Ecuador
Ecuador is a country that is skipped by many.. but adored by anyone who visits!
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A question I hear a lot from travellers, is whether or not Ecuador is worth going to.. With most people not giving it a chance and choosing to fly over this incredible country in favour of the more well known, big hitters of Peru or Colombia.
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Without even a second thought, my answer is always YES! You have to visit! Ecuador is massively underrated. When you look at what this country has to offer, you will be very surprised. One day you can be lazing around on the beach, to the next day floating down the Amazon River, spotting pink dolphins. One day you can be climbing a volcano and the next balancing on the Equator line. Another day you can be exploring the magical Galapagos islands and the next, you can be swinging yourself off the edge of a cliff while admiring the view below! Yeah, you get the point and I could go on!
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This country is so diverse, and has to be seen to be believed, get your bags packed and book a flight! This amazing place is waiting for you to explore its endless offerings and to experience its admirable culture.
Planning a trip to Ecuador?
Our first stop in Ecuador was the market town of Otavalo, to visit the famous Otavalo Saturday Market. A town that during the week can be like a ghost town but come Saturday, it sparks to life! You can find everything here from authentic alpaca jumpers, live animals, extraordinary paintings, to real silver. This market really does have everything, but be careful of what you are buying. Due to its huge popularity many tourists have been conned here, paying premium prices for lets say, not very premium items. You will find a lot of tourists visiting here on day trips from Quito, so this place really does fill up with thousands of people looking for that perfect alpaca jumper. Sometimes you can feel like your walking past a buffet at a family party, seeing the same things over and over again, but if you like the hustle and bustle, then get bartering and you may come away with an absolute bargain!
The next stop on the gringo trail is the capital, Quito. Now I'll be honest, we weren't huge fans of this capital but it does have a lot to offer. Standing at 2850m above sea level it is the second highest capital city in the world! Quito is also home to the Equator line, which is definitely worth a visit to see the effects gravity have either side of the line.
For us, Quito was also the jumping off point to The Amazon, after a long overnight bus and canoe ride, we were lucky enough to stay at Nicki Lodge, deep in the Amazon. Spending our days floating down the river looking out for the most incredible creatures, and traipsing through the rainforest searching for all kinds of insects and nocturnal creatures. Spending our nights, falling asleep or in some cases kept solidly awake to the constant sounds of the mysterious jungle. However, the highlight was definitely the interaction we had with a tribe that survives living deep in the jungle. Visiting this tribe will forever live in my memory, having being fascinated by indigenous tribes for many years it was a dream come true to experience first hand how these incredible people live.
After returning from the Amazon, with our minds still mesmerized by the mysterious world that we have just left. We decided to head to Banos, a town that is a firm favourite with all travellers. Whether it be cycling along the route of the waterfalls to visit the hugely powerful 'Pailon del Diablo' waterfall, or trekking in the surrounding hills or zip-ling across huge canyons, white water rafting or swinging off the edge of a cliff to get that picture! Banos really is a adrenaline junkies dream and we loved it!
Our next stop was a polar opposite experience from the highs of Banos. A lot of the best experiences when travelling come along when you least expect them. More so, when following advice from travellers heading the opposite way to you. You manage to pick up so many different tips and tricks from endless amounts of travellers and more often that not, the ones that you have never heard about or fixed into your plans, turn out to be the best! After endless recommendations we decided to head out into rural Ecuador and trek the Quilotoa Loop, a self guided trek through rural villages over 3 days to finish up at the jaw-dropping crater lake of Quilotoa. Trekking from village to village with nothing but hand written instructions (in broken English, if you're lucky), walking through some of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen.
Our next stop through Ecuador was the colonial city of Cuenca, dubbed as the prettiest city in the country. We wandered the streets camera in hand, trying to capture its beauty. Visiting the local coffee shops, learning about their homegrown coffee and how they make it. Cuenca offered a much calmer experience, as we spent our days at a pace no faster than a stroll.
For the beach lovers amongst you, the coast of Ecuador is where it is at! From the party town of Montanita, to the quieter beach towns of Ayampe, Mompiche and Atacames. There is a lot of time that can be spent here and also a lot of money, that is if you want to head to The Galapagos Islands, one of the most magical places on Earth! However, if you don't have the money for this (Like most travellers) head to Isla de la Plata AKA, the poor mans Galapagos, to get your blue footed booby fix! Another place that we unfortunately didn't reach was Mindo, you can explore the cloud forest and its plentiful birdlife! But our biggest regret was not having the opportunity to climb the staggering Cotopaxi volcano due to severe weather warnings, so definitely add this to your list!
Getting around..
Ecuador is a small country, well it is in South America anyway! So the main way of transport will be buses, some will be overnight, some are doable during the day. However, as you will hear along your travels, Ecuador does have a bad reputation for theft and bag slashing! So make sure never to put your bag down by your feet or up in the overhead compartment or you may find that your bag will become a statistic.. Make sure to keep all your belongings hidden and your bag on your lap at all times. Please don't let this put you off visiting, just be sensible and take care of your valuables! When buying bus tickets just head down to the bus station to buy them, this will always be your cheapest option and sometimes the day before is the best idea to make sure that there is room for the long journeys!
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A useful website to use is Busbud.com!
Our Route..
Useful Info
- Capital City: Quito
- Time Difference: GMT minus six hours.
- Language Spoken: The official language here is Spanish. Although the indigenous language of Quechua is also spoken. Along with many other Amazonian dialects.
- Local Cuisine: Ecuador has numerous must try dishes, my favourite has to be the Llapingachos (basically fried potato and cheese pancakes), a very popular dish here is also Hornado (A whole spit-roasted pig, which is commonly found in most food markets), you can also sample some amazing Cerviche (marinated raw fish) here, the best being found along the coast. There are some great snacks to be had also, pick up a bag of chochos (mixed beans) or grosellas con sal (mango with salt) or tostado (andean corn nuts) and popcorn is another popular snack here! But the final must try dish has to be the local delicacy of Cuy or to me and you, Guinea Pig. Yeah that's right, GUINEA PIG! To us, nothing more than a lovable pet, but to Ecuadorians and certain other Latin Americans,
this is a delicious sit down meal!
- Local Beers & Drink: The most common beers here are Club & Pilsener but my favourite is Brahma! & if you want to fit in with the locals, you should try Chicha (Fermented Yucca, commonly drank in the Amazon).
- Visa: Not required for most nationalities for stays up to 90 days.
- Entrance & Exit Fee: No fees for British citizens.
- Proof of Onward Travel: Not necessary.
- Currency & Exchange rate (Aug 2018): The US Dollar (USD) £1 = $1.27 USD
- Useful prices to note;
- 1 night in a hostel (Dorm Bed) = $6.30 - $12.70 USD / £5 - £10
- (Private Double Room) = $12.70 - $38.10 USD / £10 - £30
- 1 local beer = $1 USD / £0.78
- A typical meal for one = $1 - $5 USD / £0.78 - £3.90
- Average cost of a bus journey = This worked out to be roughly $1 USD / £1.27 per hour journey.
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US Dollar (USD) / British Pound (£)
Our must visit place..
As with many countries, this is a hard choice but I have to say, even though this isn't solely one place, hiking the QUILOTOA LOOP was the highlight! Heading out there with no expectations and being blown away by the kindness of the local people and the indescribable beauty of rural Ecuador. This has to be our must visit place!
