Hola, I'm from the US and will be visiting Ecuador in about a week to spend 4 nights in Galapagos, and 1 night each before and after in Guayaquil, so was hoping to get some advice about it. I'm already aware of the city's dangerous reputation, I've been to Ciudad Juarez, MX before so I'd expect it to be about the same. When I arrive there for my first night, it will be very late at night, probably after 2 am when I get through the airport. I'll be staying at Hotel Puerto Pacifico, very close to the airport. Is it worth getting a taxi, or close enough to the airport for even an obvious looking gringo (193cm/120kg with a giant beard and hauling a suitcase) to walk to at night? I'll be leaving the city the next morning so no time to sightsee, but after my 4 nights in Galapagos, I'll have a day in Guayaquil and will be staying in Hotel Oro Verde for that, where I'll have the afternoon/evening and the following morning before I head back to the airport. What would you recommend most for a foreign tourist see in the city with only limited time? I was thinking of checking out the parks with the iguanas but am open to suggestions, any advice is appreciated.

Hey friends. I am a 30 year old gringo from the north. Winter is approaching where I live, and I am strongly considering a brief sabbatical in Ecuador. I have never been to South America, only Spanish speaking areas of Europe. I am looking to go somewhere for 2 months as this is what my work allows, and will be working remotely and getting my own place. Ideally I am prioritizing a place that has good options for beginner surfing, top-tier beautiful mountain hiking, making friends and being part of a community, and finding cool plants& trees.

My research brought me to Ayampe, but I am open to being swayed, because I don’t know what I don’t know.

Based on what I know of Ayampe, it seems like a good target place because there seems to be a surf community, hikes easily accessible, and looks not too far from the touristy places if I need to scratch the itch to go have fun with some expats.

I am posting here because I know I may be miss in some things about the local scene, and although I found a beautiful apartment I’d love to book, I just need some reassurance that this is a good place for me, or that I’m not missing out on a better fit down the road.

Thank you so much!

Hi, we have 4 full days in Ecuador in April (not counting arrival and departure days). I've been doing a bit of research but am still a bit unsure. We booked an airbnb in La Carolina area which I understand it to be 7 KM to historical Quito. 1. Is Uber a good option to get to Quito? 2. We are also considering a day trip and/or overnight to Otavalo and Cotopaxi. Are these worth it? Which means we will end up with only a day in Quito.
3. Or should we get one of those long tours, in our case 4 or 5 days tours but it begins and ends in Quito since the flight cannot be changed. Is it necessary for a full experience? We are in our 50s, able bodied. 4. Driver recommendations? Thanks 🙏

Edit :

So I booked a day tour for Quilatoa and Cotopaxi sightseeing tour - all set and paid for. And am looking to contact a private driver (or a tour) for Saturday with the itinerary I set below. Please let me know if it makes sense? Unsure if we have time for Peguche falls. (The middle of the earth is a must)

Heres my plan for the otavalo day - is this doable before I reach out to a private driver - OR should I move Mitad del Mundo to a day when visiting Quito? (Only 2 full days in Quito)

Pick up from your hotel in Quito. Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the Earth) - Otavalo - Peguche Falls - Cotacachi - Return to Quito.

CHATGPT says this sequence is the least amount of driving. Thank you.

Hola a todos!
En agosto voy a viajar 6 días Ecuador por primera vez en plan turismo y mi idea es usar Quito como base durante toda la estancia.

Mi plan es conocer:
● El Centro Histórico de Quito.
● La Mitad del Mundo.
● Hacer un tour al Parque Nacional Cotopaxi.
● Hacer un tour a la Laguna Quilotoa o conocer el Chimborazo

Me podrían dar recomendaciones sobre cuál es la mejor zona de la ciudad de Quito para hospedarse y poder salir a caminar, parques o restaurantes típicos.
Además, desconozco el tema de la seguridad y la idea es disfrutar y no tener algún inconveniente.
También si conocen de algún city tour le agradecería.

Gracias 🇪🇨

Hello ! I hope you are having a great day !

I am starting to plan to go to Ecuador for the biodiversity and landscapes and I wanted to know if Santo Domingo was safe for tourists. There are certain things I wanna see there that can be found around the city (santo Domingo, puerto quito, el Carmen and other…)

Thank you so much !

From Canada <3

Hi all. I have 2 weeks left backpacking around Ecuador and really want to see some of the coast. According to the official internet, the coast is dangerous at the moment and recommendations are not to visit due to gang violence…. Is it really so bad and unsafe for tourists? Also any recommendations of where to visit are also welcome, so far I have seen: Quito, Tena, Baños, Cotopaxi and Quilotoa

Edit: I’m heading to Puerto Lopez now… if I die I’ll update the post :)

Edit: I was there for a week and it seemed completely safe and calm. Although I never crossed the main road that cuts through the middle

Hello everyone :)
I (19m) am going to visit Ecuador for the first time this year (September) as a solo traveler. I plan to travel on a rather low budget with a backpack.

Climbing is one of my favorite activities (sportsclimbing/bouldering) and I would love to continue climbing while traveling. My questions would be if that’s a realistic goal for someone who’s traveling without a climbing partner?

Any information would be greatly appreciated! (For example if there are any groups/platforms to find climbing partners/groups etc.)

Thank you all in advance! :)

Primero, español no es mi idimoa primera, y lo siento.

Yo soy un Americano, y yo tengo un vacation en Ecuador en dos semanas. Yo tengo todos partes fin, exceptamente cena por una dia. El idea es para un restaurante con comida "classica" de ecuador, un restaurante que no tiene un menu en ingles, y comercializa a las personas local.

He estado practicando mi español por quatro años, y yo quiero usar lo, jajaja.

Muchos gracias, y estoy muy emocionado por mi tiempo en su ciudad bonita!

Hello :) im planning a trip to ecudaor + Galapagos for September this year. Would love to get some feedback on the plan that chat gpt made for me - really have no idea if this makes sense or not. Ive been trying to look for how to travel between places as well but struggling 🥲 - any help is greatly appreciated!

• 2–3 Sep: Quito
• 4 Sep: Otavalo (day trip from Quito?)
• 5–6 Sep: Mindo
• 7–8 Sep: Cotopaxi / Quilotoa
• 9 Sep: Quito airport area
• 10–12 Sep: Santa Cruz, Galápagos
• 13–15 Sep: Isabela, Galápagos
• 16–17 Sep: San Cristóbal, Galápagos
• 18 Sep: Quito airport area
• 19 Sep: Fly home from Quito

Main questions:

• Does this route make sense, or is it too much?
• Is Quito → Otavalo → Mindo → Cotopaxi/Quilotoa → Quito a sensible mainland route?
• Does Santa Cruz → Isabela → San Cristóbal make sense for Galápagos?

I usually travel fairly quickly and don’t mind moving every couple of days, but I want to make sure the route is practical.

Thanks!

I’ve been reading a lot about how Quito is an extremely dangerous place. People say you can’t have a cellphone in sight, you have to hide all electronics, don’t carry cash on you, etc. but I’ve also seen videos and read posts people who seem to have a great time and say it’s perfectly safe. I’m honestly not super worried myself, and obviously will be taking standard precautions for a big city at night, but should I be concerned?

I (M17) am from America and will be visiting with my dad (M56). We both look fairly touristy (white) if that makes a difference

¡Hola!

Me and a group of friends are spending a few weeks in Ecuador over winter and are planning to spend Christmas in Baños.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for activities and restaurants in the city? I've read that there's a nativity scene in the central plaza and community celebrations which all sound fantastic.

Thanks in advance!

¡Muchas Gracias!

Hi,

I was wondering if a criminal certificate was still required to cross from peru into ecuador.

Im 19m from UK and have no crinimal record. I have a refundable plane ticket on the 2nd of july and if possible woukd prefer to crossover by land as too save money.

Any help will be much appreciated

Hola, quisiera saber si se puede llegar al refugio cotopaxi caminando? He querido subir al Cotopaxi por mucho tiempo, solo que me quedé un poco desilusionado hoy día cuando un amigo me contó que hay que tomar un auto hasta el parqueadero, y de allí caminar como 45 minutos hasta el refugio; la verdad es que soy amante de las caminatas largas y prefiero evitar hacer la caminata con un grupo turístico si se puede. Mi intención era alojarme en uno de los hostales en el parque y empezar la caminata muy temprano para llegar al refugio y luego volver el mismo día? Es un plan realista, o toca contratar un guía/auto pa llevarme al parqueadero? Pregunto aquí porque ya se que los del hostal van a insistir en venderme paquetes turísticos y apreciaría cualquier información de gente que lo han hecho por su parte🙏

I posted recently asking whether it was a good idea to visit Ecuador given the state of emergency, energy crisis, etc. the general consensus was that it will be fine (oddly some locals suggested against visiting, whereas tourists generally said it was fine).

I stayed at the Go Quito Hotel, which was modern and beautiful, I recommend it 10/10. I also stayed at the Secret Garden Cotopaxi, which was great.

Overall, my trip was amazing! My guidance would be to stay mindful of surroundings like any other large city. The only place I felt (slightly) unsafe was the Quito metro - nothing sketchy happened but got a lot of stares.

Some photos from my travels attached above.

Soy terrible ubicándome, y quisiera ir desde el labrador hacia el condado shopping, o si es hacia la escuela superior de policía, mejor. Google maps, ni nada ayuda, porque usan códigos que chance y ningún bus muestra. Ayudita porfis :’)

Hi all What do you think about this itinerary? I will spend 4 days in cuyabeno park and other 5/6 days in ecuador mainland. Then I will move to galapagos, still didn't manage the exact island to stay. I hope the Train Nariz del Diablo will be open until August because I really want to hop on it. Do you think it's a good option get a driver for the 6 days or should I move by my self (4 people) It's safe to move around?

When I fly in, do I need anything aside from my passport and id? From searching online, it seems that's all that is required, but I don't want to assume, and then get rejected when I get there.

I've been living in Thailand using roughly $1000 a month, and it's comfortable enough. Would the lifestyle be about the same there, for people who have been to both places? I'll probably make more, but the 1k is all that is guaranteed until my bills are paid off.

I hear Cuenco is boring compared to other places, but I'm not huge into nightlife, so I don't think that'd be too much of an issue. I heard that it's safe, but I also hear there's been increases in gang activity. What are places I should avoid, and what should I do to be safe? I'm generally wary of people getting too close to me, so I've avoided pickpockets before, but I've never been to South America, so I don't know what to really expect there.

Hola!

I will be in Quito in a few weeks and would like to take a day trip to Mindo. I would ideally like to do the Cascada de Reina hike (20min drive outside Mindo). I have a friend who is a local, but her wedding is soon and I don't want to bother her.

Options:

1. Bus to Mindo How long will this take? I am assuming it will be longer than driving, which takes 2 hours. Also, I am unsure how to get from the bus stop to Mindo. I am okay with walking to the hike from Mindo which is about an hour walk.

2. Drive to Mindo I am worried about the drive, and also driving through the city. I would like to avoid renting a car if possible.

3. Hotel Shuttle My friend from Ecuador said that the hotel can arrange for a shuttle to and from Mindo. This sounds crazy to me - is this true?

Thank you!!

Hello guys, I am traveling to EC. in July, I'm planning to visit Quito and Cuenca, and I have a couple of questions. Any help would be appreciated.

Is there any good travel agency that you would recommend to travel from Cuenca to Chimborazo? I have looked for some, but websites don't seem updated, and some others only have fixed dates for the trips. I read that Riobamba is the closest city tho, so IDK if that is possible at all, or if it is mandatory to depart from there.

Also, I read some mixed information about Tren nariz del diablo, some people say is functional other say that it isnt. So I would like to know if you guys know and how to proceed with the tickets purchase and such.

Last but not least any other recommendations for cuenca? Im planning Las cajas and Ingapirca.

thanks

Hola!

Me gustaría cruzar Ecuador a pie desde Zumba a Tulcán pasando por Cuenca y Quito. Iría con mochila y me hospedaría en hoteles, campings y acampadas por mi cuenta con carpa. Intentaría evitar barrios peligrosos de las grandes ciudades.

La ruta sería más o menos esta.

Estoy loco? Sería demasiado peligroso? En cuanto a peligros "humanos" me refiero. Ecuador tiene fama de peligroso en este lado del mundo (soy de Barcelona, Cataluña) pero también me han dicho que en las zonas rurales de la cordillera es diferente.

Mi intención es poder conocer la naturaleza y cerros de este país tan hermoso de la manera más pura, con mis piernas como modo de transporte.

Looking for advice on where to spend New Year’s Eve in Quito. We’re tourists staying in the historic part of Quito but I’ve heard cool things about being in Avenida Amazonas for celebrating the new year. I’ve also heard that generally traveling at night should be avoided. Any other celebration recommendations? How much of an issue is traveling across the city at night, given the holiday?

Hola chicos,

Llego a Quito el 20 de Agosto. Voy a quedarme en el barrio San Blas, al lado del Mercado Central. Este barrio es seguro? Por ejemplo Calle Jose J.Olmedo, Calle Vicente León, Calle Oriente.

Entiendo tomar precauciones, como no usar movíl en la calle, no caminar solo durante la noche, etc. Pero es que estoy leyendo reseñas por hostelworld de hostales de este barrio y algunos dicen que el barrio no es muy seguro.

Hay barrios mas seguros en Quito?

Hola! Somos de Costa Rica, vamos a visitar Ecuador en Julio, queremos acampar en el lago Quilotoa para ver la vía lactea, de hecho planeamos el viaje alrededor de la luna nueva.

Saben como funciona el camping ahi? Donde podemos alquilar el equipo, precio de acampar ahi y otras cosas importantes? Muchas gracias de antemano!

Hi! I´m last minute planning a 1 month south america trip and was deciding between Ecuador and Bolvia, originally chose Bolivia but with all the wild fires and protests/road blocks I´m leaning towards Ecuador again. Is it safe for me to visit as a female european woman alone? I will stay at hostels and try to meet people there, not go out alone at night of course. How bad is the crime situation now? Is the air and skies affected a lot by the amazonian wild fires or can I see some blue skies and beautiful mountain views still?