So it looks like I’ll be in Ecuador for about a month in July and August- what’s worth seeing? Are there any short (three to five day) hikes or treks worth doing? What should I be aware of? Anything over-hyped and not worth seeing? Tell me what you know!
I’ve never been to Ecuador, but the first thing that comes to my mind is the Galapagos Islands. I know that politically they belong to Ecuador, but I do not know how long or expensive a trip it is from the mainland to there.
Most definitely Galapagos Islands. Even better if you dive (but you should book a dive boat - liveaboard, preferrably - soon).
Spent a little time in Guayaquil. Nice “board” walk, but that was about all I had time to see.
I haven’t been there in a long time - 8 years now. But I lived there for a few months. So, based on that…
Cuenca is a lovely old town - there are lots of churches and pretty cobbled streets and the like. By the river at night is dodgy - don’t go there. No idea what it’s like during the day. I stayed at a hostel called El Cafecito which has probably now gone out of business - but it was nice when we were there.
Guayaquil, I can’t really comment on - I spent most of my time sleeping, smoking and drinking there, because we stayed with friends. The Malecon (the seafront) was new when I was there and nice. No idea what it’s like now. The centre of town was a bit dodgy, apparently, though we never had trouble.
In the south, the village of Vilcabamba was awesome - I spent some of the most relaxing days of my life there. It’s full of ex-hippies, but I like hippies - and they run several-day horse-riding tours from there, which a friend of mine went on and came back raving about. (Loja, which is the town where you get the bus to Vilcabamba from, is a dump. Or at least was. Everyone we knew in Ecuador said it was lovely, but I saw absolutely nothing redeeming about it.)
The Galapagos cost a fortune, even once you’re in Ecuador. You fly from Quito or Guayaquil, they’re 1000km off the coast. Stunning once you’re there, obviously, but a significant cost. (Though I was broke when I was there, so YMMV - even with the residency discounts I got, it was almost out of reach for me though.)
Papallacta, up north of Quito is a bit remote, and high up so colder than the rest of the country, but has wonderful hot springs. They were the most developed and modern of the spring resorts we went to - there was one more that was much friendlier, but dirty - I can’t remember where it was. I’ll have a think, because the rest of that city was nice… But Papallacta was pretty and the springs were fantastic. There are buses from Quito, it takes maybe a couple of hours. (Don’t hitch a life back, it takes much, much longer.)
There are numerous companies offering tours into the jungle. Some of the rainforest tours looked good, but I never went on any so can’t recommend any. You can do bike rides down Cotopaxi (or one of the volcanos near Quito - maybe not Cotopaxi) that a friend of mine did. She thought they were awesome.
There’s a train ride from Riobamba - one of what were few trains in Ecuador at the time - called El Nariz del Diablo. You start off insanely early in the morning, it only runs once a day and probably not every day. It takes you through some stunning scenery - sit on the roof, if there’s space. The views are much better, and the train doesn’t go very fast. (Take suncream if it’s even vaguely sunny.)
Quito’s tourist district is (was) the Mariscal. Lots of bars, nightclubs, internet cafes. There was a really good English language bookshop there, too, with second hand books. Many internet cafes also do a trade in second hand books, as do a lot of expat-run bars and cafes, particularly in smaller towns and villages. The old town in Quito was a bit run down - keep your bag where you can see it, and watch out for pickpockets. Particularly around the bus station - that holds true for most bus stations, actually. They tend to be more dodgy places. And be careful generally, particularly outside the Mariscal, at nighttime. We never had trouble, but lots of people did - particularly in the old town.
There’s a huge market up north of Quito, in Otavalo. It only runs on some days, I think - but things are slightly cheaper there than in Quito itself, and it’s worth going to for the variety of crafts and things that are sold there. There’s also a lake near there, as I remember, with a volcano in the middle of it, that was stunning.
When I went, the north of Ecuador wasn’t safe for foreigners - there were lots of kidnappings and fallout from the Colombian fighting. It’s worth checking with your embassy/foreign office to see what travel advice they are issuing, in this instance. Sometimes the border with Peru got a bit iffy, too, though I think that’s mostly sorted out now.
I’ll come back if I think of anything else - give me a shout if you’ve got any questions you think I might be able to answer!