Ecuador, a country located at the equator in South America, is relatively small compared to its neighbors like Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. However, don't let that fool you, as it did for me. Ecuador was the biggest surprise of all during my South America trip.
I started my trip in Ecuador through the border crossing in the north, and since I had no clue about what to do in Ecuador, except for visiting the Galapagos, I initially planned to travel through the country in no more than two weeks. To my biggest surprise, it took me a month and a half before reaching Peru. Why? Follow me, and I'll show you Ecuador!
For more information about Ecuador, here is my suggested itinerary and how to travel to the Galapagos on a budget. If you are also interested in this type of photography, check out my Follow Me and I'll Show You _______ original series.
Quito
First surprise for me was the realization that Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, stood at an altitude of 2850m and was surrounded by some deadly volcanoes. So my first order of business was to climb the 4784m volcano (Vulcan Pinchincha).
From the city, I took the gondola up to the trailhead and started hiking towards the summit. The hike started off easy enough, but then the path became steeper, and the ground became less and less stable. Before reaching the summit, I found myself climbing up a steep wall of rubble using my hands.
It was all worth it, though, as I found this little guy on the summit who greeted me with his friendliness. He instantly became my best friend. :)
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is a highly active stratovolcano, standing at an elevation of 5,897 m. Its proximity to Quito makes it an ideal destination for a day trip. I departed early in the morning and managed to find a willing guide who accompanied me on the ascent. He drove me to the trailhead and made a stop at a stunning alpine lake en route.
Unfortunately, the volcano was still active, and summiting was prohibited, so we were unable to reach the mountain hut, which was only 1,000m away from the summit. It was snowing heavily, too, so I think it was good we didn't go to the top.
Mindo
From the alpine environment of Quito, it was time to change it up a little. I went to Mindo, a village in the middle of a cloud forest, 2 hours away from the capital. Here, you can see the drastic shift in the environment. Mindo is well-known for its many waterfalls and bird species.
My friends and I went on a hike to discover the many waterfalls scattered in the cloud forest.
After hiking two volcanoes, this was a much-needed break for me.
It sure felt like I was reborn! It was amazing how I was able to go from the alpine environment of Quito to a tropical one in Mindo in only 2 hours. It was such a dramatic change in nature; my body was still processing it.
The hike took us around 2 hours, and we were able to visit approximately 4 waterfalls. However, we didn't complete the entire trail as we had an appointment to attend.
Tubing! You always hear about the relaxing tubing experience in Laos, drinking beers and floating your days away. Not this one. We wanted an adventure, and we had it!
I really enjoyed Mindo. It was an adventure, but also a relaxing one. Unlike climbing volcanoes, Mindo offers you enough adventure, but also enough time to soak yourself in nature and relax. A highly recommended destination if you are traveling in Ecuador.
The Amazon
It is like the saying goes, "If you haven't seen the Amazon, you haven't seen South America." Maybe that is just me saying it, but still, the Amazon rainforest is a must for a South America trip. For one, the rainforest stretches over 9 countries in South America, so you can find plenty of entry points here. I went with Ecuador because it was quite easy to organize from Quito, and my friends only had time to go from Ecuador, so we went together.
When I was in the Amazon, I was reading a book called The Lost City of Z, and the book talked about how the independent explorers of that time mapped the Amazon and how unforgiving the environment in the rainforest was. Things like flesh-eating bats and maggots that live inside your skin had me terrified but also made me appreciate how far we have come. With Google Maps in hand, I no longer take it for granted.
It was a 4-day trip, so there was plenty of time to explore the forest. We went on multiple forest walks, night safaris, swam in the lagoon, and visited the native Amazonian village and got to talk with the chief.
At sunset, we always went to the lagoon, trying to track down pink dolphins with no luck... until I looked up and saw one. :)
On our last day, we went on a forest walk, and 2 minutes into our walk, we stumbled upon an anaconda feasting on a turkey-like bird! We were very lucky since not many people get to see an anaconda while on a jungle walk.
The guide told us that this was a baby one. Still, it was 3 meters long, and I couldn't imagine what the full-grown one would look like in real life.
Baños
I have seen photos of people swinging off a cliff overlooking a volcano before on Instagram, but I didn't know that particular swing was in Baños, Ecuador! I was excitedly surprised to find that it was only an hour hike away from my hostel.
Baños, the place with the highest concentration of swings, is located in one of the most dangerous places in the world.
The Tungurahua is yet another active stratovolcano that hovers over Baños. Seriously, are there any villages in Ecuador that don't have a volcano hovering over them?
The Galapagos
It had always been a dream of mine to travel to the Galapagos and experience wildlife up close, so when I was in Guayaquil, I took that opportunity and flew to the island.
On my first day on the island, I spent the entire day planning and looking for a cruise to go on. There were so many options with numerous routes; it was almost overwhelming. Eventually, I found one that perfectly fit my schedule, and off I went. On the first day, we explored the main island (Isla Isabela), hiked up a lookout point, walked through volcanic caves, and visited the tortoise breeding ground.
The reason why I went on the cruise to explore the Galapagos was so that I could have access to the most remote part of the islands. This was one of the volcanoes on the remote side of Fernandina Island.
Nothing grows here anymore due to the volcanic activity. Such a drastic difference exists between the dead landscape and the untouched wildlife that have made it their habitat.
This is one hell of an earth-shattering view! Get it? No? Okay, I'll show myself out...
We stopped briefly at the black sand beach. You see, the thing about the Galapagos is that the animals here are not used to having predators, so they no longer fear you, no matter how close you are to them. I have never seen anything like this since!
Just another regular day on the Galapagos! 🤣🤣
The wildlife underwater were as impressive as those on land.
In between stops, we also went snorkeling with sea turtles, seals, and sharks. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life, despite the freezing cold water.
Vilcabamba
Vilcabamba was the last stop in Ecuador for me before I went down to Peru. I was initially thinking of taking a slow day and just sitting in cafes, but that would not be fair to the country, so I decided to do a small hike, which turned into a long hike. I got lost in the forest and eventually got chased down by two ferocious dogs. Let's just say the day went well. Haha!
Mandango is a peak in Vilcabamba that was very important to the Inca warriors back in the day. The legend goes that the place has regenerative power, and it was often used by the Inca warriors for that reason. Needless to say, that was enough reason for me to hike up to the top.
Despite getting lost afterwards, accidentally trespassing into people's homes, and being chased by 2 dogs, the hike was definitely worth the sweat. However, be warned that the weather down here is a lot more humid and hotter than the rest of Ecuador, so make sure to prepare enough water.
You will not be able to appreciate the landscape of Vilcabamba until you see it from the peak. The layers of rock sediments and colorful orange, brown, and red stripes across an entire face of the mountain are quite a sight to behold.
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to start planning your trip! Here are some resources to help you get going:
Are you planning to travel independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Want to take your photography game to the next level? Here are some resources to help you upgrade your work and photography gear:
Further Reading for Ecuador
There's so much more to do in Ecuador, and I have written a few articles about my experience in Ecuador. To read further about Ecuador, be sure to check out these articles:
- Looking for a complete backpacking guide to the entire South American continent? Here is the ultimate 6-Month Backpacking Itinerary for South America.
- First time in South America? Check out the 20 Best Places to Visit in South America.
- Packing for a trip to visit South America can be extremely daunting. Here's a packing guide to help you: What to Pack for South America
- Looking for a complete travel guide for Ecuador? Here's a the perfect one-month itinerary for Ecuador.
- Quito is the second highest capital city in the world, standing at 2850m, and you will likely start your journey in Ecuador there. Here is a complete travel guide on the top 7 things to do in Quito, Ecuador.
- Banos is a place you may not have heard of, but you have definitely seen a photo of it. It is where the famous "swing at the edge of the world" photo was taken, and it is a must-visit when you are in Ecuador. Here’s a complete travel guide on how to spend one day in Banos, including zip-lining, swinging off cliffs, and more.
- Galapagos, one of the many reasons to visit Ecuador, is not the cheapest place to visit, but there are ways to minimize your costs. Here’s the cheapest way to travel to Galapagos based on my personal experience.
- You can also watch my Ecuador travel video here: Crossing the Ecuador (Equator) travel video.
- To see all articles about Ecuador, visit the Ecuador Travel Guide page.
- Looking for a place to go after Ecuador? Popular destinations after Ecuador are Colombia and Peru. Be sure to check out my Colombia travel guide page and Peru travel guide page.
- Looking for more travel guides for South America? You can find more on my South America Travel Guide page.
- For more of my travel guides, visit my Destinations page.
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