some recording well over 500 species, are provided. There are four main groupings of jungle lodges, each with slightly different species lists: the Cuyabeno area; around Misahuallí and Tena on the upper Río Napo or in Sumaco-Galeras reserve; on the lower Río Napo; and in Pastaza and the Southern Oriente. The best highland and páramo habitats are usually found in the national parks, for example El Ángel and Cajas, and the highland sections of Cotacachi-Cayapas and Cayambe-Coca reserves. On the coast, Parque Nacional Machalilla and Cerro Blanco hold interesting areas of dry forest and hints of Galápagos birdlife, while the saltpans on the Santa Elena peninsula attract hundreds of sea and shore birds.
It’s always worth hiring a local guide, who will know where to look and have a knack for picking out birds amid the undergrowth and greenery. Most of the better lodges and private reserves have in-house guides, often trained ornithologists, or will be able to find one for you.
MAGIC BIRDING CIRCUIT
While many birding lodges in Ecuador will organize day-trips to other
reserves or lodges to ensure you get to explore a range of habitats and
increase your chances of spotting the birds on your wish list, the Magic
Birding Circuit ( 02 2247549, eco-lodgesanjorge.com)
is the first of its kind in South America to have its own series of reserves
and lodges covering eleven different eco-systems, from high barren plains,
through cloudforest, to upper lowland tropical forest and scarce dry
tropical forest – all within a two-hour radius from Quito.
Accommodation ranges from the charming old hacienda and former Jesuit monastery, San Jorge Eco-Lodge and Botanical Reserve, perched above Quito, to the vast-windowed mountainside retreat that is San Jorge de Tandayapa Lodge, and the capacious bamboo cabañas at San Jorge de Milpe Orchid and Bird Reserve, around 12km northwest of Mindo. Birding tours from 1–15 days are available, costing around $275–350 per person per day (inclusive of all transport, food, accommodation and bilingual guiding services); budget $195–225 per person for a day-tour from Quito, and from around $1,375 for a five-day tour. Though primarily aimed at serious birders, all the lodges make delightful retreats for more casual nature lovers for a couple of nights, offering high-quality food, stunning views, trails and wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities. They can be booked individually on a nightly basis, though prior notice is needed.
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is more widespread in the sierra than in the lowlands. Several specialist biking operators, mainly based in Quito, also arrange mountain-biking tours of various parts of the sierra, such as Cotopaxi National Park, the Papallacta area or the Otavalo region, with both cross-country and downhill routes available. Riobamba also offers good mountain biking. Being at altitude means that some trips can be hard work, but a reasonable level of fitness is generally all that’s required. Always check that the bike is in good working order before setting off. The better operators will be able to provide helmets.
Horse riding
Ecuador’s sierra region offers numerous opportunities for horse riding, particularly at the many haciendas that have been converted into country inns, where riding has been a way of life for centuries. Riding up to the region’s sweeping páramos framed by snowcapped volcanoes is undoubtedly a memorable experience. Ecuadorian horses are very tough, capable of climbing steep slopes and trotting and cantering at high altitudes.
Most haciendas and reputable tour companies provide healthy, well-looked-after horses, but it’s not unusual for cheaper outfits to take tourists out on neglected, overworked animals. If you sign up to a riding tour and your horse looks lame or ill, refuse to ride it and ask for another one. Check that the saddle is securely fitted, with the girth pulled tight, and take time to adjust your stirrups to the right length – they should be level with your ankles if you let your legs hang freely. Ecuadorian riding outfits rarely provide protective hats.
Two highly recommended riding operators are: the
German-run Green Horse Ranch, north of Quito ( 08 6125433, horseranch.de); and the excellent
British-run, Quito-based Ride Andes ( rideandes.com). Other outfits and guides are detailed throughout the
text, including: Hacienda Guachalá, Hacienda Cusín, Hacienda Pinsaquí,
Hacienda Zuleta and Hostería La Ciénega.
Diving and snorkelling
Ecuador’s top scuba-diving spots are in the Galápagos, where there are great opportunities to see large sea fish as well as spectacular endemic reef fish. Most people arrange diving tours before arrival, but there are several operators on the islands who can arrange trips for you there and then. The Galápagos is not the easiest place for novices to learn to dive – mainly due to strong currents and cold temperatures – but it is possible.
Snorkelling is likely to be an important part of a Galápagos cruise: bring your own gear if you have it; even though most boats can provide it, there may not be enough to go round and what there is may not fit. A wet suit is recommended between July and December. Off the mainland coast, there’s not a lot of scuba diving or snorkelling, apart from tours arranged in Puerto López for dives and snorkelling around the Isla de la Plata.
Surfing
There are scores of surfing spots on the Ecuadorian coast with the greatest concentration in Manabí and Guayas provinces between Playas and Manta. Laidback Montañita in Guayas province has the reputation of being the leading surf centre, though quieter Canoa, and Mompiche to the north, also have a loyal, less hippy-ish following. There are some keen surfers on the Galápagos Islands, particularly on San Cristóbal island. In all these locations, you’ll be able to find places to hire a board and get a lesson. The surf season is at its height from December to March, when the waves are usually at their fiercest and the water at its warmest.
Paragliding
Paragliding is free flight using a fabric
“wing”, which resembles a parachute, under which the pilot is suspended by a
harness. It is a sport that has had a following in Quito (try the Escuela Pichincha de Vuelo Libre at Carlos Endara
Oe3-60 and Amazonas; 02 2256592) for some time, but which is now
spreading to other highland towns, such as Ibarra and Baños, where there are good cliffs and ledges nearby from which to
launch. Coastal destinations such as Canoa and Montañita are also becoming popular places to practise the sport. A
few agencies offer tandem flights for beginners, as well as courses.
Fishing
Fishing (pesca deportiva) for trout (trucha) in the lakes of the sierra is a widespread local hobby. A couple of the national reserves are well-known fishing spots, namely El Ángel in the north and Cajas in the south. Few tours to the Oriente forgo the chance of fishing for piranhas, with nothing more sophisticated than a line, hook and bait. Take care when de-hooking Oriente fish: some have poisonous spines discreetly tucked into their fins. Deep-sea fishing is less widespread, with Salinas and Manta the main centres.
NATIONAL PARKS AND PROTECTED AREAS
Almost nineteen percent of Ecuador’s territory is protected within forty national parks, reserves, refuges and recreation areas, including 97 percent of the Galápagos Islands, plus an ample marine reserve surrounding them. Encompassing mangrove swamps, dry and wet tropical coastal forests, cloud- and montane forests, tropical rainforests, páramo and volcanoes, the protected areas represent a cross section of the country’s most outstanding natural landscapes and habitats.
Some are so important they have earned inter-national recognition – such as Sangay, a World Natural Heritage Site; Yasuní, a World Biosphere Reserve; and the Galápagos Islands, which are both. Few parks, however, have much in the way of tourist facilities; some parks have rudimentary refuges and a few trails, but for the most part these are pure wildernesses – areas that are primarily protected by virtue of their remoteness and inaccessibility – and exploring them is only possible with a guide and camping equipment or the logistical help of a tour operator.
Visiting national parks
No permit is needed to visit Ecuador’s national
parks, which are all free except the Galápagos Islands ($100), though at the
time of writing the government was considering reintroducing park fees. The
guardaparques are the best people to speak to if
you want information; they can also put you in touch
with a good local guide, if not offer their own services. Alternatively, try the
Ministerio del Ambiente office in the nearest town, which should have small
leaflets (trípticos) about the park and basic maps.
The ministry also has a Spanish–English smartphone app, Áreas Protegidas
Ecuador, with basic information on all of them, including contact details.
Finally, there’s the head office in Quito (on the 8th floor of the Ministerio de
Agricultura y Ganadería building on avenidas Amazonas and Eloy Alfaro; 02
2563429, ambiente.gob.ec), which keeps information on all the parks.
Few parks have provision for accommodation. Wardens are happy to let you camp, but there’s rarely a designated camping area or camping facilities. Some reserves have a basic refuge (refugio); most of the volcanoes popular with climbers have these within a day’s climb of the summit, usually a hut with a couple of rooms full of bunks, some simple cooking facilities and running water. You should bring your own sleeping bag.
Private reserves
There is also a growing number of smaller private reserves, which have been set up for conservation, scientific or ecotourism projects and managed by philanthropists, environmentalists or ecological foundations. Generally, these places are much better geared to receiving tourists than the national parks and many have a purpose-built lodge or accommodation within the main research station. They will often also have clear trails, equipment to borrow, guides and information, such as bird lists. Some of the best options are the cloudforest reserves of northwestern Ecuador and the jungle lodges in the Oriente.
CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
A little politeness goes a long way in Ecuador, by nature a conservative and generally good-mannered country. An exchange of greetings is de rigueur before conversation, no matter how short or banal the subject; say buenos días before noon, buenas tardes in the afternoon, and buenas noches after nightfall. Shake hands with people you meet, and if it’s for the first time, say mucho gusto (“pleased to meet you”); it’s quite normal to shake hands again when saying goodbye. A more familiar greeting between women or between a man and a woman is a peck on the cheek.
Say buen provecho (“enjoy your meal”) to your companions before a meal (not before your host if being cooked for), or to fellow diners when entering or leaving a restaurant, and use con permiso (“with permission”) if squeezing past someone in a crowd.
Clothing and appearance
Neatness in dress will always earn respect, particularly in the highlands, where sartorial norms are more formal than on the coast. Men should remove hats or caps indoors, and shorts or skirts shouldn’t be worn inside churches, where scruffiness of any sort will be frowned on: shorts for men on the coast are more acceptable. Skimpy dress for women will probably draw unwanted attention, while topless or nude bathing on beaches is out of the question.
Dealing with bureaucracy
Politeness and tidy dress are particularly important when dealing with police or officials. Ecuadorian bureaucracy can be frustrating, but it’s vital to maintain good humour; losing your temper will quickly turn people against you.
While corruption is widely condemned in Ecuador, low-level bribery is routinely practised, with minor officials sometimes asking for “a little something for a cola” (as the cliché goes) in return for a favour or to speed up paperwork. It’s an art best left to locals; if you need a special favour, ask an Ecuadorian friend for advice on how to proceed and leave the negotiating up to them if possible. Never openly offer a bribe to anyone or you could end up in serious trouble.
Cultural tips
If arranging to meet someone or inviting someone out, remember punctuality obeys the laws of “la hora ecuatoriana” (“Ecuadorian time”), meaning Ecuadorians will usually arrive late, up to an hour being well within the bounds of politeness. The person making an invitation is usually expected to pay for everything, especially if it’s a man entertaining a woman.
Pointing at people (not objects) with your finger is considered impolite; use your whole hand or chin instead. Beckon people towards you by pointing your hand downwards and towards you.
See Travel Essentials for information on gay and lesbian travellers, travelling with children, tipping and women travellers.
HEALTH
Ecuador has its fair share of scary-sounding tropical diseases, but there’s no reason to be paranoid. Most are rare and pose much more of a threat to residents – especially those from poorer communities – than to tourists. The two illnesses you should be especially vigilant against, however, are stomach upsets caused by contaminated food and water, and malaria. You can dramatically cut the risks of getting either through simple, practical steps.
Standards in Ecuador’s health care system are variable. Public hospitals and clinics are free, but you generally get better quality care in the private sector, where you have to pay before you receive treatment (though costs are lower than in North America and Europe). While there are plenty of good health care options in the bigger cities, your choices are often severely limited in rural areas.
Vaccinations
The only inoculation you are legally required to have for Ecuador is yellow fever – but only if you’re coming from a tropical African or South American country, when (in theory, at least) you’re supposed to show a vaccination certificate. It’s a good idea to have the jab anyway if you’re planning to visit the Amazon, where the disease is rare but present. Ask your doctor at least two months before travelling whether you need any other vaccinations or malaria prophylaxis, and make sure you’re up to date with your vaccinations and boosters for polio, tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis A and typhoid. Additional jabs to consider are rabies, tuberculosis and hepatitis B, while those consistently exposed to wild rodents for long periods in Loja, Tungurahua or Cañar provinces should ask their health professionals about a plague vaccine.
Food and water
The traveller’s commonest health complaint is an upset stomach, usually caused by contaminated food or water. Except Quito and Cuenca, tap water is unsafe to drink in Ecuador; bottled water and soft drinks, widely available in all but the remotest places, are safe alternatives, but always check that the seal is intact. Wash your hands before meals and use bottled or boiled water to clean your teeth. You can also pick up stomach upsets from swimming in unclean water.
Things to avoid include: ice made from tap water; fruit juices with tap water added; raw vegetables and salads; undercooked, partly cooked or reheated fish, crustaceans, meat or eggs; dairy products and ice cream made from unpasteurized milk; and food that’s been lying around uncovered. Food that’s freshly prepared and hot, and fruit and vegetables that you can peel yourself, rarely cause any harm.
If you want to avoid relying on bottled water, you can purify your water. Bringing water to a good rolling boil for a minute (3 minutes at altitude) is extremely effective, though anyone travelling without cooking equipment will find that chemical purification is simpler. Chemical and iodine tablets are small, light and easy to use, and iodine tincture is particularly effective against amoebas and giardia; iodine is unsafe for pregnant women, babies and people with thyroid complaints. Portable water purifiers give the most complete treatment but are expensive and bulky.
Diarrhoea
A bout of diarrhoea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting and stomach cramps, is an annoyance most travellers suffer at one time or another. In most cases it passes within a couple of days and is best remedied by resting and drinking plenty of fluids. Avoid milk, alcohol and caffeine-based drinks; still drinks are preferable to fizzy. Rehydration salts are widely available in pharmacies, or you can make your own solution by adding a generous pinch of salt and three to four tablespoons of sugar to a litre of clean water – aim to drink at least three litres a day if you’re unwell, or a couple of glasses for every loose movement. Current medical opinion is that you should continue to eat normally, if you feel like eating, rather than fasting, Anti-diarrhoeal drugs only suppress symptoms rather than solving the problem, but can be useful if you’re on the move.
Consult a doctor if symptoms last for longer than five days, there is blood in your stools, you also have a high fever or if abdominal pain is severe and constant. Most towns have facilities for testing stool samples; tests often only take a matter of hours, cost a few dollars and are invaluable for diagnosis. Diarrhoea caused by bacteria can be treated with a course of antibiotics like Ciprofloxacin (available over the counter in most pharmacies).
Amoebic dysentery and giardia
Ciprofloxacin does not work against amoebic dysentery (amoebiasis), which can become very serious if it’s not treated with metronidazole (Flagyl), or against giardia, a parasitic infection that induces sudden, watery and extra-bad-smelling diarrhoea, bloating, fatigue and excessive rotten-egg-smelling gas. Symptoms wax and wane but can last for weeks if left untreated with a course of metronidazole or tinidazole (Fasigyn); you should avoid alcohol if taking either of these medications.
Cholera
Cholera – transmitted through contaminated water – occasionally breaks out in rural areas, but tends to be very localized and restricted to poor communities with inadequate sanitation. It’s unlikely you’ll go anywhere near these places, but if you suspect you’re infected (symptoms include profuse watery diarrhoea, explosive vomiting and fever), it’s easy to treat, provided you get to a doctor immediately and keep rehydrating by drinking large quantities of bottled or boiled water.
Insect-borne diseases
Heavy rains can trigger a sharp increase in insect-borne diseases, particularly malaria, dengue fever, and chikungunya. The best way of avoiding such diseases is to not get bitten in the first place. Use insect repellent, cover up as much as possible and sleep in screened rooms with a mosquito net, preferably treated with permethrin repellent.
Hundreds of people contract malaria every year in Ecuador, about a third of them with the very serious falciparum variety. The worst-affected areas are below 1500m, especially in or around population centres. Above 1500m the risk falls substantially, and above 2500m the malaria mosquito cannot survive. Quito and the Galápagos Islands are malaria-free, and the risk is extremely small in the highlands. The malarial Anopheles mosquito bites between dusk and dawn, so dress and protect yourself appropriately before sunset and sleeping.
Consult your doctor if travelling in malarial areas and follow a course of prophylactic medication. There are chloroquine-resistant strains of malaria in Ecuador, meaning you’ll probably use Lariam (mefloquine), Malarone (atovaquone and proguanil) or Vibramycin (doxycyline). These drugs do not completely wipe out the risk of the disease, and you should always take care to avoid being bitten. Symptoms include fever, diarrhoea, joint pain, shivering and flu-like symptoms; if you suspect you’ve caught the disease, see a doctor immediately and have a blood test. Symptoms can appear several months after leaving a malarial area. Dengue fever is a painful and debilitating disease spread by the Aedes mosquito, which bites during the day. There’s no vaccine and there’s not a lot you can do should you contract it, except resting and taking painkillers (avoid aspirin) and plenty of fluids. Symptoms include headaches, severe joint pain and high fever, though it’s usually only fatal if caught repeatedly.
Avoiding insect bites will also provide you with protection against a number of rarer diseases such as: leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease spread by the bite of infected sand flies present in lowland Ecuador; river blindness (onchocerciasis), spread by the bite of black flies found around fast-moving water, mainly in parts of Esmeraldas province; and Chagas disease, which is carried by bugs found in rural mud, thatch and adobe buildings in coastal areas, and transmitted when the bug’s faeces are unwittingly rubbed into its bite wound.
Altitude issues
If you’ve flown to Quito from sea level, you may feel a bit woozy, sleepless and lethargic – normal symptoms of the acclimatization process the body undergoes over a few days as it adjusts to reduced levels of oxygen at altitude. Symptoms, which might also include breathlessness, needing to urinate frequently, fatigue and strange dreams, will abate naturally if you rest and avoid alcohol and sleeping pills.
Acute Mountain Sickness
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), known as soroche in Ecuador, occurs when your acclimatization process does not keep pace with your rate of ascent. It’s a debilitating and potentially dangerous condition caused by the reduced oxygen levels and atmospheric pressure at high elevations, and if you’re going to go much above 3000m you should be aware of the risks. Your gender and fitness have no bearing on whether you will develop AMS, but children are known to be more susceptible than adults, and, if young, may not be able to tell you they’re feeling sick, in which case they shouldn’t be taken to high altitudes at all. Teenagers and young adults are also more susceptible and should allow extra days for acclimatization. Symptoms include headaches, nausea and extreme tiredness, dizziness, insomnia, confusion and a staggering gait. The best way to relieve the condition is to lose altitude.
You can minimize the risks of developing AMS by ascending to high elevations slowly and allowing yourself to acclimatize – don’t whizz straight up the nearest volcano without spending a night or two at altitude first. You should also avoid alcohol and salt, and drink lots of water or try the local remedy for altitude sickness, coca-leaf tea (mate de coca). A course of acetazolamide (Diamox) speeds up the acclimatization process, but this is a prescription-only drug in most countries, as it can be dangerous for people with heart conditions. It’s unlikely you’ll need this drug in Ecuador, but if you’re planning to go to very high elevations, you might consider it as a precaution.
If you develop AMS, it is essential you do not ascend any further. Your condition will worsen and may become life-threatening. There are two severe forms of AMS. HAPO (high altitude pulmonary oedema) is caused by a build-up of liquid in the lungs. Symptoms include fever, an increased pulse rate and coughing up white fluid; sufferers should descend immediately, whereupon recovery is usually quick and complete. Rarer, but more serious, is HACO (high altitude cerebral oedema), which occurs when the brain gets waterlogged with fluid. Symptoms include loss of balance and coordination, severe lassitude, weakness or numbness on one side of the body and a confused mental state. If you or a fellow traveller displays any of these symptoms, descend immediately, and get to a doctor; HACO can be fatal within 24 hours.
Decompression sickness is a more oblique problem associated with gaining altitude quickly. If you have been scuba diving in the Galápagos or on the coast, wait at least 24 hours before coming to the highlands or flying.
Hypothermia
Another concern for people at altitude is hypothermia, an underestimated enemy responsible for more deaths among trekkers and climbers than anything else. Brought on by exposure to cold and when the body loses heat faster than it can generate it, hypothermia is greatly accelerated when you’re wet, tired and in the wind. Because early symptoms can include an almost euphoric sense of sleepiness and disorientation, your body’s core temperature can plummet to danger level before you know what has happened. Other symptoms are violent shivering, erratic behaviour, slurred speech, loss of coordination and drowsiness, and are much easier to spot in other people than in yourself. Victims should be given dry clothes, warm drinks (slowly) and kept awake and warm.
The sun
It’s not a good idea to strip off and soak up the rays of the equatorial sun. Serious sunburn and sunstroke are real risks, particularly at altitude, when the temperature is not necessarily that high but the thin air amplifies the harm done by the sun’s ultra-violet rays. Jungle and coastal boat rides can also be dangerous, as cool river or sea breezes disguise the effects of the sun as it is reflected off the water. Use a high-factor sunscreen (very expensive if bought locally) reapplying after bathing or exertion, and wear a wide-brimmed hat. Drink plenty of water, and consider taking a rehydration solution or adding more salt to your food to counterbalance the effects of excessive sweating.
Bites and stings
At some point you’re bound to come across unfriendly dogs, as they’re often used in rural communities to deter thieves. If a dog snarls and bares its teeth at you, back off slowly, without turning your back on it, staring at it or showing any fear. Picking up a stone and pretending to throw it sometimes works, but you don’t want to provoke an attack either. Rabies, though only a remote risk, does exist in Ecuador: if you get bitten or scratched by a dog, cat or most other mammals you should wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and clean water and seek medical attention immediately. This is particularly relevant in the southeast Amazon, where vampire bats can transmit rabies.
Stings and bites from other creatures such as
scorpions, spiders and snakes are very uncommon but can be terribly painful and,
in rare cases, fatal. It’s good practice to go through your clothes, socks and
shoes before dressing, and to check your bedclothes and under lavatory seats. In
the rainforests, watch where you put your feet and hands, and don’t lean against
trees. Walking around barefoot is an invitation to get bitten or stung and opens
the door to hookworm. In tropical areas, mosquitoes can transmit dangerous
diseases like dengue, malaria and the Zika virus, which saw an outbreak across
South America in 2015 and has been linked to neurological disorders in babies.
Pregnant women planning a trip to Ecuador should check cdc.gov for the latest advice on
travel.
Ecuador has its share of venomous snakes, but bites are rare, and even if they do strike, there’s every chance they won’t inject any venom. In the unlikely event of snakebite, keep still. If possible, get someone to kill the snake for identification purpose and seek medical help as quickly as possible. In remote rainforest communities, following local knowledge may sometimes be better than spending hours getting to a hospital. Village doctors (curanderos) may know effective antidotes, and be able to prepare them quickly.
Other health hazards
Sexually transmitted diseases are as much a threat here as in any country. Condoms (condones or preservativos) are not as widely available as in Western countries – it’s a good idea to take your own supply if you’re worried about the safety of unfamiliar brands.
Car crashes cause more injuries to travellers in Ecuador than anything else. Minimize risks by only travelling during the day, wearing seatbelts in cars or helmets on motorbikes, avoiding overloaded buses and changing vehicle if you think the driver is drunk, fatigued or unduly reckless.
MEDICAL RESOURCES
Canadian Society for International Health 613 241 5785, csih.org. Extensive list of travel health
centres.
CDC 1800 232 4636, cdc.gov/travel. Official US government travel health
site.
Hospital for Tropical Diseases Travel
Clinic UK www.thehtd.org. UK NHS website with advice on
tropical diseases and travel.
International Society for Travel Medicine US 1404 373 8282, istm.org. Has a full
list of travel health clinics.
MASTA (Medical Advisory Service for Travellers
Abroad) UK masta.org. See website for the nearest
clinic.
The Travel Doctor – TMVC 1300 658 844, tmvc.com.au. Lists travel clinics in Australia,
New Zealand and South Africa.
Tropical Medical Bureau Ireland 1850 487 674, tmb.ie.
LIVING IN ECUADOR
There’s plenty of scope for spending fruitful time in Ecuador other than travelling. A huge number of possibilities exist for prospective volunteers, and Ecuador is also one of the top choices on the continent for learning Spanish.
Volunteering
Many opportunities exist for volunteers, though most require you to pay your own way for food and accommodation and to stay for at least a month. Reasonable Spanish skills will usually be needed for any kind of volunteer work with communities, and a background in science for research work.
Someone without these skills should still be able to find places with no trouble, especially in areas of conservation work demanding a degree of hard toil, such as reforestation or trail clearing in a reserve. In fact, short-term, unskilled volunteering has evolved into a kind of tourism in its own right in Ecuador, so-called “voluntourism”. You can arrange to volunteer either from home – probably better for more formal, long-term posts – or on arrival in Ecuador, which is simpler and more convenient. The SAE in Quito keeps files on dozens of organizations looking for volunteers. We’ve listed below a few popular ones based in Ecuador, plus useful organizations abroad. If the main purpose of your trip is volunteering, you will need to have the appropriate visa before you go; those planning to work with children should allow enough time for Ecuadorian authorities to carry out checks before travel.
The Volunteer South America website ( volunteersouthamerica.net) has a useful list of free and low-cost
volunteering opportunities across the continent.
VOLUNTEER CONTACTS IN ECUADOR
AmaZOOnico 09 980 0463, amazoonico.org. Volunteers needed to help tend
to rescued forest animals and show guests around a jungle rehabilitation
centre on a tributary of the Río
Napo. Best to book six months in advance.
Bosque de Paz El Limonal, Imbabura
06 2648692, bospas.org. This organic, family farm in
northwestern Ecuador welcomes
volunteers to learn about sustainable farming, clear and maintain
trails, and occasionally to show visitors around.
Centro de Investigaciones de los Bosques
Tropicales 08 460 0274, reservaloscedros.org. This organization manages
the beautiful and remote Los
Cedros reserve and
needs volunteers to work on reforestation, trail maintenance and general
upkeep of facilities.
Centro de la Niña Trabajadora Huacho 150 and José Peralta, Quito 02
2654260, cenitecuador.org. An NGO that helps children and
families, especially working girls and women, overcome extreme poverty
in Quito. Volunteers work in schools, a medical centre, a production
workshop or with outreach projects.
Cofán Survival Fund Mariano Cardenal N74-153 and Joaquín Mancheno,
Carcelén Alto, Quito 02 2470946, cofan.org.
Volunteers are needed at Cofán communities deep in the Oriente for help
on a number of ongoing projects.
Ecuador Volunteer Yánez Pinzón N25-106 and Colón, Quito 02
2557749, ecuadorvolunteer.com. Organizes placements in
social, community, ecological and educational projects.
FEVI San Pedro s/n, Quito 9980 2640,
fevi.org.
Volunteers work on projects providing care and education to
disadvantaged children, and promoting community development and
protection of the environment.
Fundación Ecológica Arcoiris Segundo Cueva Celi 03-15 and Clodoveo Carrión,
Loja 02 2572926, arcoiris.org.ec. Based in Loja, this foundation is
concerned with conservation and community projects in southern
Ecuador.
Fundación Jatún Sacha Teresa de Cepeda N34-260 and República, Quito
02 2432240, jatunsacha.org. The foundation manages seven
biological stations or reserves around the country, which require
volunteers for conservation, education, maintenance, research and
agriculture projects.
Fundación Maquipucuna Baquerizo E9-153 and Tamayo, Quito 02
2507200, maqui.org/ecotourism. Researchers and volunteers
are welcome at this reserve in the western flank cloudforests for work on conservation, maintenance, agriculture
or education projects.
Río Muchacho Organic Farm Guacamayo Tours, Bolívar 902 and Arenas, Bahía
de Caráquez 05 2691107, riomuchacho.com. Volunteers are needed to work on
this ecological farm near the coast in Manabí province for
reforestation, education in the local school and agriculture.
Santa Lucía Cloud Forest Reserve 02 2157242, santaluciaecuador.com. Based in northwestern
Ecuador, this organization protects community-owned
cloudforest, establishes sustainable sources of income and educates
local people. Volunteers help with agroforestry, trail clearing,
teaching English and other projects.
Yachana Foundation Vicente Solano E12-61 and Av Oriental, Quito
02 2523777, yachana.org.ec. Operates Yachana Lodge and works with Oriente communities to develop
medical care, ecotourism, sustainable agriculture and education
programmes, all with a view to conserving the rainforest. Needs
volunteers to help with all these projects.
Language schools
One-to-one Spanish lessons arranged in Ecuador generally cost less than $10 an hour, offering tremendous value for money to prospective learners. Most language schools are based in Quito, with a few in Cuenca and the other main tourist centres. You’ll normally have lessons for the morning or afternoon, and there are often social activities arranged in the evenings and at weekends. To immerse yourself totally in the language, homestays arranged through language schools are a good idea. You can arrange Spanish courses in Ecuador from home, but it’s unlikely to be as cheap as doing it when you get there.
More adventurous linguists could also have a stab at learning an indigenous language, such as Kichwa, which a few schools offer on the side. The reaction you’ll get from native speakers, even with some elementary knowledge, is well worth the effort.
Work
Unless you have something arranged in advance, you’re unlikely to find much paid work in Ecuador. As an English-speaker, the only type of job you can expect to get with relative ease is as an English-language teacher, especially in Quito or Guayaquil. Don’t expect to be paid very much, unless you have a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or similar qualification. You’ll need a work visa, too, which can be expensive to get – enough to put most people off in the first place. If you have any training in ecology, biology, ornithology and the like, you could contact the jungle lodge operators asking if they need a guide. Fluent English-speakers with such qualifications are often in demand.
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
Costs
Although prices have risen since dollarization, those on a really tight budget should be able to get by on about $30–40 per day, with the occasional treat. Spending $50–80 daily will get you accommodation in more comfortable hotels, better food and the occasional guided tour. Those spending over $150 a day (travelling independently) are likely to find themselves in the country’s better hotels and restaurants.
The most widespread hidden cost is IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado), a tax of 12 percent added to most goods and services. In lower-end restaurants and hotels it’s taken for granted that IVA is included in the quoted price. Other places will add it to the end of the bill, often in tandem with a further ten percent service charge, making the final total 22 percent more than you might have bargained for, although more and more restaurants are including these charges upfront in menus. Car rental is almost always quoted without IVA. If in doubt, always clarify whether prices for anything from souvenirs to room rates include IVA.
Crime and personal safety
Ecuador’s reputation for being one of the safer Latin American countries has in recent years been tested by rising crime levels. Still, there’s no need to be paranoid if you take sensible precautions.
Pickpockets and thieves favour crowded places, typically bus stations, markets, city centres, public transport, crowded beaches, fiestas and anywhere lots of people congregate, providing them with cover. When out and about, carry as little of value as you possibly can, and be discreet with what you have. Secret pockets or money belts are useful, but don’t reveal hiding places in public. Split up your reserves in different places, making it less likely that you’ll lose everything in one go.
On buses, keep close watch on your bags; don’t put them under your seat or in overhead storage. The same goes for in restaurants – wrap the bag straps around your chair or leg. Be wary of people approaching you in the street, no matter how polite or smartly dressed. It’s a common trick to use distraction to take your mind off your belongings; spilling something messy on you is a perennial favourite. Take care when using ATMs; you are particularly vulnerable from both robbers and card scammers if using machines on the street. Use machines inside banks and buildings where possible, during business hours.
Travelling at night, whether in your own vehicle or on public transport, is a bad idea. This is especially true in Guayas and southern Ecuador, where hold-ups have been an ongoing problem, as well as Esmeraldas province and the border regions with Colombia. In the big cities, especially Quito, always take a taxi at night rather than wandering the streets; it’s safest to call a registered taxi through your hotel or a taxi app rather than hail one in the street.
Armed robbery is a problem throughout the country, and is on the rise in Quito’s Mariscal district. Other danger spots are parts of the old town, the walk up to El Panecillo (always take a cab), Rucu Pichincha and Cruz Loma volcanoes (not including the TelefériQo complex itself), and parques El Ejido and La Carolina. Security in Guayaquil is improving, but nevertheless you should be extra vigilant in the downtown areas, the dock and the bus terminal.
Never accept food, drinks, cigarettes or other objects from people you don’t know well, to minimize the risk of drugging. Chemicals have even been suffused into leaflets and paper, which when handled make victims compliant.
Border areas and crossings are always places to be extra vigilant. Drug smuggling and Colombian guerrilla activity along the northern border have made certain (remote) parts of Sucumbíos (capital Lago Agrio), Carchi (capital Tulcán) and Esmeraldas (capital Esmeraldas) provinces unsafe. San Lorenzo in the north has a problem with gun crime and “express kidnappings” have been reported in Huaquillas and Macará on the southern border. The Cordillera del Cóndor, southeast of Zamora, a region long involved in a border dispute with Peru, still contains unmarked minefields and should be avoided altogether.
Stay informed by referring to your government’s website for the latest travel advice.
Drugs
The possession of drugs is a serious offence in Ecuador. While tolerance of small amounts is a hot political issue, people who’ve been charged may have to contend with the country’s dilapidated and overcrowded prisons for more than a year before they’re even brought to trial, not to mention being at the mercy of corrupt officials. If offered drugs in the street, walk away. Don’t take any chances with drugs or drug dealers – setups have happened and raids are common in “druggie” places such as Montañita and certain Quito clubs. It’s simply not worth the consequences.
Police
The only contact you’re likely to have with the police (policía) are at road checkpoints at various places around the country, where you may be registered. Generally the police are polite and helpful, particularly the specially designated tourist police who patrol areas popular with travellers.
It’s rare, but there are reports of corrupt or false police planting drugs in bags – the idea being to extract a large “fine” from the terrified tourist. Plainclothes “police” should always be dealt with cautiously; pretending you don’t understand and walking away is a strategy.
If you are the victim of a crime, you should go to the police as soon as
possible to fill out a report (denuncia). In an
emergency, call 911 in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, or
101 elsewhere.
Electricity
110V/60Hz is the standard supply, and sockets are for two flat prongs. Fluctuations in the supply are common so use a surge protector if you’re plugging in expensive equipment.
Entry requirements
Most nationals, including citizens of the EU, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, do not need a tourist visa, and only require a passport valid for more than six months; in theory, you are also supposed to have a return ticket and proof of having enough money for the duration of the stay too, but these are rarely checked. Your passport will be stamped on arrival and you’ll be issued with a T-3 embarkation card, which you should keep – it will be collected when you leave the country. The T-3 gives you 90 days in Ecuador. If you want to extend your stay, you will probably need to apply for a visa. People who overstay are likely to be fined and banned from Ecuador for six months.
Visas
If you plan to stay in Ecuador for more than ninety days or are visiting
for some purpose other than tourism, you’ll need a visa. Visas are divided into those for immigrants (10-I to
10-VI) and non-immigrants (12-I to 12-X), including those for study (12-V),
work (12-VI), volunteering (12-VII), cultural exchanges (12-VIII) or
business and tourism (12-IX and 12-X). Each has its own application
procedure and fee, which varies from $30 to $200
depending on type, plus $30 for the application form. For details, check the
Ecuadorian Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores website www.cancilleria.gob.ec.
The rules for extending a T-3 embarkation card are confusing and change regularly. The latest information is that a T-3 cannot be renewed, though there are reports that it’s possible to leave and re-enter the country and be issued with a new T-3 for another 90 days–however, this doesn’t seem completely reliable and there have been cases of people being refused new cards. Stays longer than 180 days a year are impossible without one.
The other option is to get a 12-IX or 12-X visa from the Dirección General
de Asuntos Migratorios y Extranjería, Edificio Solís, Av 10 de Agosto 21-255
and Carrión in Quito ( 02 2227025). Allow at least a week,
preferably more, on your T-3 card to obtain the visa. Whichever way you
extend your visit, you will only be allowed to stay a total of 180 days in any 12-month period.
Once in Ecuador, visa holders must register at
the Dirección General de Extranjería at the corner of San Ignacio 207 and
San Javier ( 02 2221817; Mon–Fri 8am–12.30pm) in Quito, or the
Sub-Dirección General de Extranjería in Guayaquil ( 04
2322692) within 30 days of arrival in order to get a censo (resident identity card). The process takes
several days. Holders of immigrant visas will also need to get a cédula (national identity card); ask at the
Extranjería for details.
If you’re seeking to become a long-term
resident, it pays to do plenty of research beforehand and to find a
reputed immigration lawyer to help you through the complicated legal
process. Costs run to $400–800 for a visa. Information and assistance can be
found on the website pro-ecuador.com.
Identification
The law requires you to carry “proper identification” at all times – for foreigners this means a passport. Visa holders will also need to carry their identification card (cédula) and any other relevant documentation. Photocopies of the stamps and important pages are usually sufficient, so you can keep the original in a safe place. In the Oriente and border areas, only the originals will do. If the authorities stop you and you can’t produce identification, you can be detained.
ECUADORIAN EMBASSIES ABROAD
Australia 6 Pindari Crescent, O’Malley, Canberra, ACT
2606 02 6286 4021, australia.embajada.gob.ec
Canada 50 O’Connor St, Office 316, Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6L2 613 563-8206, embassyecuador.ca
Ireland 27 Library Rd, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin
01 280 5917,
ececudublin@mmrree.gov.ec
New Zealand Level 9, 2 Saint Martins Lane, Auckland
09 303 0590,
elanglinks@aix.co.nz
UK Flat 3b, 3 Hans Crescent, London SW1X 0LS
020 7584 1367, ecuadorembassyuk.org.uk
US 2535 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
202 234-7200, ecuador.org
Gay and lesbian travellers
Ecuador took a leap forward in gay and lesbian rights by reforming its constitution in 1998 to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexuality, and again in 2008 to allow same-sex civil unions. Yet it’s still a very macho society and public attitudes have a fair bit of catching up to do. There is a blossoming gay scene in Quito and Guayaquil, but gay couples in Ecuador tend to avoid revealing their orientation in public places. Gay and lesbian travellers are probably best off following their example – overt displays of affection are likely to be met with stern disapproval, even abuse.
A good source of information on gay life in Ecuador,
and in Quito in particular, is the website quito.queercity.info.
Insurance
It’s essential to take out an insurance policy before travelling to Ecuador to cover against theft, loss and illness or injury. A typical policy usually provides cover for the loss of baggage, tickets and – up to a certain limit – cash or cheques, as well as cancellation or curtailment of your journey. Most of them exclude so-called dangerous sports unless an extra premium is paid: in Ecuador this can mean scuba diving, white-water rafting, mountaineering and trekking. Many policies can be chopped and changed to exclude coverage you don’t need. If you do take medical coverage, ascertain whether benefits will be paid as treatment proceeds or only after your return home, and whether there is a 24-hour medical emergency number. When securing baggage cover, make sure the per-article limit – typically under £500/$750 – will cover your most valuable possession. If you need to make a claim, you should keep receipts for medicines and medical treatment. In the event you have anything stolen, you must obtain an official statement (denuncia) from the police.
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Internet
In recent years there has been a rapid expansion of internet facilities across the country. Fierce competition keeps prices as low as $0.50–1 for an hour online in Quito and Guayaquil, and even in areas further afield it’s rare to be charged more than $2–3 per hour. This means that unless you are staying for a long time or keeping to the cities and hotels where wi-fi coverage is common, it’s probably not worth the bother and risk of bringing your own computer to Ecuador. Smartphones and tablets are lightweight options to stay in touch, but don’t bring more than one of each due to tight customs regulations.
Laundry
Most large towns and tourist centres will have an inexpensive laundry (lavandería) that charges by the kilo. Washing and drying are done for you and your clothes are neatly folded ready for collection. In other areas, dry cleaners or laundries that charge by the item, which work out to be expensive, are more common. Many hotels and hostels also offer a laundry service.
Letters and postcards sent from Ecuador can take
from five days to a month to reach their destination, though they’re often
faster to North America. If you need to send something of value or urgently,
you’re better off using a courier, such as DHL (check
dhl.com.ec for the nearest
branch), though this is much more expensive. Alternatively, try Servientrega
( servientrega.com) a
fair-priced domestic courier.
You can receive poste restante at just about any post office in the country. Have it sent to “Lista de Correos, [the town concerned], Ecuador”, and make sure your surname is written clearly, as it will be filed under whatever the clerk thinks it is; you’ll need to have photo ID to pick it up. In Quito, Lista de Correos mail usually ends up at the main office on Espejo and Guayaquil in the old town; if marked “Correo Central”, it could well go to the head office in the new town on Eloy Alfaro 354 and Avenida 9 de Octubre.
American Express card holders can make use of AmEx offices for mail services, and some embassies also do poste restante. SAE will also take mail for members.
Maps
For Ecuador, the rise of the smartphone app means that it’s easier than ever to find your way around with up-to-date digital maps you can use to plot your travels all the way down to walks or bike trips. Waze provides live traffic data, while apps like maps.me or Forever Map based on the Open Streetmap platform tend to be slightly superior to those from Apple or Google.
The widest selection of paper maps covering Ecuador
is published by the Instituto Geográfico Militar ( 02 3975100,
igm.gob.ec) in Quito, up on the
hill overlooking the Parque El Ejido at Senierges and Paz y Miño (you’ll need to
bring your passport or ID along), which has maps on a variety of scales. The
most useful maps for trekking are their 1:50,000
series, which show accurate contour markings and geographic features and cover
most of the country except for remote corners of the Oriente. Unfortunately,
popular maps are often sold out, in which case you’ll be supplied with a
difficult-to-read black-and-white photocopy. Maps are also available in a
1:250,000 series for the whole country, and a 1:25,000 series for approximately
half of it. You may need a supporting letter from a government agency if you
require maps of sensitive border areas and the Amazon.
Money
The US dollar is the official currency of Ecuador. Bills come in denominations of $1, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. Coins come in a mixture of US- and Ecuadorian-minted 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cent pieces, plus $1 coins only minted in the US; Ecuadorian coins can’t be used abroad. The $50 and $100 bills are rarely accepted at most shops and restaurants, and small change is often in short supply.
Take a mixture between cash in US dollars (other currencies are difficult to change) and credit/debit cards (or pre-paid cash cards). ATMs are widespread in the cities and larger towns, though less so in more remote places. Many machines are connected to the worldwide Visa/Plus and MasterCard/Cirrus/Maestro systems and a smaller number accept American Express and Diners Club cards. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw more than around $300–500 from an ATM in a day (depending on the bank).
Travellers’ cheques are difficult to change, even in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, where few banks accept them; casas de cambio are your best bet, though the commission is sometimes high.
Discount cards
Full-time students should consider getting the International Student ID Card, or “ISIC card” ( isic.org), which is the only widely
recognized student identification in Ecuador and entitles the bearer to a
range of discounts. The same organization offers the International Youth Travel Card to those who are 26 or younger
and the International Teacher Card for
teachers, offering similar discounts. Check with local tourism offices in
major cities for discounts cards for major attractions.
Opening hours
Most shops open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm. Many occupy the family home and, outside the biggest cities, open every day for as long as someone is up. Opening hours of public offices are generally from 9am to 5 or 6pm Monday to Friday, with an hour or so for lunch. In rural areas, the working day often starts earlier, say at 8am, and a longer lunch of a couple of hours is taken.
Banks do business from 8 or 9am to 1.30–2pm, Monday to Friday, and a few also open on Saturday mornings in shopping malls. Some banks extend business to 6pm during the week, though with reduced services. Post offices are open Monday to Friday 8am–7pm, and 8am–noon on Saturdays, while telephone offices open daily 8am–10pm; in rural regions and smaller towns, expect hours to be shorter for both services. Museums are usually closed on Mondays.
Phones
Although there are more mobile phones than residents in the country, many Ecuadorians still make their calls from the numerous public phone offices in every town and city in the country, which are usually the cheapest and most convenient places for you to make local and national calls too. The nationalized telephone service is operated by CNT (Corporación Nacional de Telecomunicaciones), though you might still find offices with the old livery of Andinatel (in the north) and Pacífictel (in the south and Galápagos); and Etapa for Cuenca. Inside the phone office you’ll normally be allocated a cabin (cabina) where you make the call, and then you pay afterwards.
In many cities, the nationalized phone offices are quickly being superseded by private offices, which often have longer opening hours and lower rates. The mobile phone companies Movistar and Claro also operate phone offices and card-operated phone kiosks, which can receive incoming calls; cards specific to each company can be bought at nearby shops. These only tend to be economical, however, if calling mobile phones of the same company.
International calls with CNT cost less than $0.50 per minute for most countries, though Skype and other internet-based telephone services are by far the cheapest option for calling home.
Phoning from hotels is convenient, but usually involves a big surcharge; check prices before using a hotel phone.
Mobile phones
The three Ecuadorian networks use GSM 850 (Movistar and Claro) and GSM 1900 (CNT), as well as 3G 850 and 1700/2100Mhz for LTE (4G), the latter is slowly being rolled out. However, roaming is not cheap, so if you expect to use your mobile phone often, you should consider buying a local SIM card; take identification. In addition, note that the SAE sells secondhand phones.
CALLING HOME FROM ABROAD
The initial zero in omitted from the area code when dialling the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand from abroad.
Australia international access code + 61
New Zealand international access code + 64
UK international access code + 44
US and Canada international access code + 1
Republic of Ireland international access code + 353
South Africa international access code + 27
USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS
Police, fire, emergencies 911
National operator 100
International operator 116 & 117
ECUADORIAN AREA CODES
Only use the prefix when calling from outside the area or when using a mobile phone. Drop the zero if calling from outside Ecuador.
02 Quito and Pichincha, Santo Domingo
03 Bolívar, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Pastaza
04 Guayaquil and Guayas, Santa Elena
05 Manabí, Los Ríos, Galápagos
06 Carchi, Imbabura, Esmeraldas, Sucumbíos, Napo, Orellana
07 Cuenca and Azuay, Cañar, El Oro, Loja, Morona-Santiago,
Zamora-Chinchipe
09 Mobile phones
593 Ecuador country code
Photography
If you’re using a non-digital camera, consider bringing fast film (400 ASA and above) for the gloom of jungles and forests, while 200 ASA is more appropriate for the brighter conditions elsewhere. It’s best to bring your own film and batteries from home, but both are available in the bigger cities; check the expiry dates before purchase. You can transfer pictures taken with a digital camera onto disk or have them printed in the larger tourist centres to free up space on memory cards. Rechargeable batteries are ideal, as the shelf-life of batteries bought in the Amazon or on the coast is often badly affected by heat and humidity.
You’ll get best results when the sun is lowest in the sky, as you’ll lose detail and nuance in the high contrasts cast by harsh midday light, though you can reduce heavy shadows using fill-in flash. In the Andes, sunlight is most likely between 6am and 10 am. Mountaineers with digital cameras should take their batteries out while climbing and carry them somewhere warm under their clothes; cold batteries lose power in seconds, usually just when you want to take that spectacular mountaintop sunrise. Always respect people’s privacy and never take someone’s photograph without asking first; usually they will be flattered or they may ask for a small fee.
Time
Ecuador is five hours behind GMT (the same as US Eastern Standard Time, falling back an hour during daylight savings time), and the Galápagos Islands are six hours behind GMT (or one hour behind US EST).
Tipping
In smarter places, a ten percent service charge will automatically be added to your bill; tipping above this is only warranted for exceptional service. Cheaper restaurants will not usually expect you to leave a tip, although it’s very welcome if you do. Airport and hotel porters should be tipped, as should the people who watch your car for you if you’ve parked in a street. Taxi drivers don’t normally get a tip, but will often round up the fare. Guides are tipped depending on the length of your stay or trip, from a couple of dollars to over ten. Tour crews in the Galápagos also receive tips.
Toilets
In toilets, the bin by your feet is for your toilet paper – apart from at smarter hotels, the plumbing can’t generally cope with it being flushed. Public toilets are most common at bus terminals, where you’ll see them signposted as baños or SS HH (the abbreviation for servicios higiénicos); women are damas or mujeres and men caballeros or hombres. Often there’s an attendant who sells toilet paper at the door. It’s a good idea to carry some paper (papel higiénico) with you, wherever you are.
Tourist information
There’s a Ministry of Tourism ( ecuador.travel) information office,
sometimes labelled “iTur”, in every provincial capital and the main tourist
centres. Some offices won’t have an English-speaker on hand, but almost all have
rudimentary maps, lists of hotels and restaurants, leaflets and probably basic
information on any sites of interest in the area. Many regional centres also
have tourist offices run by the municipality, which can be as good or better
than their government counterparts.
TRAVEL WEBSITES
GOVERNMENT WEBSITES
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs dfat.gov.au, smartraveller.gov.au.
British Embassy in Quito ukinecuador.fco.gov.uk.
British Foreign & Commonwealth Office gov.uk/fco.
Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs voyage.gc.ca.
Ecuador Tourism Ministry ecuador.travel.
Irish Department of Foreign Affairs foreignaffairs.gov.ie.
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs mft.govt.nz.
South African Department of Foreign Affairs dfa.gov.za.
US State Department travel.state.gov.
Travelling with children
Ecuadorians love children and usually go out of their way to make life as easy as possible for those travelling with children. Tourists can be a bit of a puzzle to the many Ecuadorians who have never left the country, but parents and their children represent something everyone understands – a family. Foreign children are something of a novelty, particularly outside the big cities, and will usually quickly attract the attention of local kids, who’ll want to have a look and a chat. Before long, the whole family will be out too, and social barriers will quickly crumble.
You and especially your children will get the most out of such openness if you take some time to learn some Spanish. Children can pick it up very quickly when immersed for a week or three, and most language schools are very accommodating of their needs. You’ll be amazed at the heart-melting effect it will have on even the surliest Ecuadorian when they hear your child speak in their own tongue.
Ecuadorian food doesn’t tend to be a big issue for children; old favourites like fried chicken or breaded fish and French fries are available just about everywhere.
Child discounts
For most travel, children pay half-price, and on a few things, such as trains, they go for free. Long-distance buses are an exception and full fares have to be paid for each seat, though if the trip isn’t too long and the child not too big, they can sit on your lap without charge and even be plonked on a chair whenever the bus clears. Longer bus journeys can be wearisome for children, so try to break up any lengthy hauls into smaller chunks, which will also allow you to see more on the way. If a big trip is unavoidable, consider taking an internal flight as these are relatively cheap for adults, while children under 12 go for half-price and under-2s pay just ten percent. In rural areas, you’ll often find people will offer you a ride, through kindness, when they see you walking with a child.
Children will also regularly get half-price rates for their accommodation, and occasionally be let off for free, particularly if young.
Travellers with disabilities
South America is not the friendliest of destinations for travellers with disabilities, and, sadly, Ecuador is no exception. In all but the very newest public buildings, you’re unlikely to find much in the way of ramps, widened doorways or disabled toilets. Pavements are often narrow and full of obstructions.
About 12 percent of Ecuadorians have a disability, and many manage with the assistance of others. Some of the smarter city hotels do cater for disabled guests and Quito’s segregated bus systems afford access too, at least outside rush hour when it’s not too crowded to get on in the first place. Travelling further afield in Ecuador is likely to throw up difficulties, and you may have to forego the idyllic rustic cabañas in the middle of nowhere for a luxury chain hotel, or substitute local buses for taxis or internal flights.
Women travellers
Travelling as a lone woman in Ecuador presents no major obstacles and can be very rewarding – if you are prepared to put up with the occasional annoyance and take a few simple precautions. Unwanted attention is the most common irritation and has to be borne most often by fair-haired women or those who most obviously look foreign; dressing or behaving provocatively is only likely to make the situation worse. Being whistled, hissed or kissed at is part of the territory, but these situations are more a nuisance than a danger and the accepted wisdom is to pointedly ignore the perpetrators – shouting at them will only encourage them.
More serious cases of sexual assault are a concern in Ecuador for lone women; minimize the risks by treating known danger situations with caution. Beaches are regarded as unsafe for women alone; generally anyone, even in groups, should stay off beaches at night. Avoid walking alone after dark anywhere and hiking alone. If you become the victim of rape or sexual assault, report the incident immediately to the police and your embassy in Quito. It must be stressed that most Ecuadorians are friendly and respectful of solo female travellers, and few experience problems while travelling through the country.
Sanitary protection comes most commonly in the form of towels, with tampons being hard to get hold of outside the cities.