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A sense of Ecuador
Ecuador is a country with a stunning and diverse landscapes. However, tourists tend to fly straight through on an express trail to the Galapagos, without giving Ecuador the time it deserves. Take the time to explore the mainland of Ecuador with its jungle full of wildlife, a coastline blessed with perfect waves, modern cities, and culturally rich mountain towns, it seems there is something different for every type of traveller.
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Our observations and tips from our trip to Ecuador
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The main must-see attractions in Ecuador are the Galapagos Islands, Quito City, Guayaquil city, any of the volcanoes trips, Amazon jungle and gorgeous beaches.
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One thing you should definitely know is, that you can experience altitude sickness. When you land in Quito, you'll immediately be 2850 metres above sea level. If you plan to take the cable car trip up into the mountains, your get off point is already at over 4000 metres above sea level. The only way to avoid it is to acclimatise to the height and at the first sign of unexplained headache, turn around and descend and stay hydrated. Coca leaves, sold in small neighbourhood stalls, are a useful quick fix, as is coca tea.
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When we got our new passport stamp, we were handed out a pamphlet with a few tips on recognising a trustworthy taxi driver. According to it, all taxi drivers in Ecuador should have an orange license plate, a taxi meter, a panic button inside the car, and even a camera.
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There are two bus terminals in Quito, one in the north and the other in the south of the city. Buses are cheap and regular.
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The buses can be overcrowded, so keep all your valuables on your lap and not under or over your seat. Pilfering from tourists on overcrowded buses is quite common.
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Bus seat numbers are numbered in reverse order. Seat No.1 is at the back of the bus.
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The roads in Ecuador are surprisingly in very good condition, making journeys by car or bus very pleasant.
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Make sure you have good travel insurance for any trip to Ecuador.
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A yellow fever vaccination is recommended for all visitors to South American countries. Also, make sure to investigate antimalarial pills.
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The official currency in Ecuador is the American dollar. Make sure to bring lots of small bills with you. You will find it exceedingly difficult to get someone to change $50 bill.
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Cash is king. It is always better not to rely on your credit card in Ecuador, instead, it is much better to have cash in your wallet.
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Be sure to check out the Street Art on walls all over the city of Quito.
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When visiting Ecuador we strongly advise taking the opportunity to visit the Galapagos Islands from Quito or Guayaquil. It is, from our perspective, a once in a lifetime travel experience.
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Ecuador has a wet season (Oct - May) and a dry season (Jun - Sept), but because of the dramatic topography changes, you will need to be prepared for all types of weather conditions. We found that dressing in layers, keeps you best prepared for all weathers.
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Ecuador sits on the equatorial line, and you can even visit Ciudad Mitad del Mundo where it is possible at one moment to stand in both northern and southern hemispheres. Mitad del Mundo is actually a park 20k from Quito city centre, where you can visit the monument, see the line that separates the hemispheres and visit a planetarium and a few exhibitions.
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In Ecuador do not drink tap water. Buy all of your water bottled and sealed.
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As the world’s biggest exporter of cacao beans, it should come as no surprise that the chocolate in Ecuador is delicious. If you get the chance to take a chocolate tour do so.
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Panama hat actually originated in Ecuador. Do not make the mistake of saying in public that Panama hats come from Panama.
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English is still not widely spoken in Ecuador, not even in the tourism industry. We sometimes needed a lot of patience when trying to converse in English and broken Spanish.
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Ecuadorian food can be quite heavy and fried. Luckily, their fruit is excellent and very reasonably priced.
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Make two photocopies of your passport ID page, airline ticket, tour documents, and airline itinerary. Leave one at home and carry the other copy with you.
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There seems to be wild pigs everywhere, but rest assured they taste lovely.
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Ecuador sits on the so-called "Ring of Fire" on the edge of a very active tectonic plate. It is known as a a land of volcanoes.
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Ecuadorian coffee is not as good as coffee in many other South American countries.
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Galapagos Islands
Galapagos Islands: A must visit tourist attraction, famous for its diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else in the world.
Guayaquil
Guayaquil: is the financial city of Ecuador and is known as a jump off point to other places in the country.
Quito
Quito: Ecuador’s capital and UNESCO World Heritage Centre built on the ruins of an Incan city.
We took a seven week trip in the USA and Ecuador, starting in South Carolina and ending up in the Galapagos............
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Link to still image montage of our Carolinas to Galapagos trip:-
Link to still image montage of our Quito to Galapagos trip:-
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As a part of the seven week trip above, we took a 10 day trip, of it in Ecuador, ending up in the Galapagos for 6 nights visiting the main islands of the archipelago...........
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Link to still image montage of our Quito to Galapagos trip:-
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Review of Quito and the Galapagos, Ecuador
We visited in August 2011 for a 10 day period. The climate was Equatorial cool and it was really ideal for open air trips and excursions as the islands lie right on top of the equator.
In considering a trip to the Galapagos we decided on taking a guided island hopping cruise ship holiday, in the dry season. The weather is fairly similar throughout the year as it lies on the Equator and it is only the currents that tend to change the waters and air temperature. There are 19 islands in all in the archipelago.
The entire trip comprised two nights in Quito staying in a hotel in the old town, an internal flight from Quito to Baltra airport which brought us out to the islands circa 600 miles due west of the Ecuador coast and a seven day trip around the islands on the M/V Isabela II.
We spent our final day back in Quito before flying onto Panama.
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Sense of Quito and the Galapagos, Ecuador
The official currency is $US dollars.
Our general experience of the indigenous Ecuadorian people was that they are very small, friendly and unbelievably laid back and casual.
On the Galapagos, animal life comes first, so in this undisturbed animal sanctuary, the animals know no fear of humans. Conservation is the main priority in the Galapagos, with people's interests being secondary to that of the animals.
Galapagos is the first ever World Heritage site.
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Recommendations for Quito and the Galapagos, Ecuador.
There is a language barrier, if you speak only English. So it lends itself to undertaking only guided tours unless of course, you have good Spanish.
Large or small, all ships have to anchor off and then passengers only gain access to the island via smaller rigid inflatable boats.
The photographic opportunities are everywhere so even if you do not have an interest in photography, definitely try your hand at it.
Try to get your energy levels high before you take the trip as you get most out of it if you are actively involved in the island visits.
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Our must see recommendation for a trip to Quito and the Galapagos, Ecuador:-
(1) Our visit to the Galapagos Islands was the highlight of our entire trip and indeed my overall personal stand-out trip of all undertaken to date;
(2) Our second choice would be the centre of the earth park (El Ciudad Mitad del Mundo), north of Quito, the capital of Ecuador. You can straddle the equatorial line, leaving one leg in the Northern hemisphere and the other leg in the Southern Hemisphere.
(3) Our equal second would be taking the cable car in Quito city (already at a height of 2400m above sea level) up to the extinct volcano mountain tops above the city which start at a height of 4100m above sea level.
As always, the people we met on the trip, enriched the whole experience. A special call-out for the Naturalists on-board the Isabela II is warranted for their expertise and enthusiasm.
“You should travel away from home, to really appreciate the value of what you have at home, on your return.”
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“Happiness is found in the journey and rarely in the destination, alone.”
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