Summary of Ecuador

Given that I have (finally) finished writing up our experiences in Ecuador, I thought it would be good to have a brief recap and summary:

Highlights

Galapagos Cruise

I am well aware that this is a total cop-out, given that the cruise was over a period of six days and included a multitude of different, amazing experiences, but I could easily have written about any of the activities from our time onboard the Beluga. So, it was easier to just lump them all together as one big highlight. The Galapagos Islands are just a magical place and are totally different to anywhere else we have been. The cruise we took was probably our favourite time during the whole eleven months of travelling, so it definitely deserves to be at the top of this list. From snorkelling with penguins and sea lions, to walking across barren lava fields, to watching glowing dolphins swimming next to the boat; there were any number of experiences that we will never forget. To recap our experiences on the cruise, then please click here; whilst you could also look back over the extra time we spent on Santa Cruz and San Cristobal Islands.

Amazon Rainforest

Another cop-out, given that this was many experiences over five days. We had an amazing time at the Cuyabeno Nature Reserve. Spotting wildlife, spending time on the waterways, and learning about the culture of the indigenous peoples were just some of the fantastic activities we got to do. If you want to have another read about our time there, then please click here.

Birdwatching in Mindo

I really liked Mindo as a destination. It is small, relaxed and has a good variety of activities that you can choose from. My favourite part was probably the birdwatching opportunities. This includes the hummingbirds at the Alambi Gardens, trying to find toucans at the Yellow House, and just sitting in the garden of our accommodation and watching the birds fluttering between the trees. Mindo does, however, offer much more, and you can read about our time there by clicking here.

The Quilotoa Crate Lake

The endpoint of our ‘Quilotoa Loop’ was the beautiful Quilotoa Crater Lake. Whilst the hike will be mentioned in another section of this post, the crater lake itself is pretty stunning and well worth a visit. Whilst most of the photos on the internet show the lake as being an amazing blue, the colour actually depends a lot on the weather. When we were there, it was a surprising green, but this just made our experience a bit more unexpected.

Amaru Bioparque in Cuenca

In terms of cities in Ecuador, we really liked Cuenca. It had a more relaxed atmosphere and was generally safer to just wander around. Our favourite activity in Cuenca was probably the Amaru Bioparque. Whilst I’m not normally a fan of zoos, this reserve was well made and certainly seemed to have conservation and education at the forefront of its efforts. It was really cool to be able to properly see animals that we’d only seen at great distances in the Amazon. If you’re interested in recapping about Amaru Bioparque and the other things we got up to in Cuenca, then please click here.

Lowlights

I am well aware that this isn’t the proper use of the word, but I feel that it fits in with what I’m trying to say – experiences that are not necessarily bad, but could have been better.

The weather in mainland Ecuador

This is partly our fault for travelling in Ecuador during October and November, but given that most of our activities were based in the outdoors, the weather definitely had a negative impact on our trip.

For instance, we still had a good time visiting Cotopaxi, but the weather prevented us getting the postcard-perfect views of the snow capped volcano and also made the walk part of the way up the volcano more challenging. Another example was during our trip to Laguna Cuicocha, where the low-lying cloud and rain spoiled what could have been some amazing views (we also made the mistake of visiting as part of a multi-destination tour, rather than having a day to hike around the crater).

The main problem we had with the weather was during the Quilotoa Loop. Luckily it was not constantly bad for the whole time, but on each of the three days of hiking we had to contend with torrential rain, thunder storms and / or hailstones. This literally and figuratively put a dampener on the whole experience. As well as it being thoroughly unpleasant hiking when you’re soaked through (despite having waterproof gear), the weather caused issues with the path itself in places, and caused a lot of stress when having to hike on exposed hillsides during lightning. Even without the weather issues, it’s possible that the hike may have still found itself in this section of the post. Don’t get me wrong, there were nice parts to the walk and it was generally pleasant, as well as having good options for accommodation along the way; but having recently completed amazing hikes around Cusco and Huaraz in Peru, the Quilotoa Loop was a bit underwhelming.

So if you’re planning on visiting Ecuador and you want to spend most of your time in the outdoors, then at least consider what would be the best time of the year to go. This might still not get you great weather, but at least it should give you better odds.

Protests

Whilst I’m not actually against the causes of the strikes and protests; and I was already aware that this would be part of the experience of travelling in South America; the protests did cause us quite a bit of hassle, so they find themselves in this section of the post.

The main impact came when we were in Banos. If it wasn’t for the thoughtfulness and help from Fernanda in our hostel in Quito, we might easily have been stuck and missed our trip to the Galapagos. Given that this was probably the best part of our whole year away, it could have been an absolute nightmare. As it happened, we were lucky in only having to cut short our time in Banos – a small price to pay for getting to the Galapagos!

So just please be aware that you really do have to be flexible when travelling around South America.

Safety concerns

Firstly, I’d like to reiterate that we didn’t actually have a single issue in terms of muggings, robberies, theft or violence of any kind during our time in Ecuador. Secondly, obviously you need to be careful when travelling – not just in South America, but anywhere.

Having said that, when you’re in a place where it is potentially dangerous and you’re repeatedly being warned about it, then it does lead to negative feelings. This was especially the case in Quito. We were told by all locals we met about how dangerous the city had recently become, and how, after a certain time or when it got dark, you shouldn’t walk around. We were even told that we should get a taxi to a restaurant two streets down and when we got there, the restaurant was all locked up and we had to ring the bell to be admitted. This contributed to not having the greatest of impressions of Quito and if we were to ever come back to Ecuador, we probably wouldn’t base ourselves there. To balance this point, places like Mindo, Banos and Cuenca felt much safer.

No Post Office

This last point is a bit tongue-in-cheek, and actually turned out to be a sort-of highlight. I’m mainly putting it down here because I want to remember it. During our travels we wanted to send a postcard home from each country, including the stamps and postmarks, to put together as a souvenir. Well, because of COVID the post office in Ecuador had actually closed down. So that disappointingly put an end to our plan at only the second country, or so we thought… Well, in the Galapagos we ended up putting a post card in a barrel where tourists could take them and post them when they got back home. Some unknown German tourists kindly did just that, so it arrived a few months later! Whilst the stamp and postmark were from Germany, the cool story more than makes up for it. Then, before we left Quito for the final time, we left a written post card and some money with Fernanda in our hostel, to post if the post office ever re-opened. Over a year later the post office did in fact re-open, and Fernanda not only still had the post card but remembered to send it. Meaning we got our Ecuadorian stamped postcard after all. So, I guess with hindsight and on an overall balance, this should probably go in the highlights section based on the kindness of people we met (and didn’t meet)!

What to do next time

I think we managed to fit in a fantastic amount into the six weeks we spent in Ecuador, but there is certainly more to see. This is just a few places or activities that we came across and didn’t get to do, but would like to next time if we ever come back.

Visit the village of Vilcabamba

We met numerous travellers who spoke very highly about this little village, which is situated right at the southern tip of Ecuador. Admittedly, some of these people had gone there to try ayahuasca, but plenty of others had just enjoyed the relaxed, authentic atmosphere and the access to nice hiking routes. Annoyingly, we would probably have passed by if we had been able to travel from Peru to Ecuador by bus, but due to COVID all of our movement between countries needed to be done by plane.

Explore El Cajas National Park

Accessible from Cuenca, this national park is supposed to be beautiful. So it would be nice to base ourselves in Cuenca and then spend time hiking and enjoying the natural setting.

Walk the Inca Trail and visit Ingapirca

Ingapirca is the largest and best preserved Incan site in Ecuador. It could be accessed on it’s own as a day trip, or as part of a multi-day trek along the ancient Inca Trail. It may not be as spectacular as its better-known namesake in Peru, but I would imagine it would still be a fantastic experience.

Climb a Volcano

Ecuador is home to many volcanoes and it is possible to climb a whole host of them. We met people who had climbed volcanoes in multiple locations across Ecuador, but we ended up not having the time nor the weather to attempt one ourselves. We did walk on Cotopaxi, but not on a proper trek to the summit. Luckily, we did manage to complete a volcano summit several months later in Chile…

Check out the coastal region

During our trip to mainland Ecuador we only spend time in the central region. However, mainland Ecuador also has a few places that are renowned for their beaches and surfing, such as Montanita and Canoa. Whilst my only previous attempt at surfing in Indonesia was a complete disaster, I’d be up for giving it another go. Another coastal attraction is the Isla de la Plata, or the ‘Poor Man’s Galapagos’. This small island has a lot of exciting wildlife and if you go between June and September, you may be lucky enough to spot humpback whales during their migration.

Take a ‘tourist train’

In Ecuador there are six rail routes that are not used for transport, but rather for tourists to see and access beautiful and interesting parts of Ecuador. Unfortunately, they were all closed during COVID so we didn’t get the chance to try one. But I certainly feel that they would make for a fun day trip.

Final thoughts

Whilst I have already waxed lyrical about the Galapagos Islands and it is obvious how highly we rate them as a travel destination, mainland Ecuador is also an amazing place to visit. This is especially the case if you enjoy wildlife watching, with the Amazon Rainforest fairly easily accessible and other little gems, such as Mindo, being world-renowned for their bird-watching opportunities.

I’m glad I’ve finally managed to finish writing up our experiences in Ecuador and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about them. Next stop, Colombia…