Andes: May to September, other parts: December to May
Quito
US Dollar (USD)
Spanish
Ecuador has mountains, rainforest, volcanos, the coast, the Galapagos islands and of course: the equatorian line. This is where the name comes from. It’s a pretty small country, but it’s so diverse. And so are their people. The majority has idigenous roots and there are still 13 indigenous nationalities. Over 70% oft he Ecuadorians have the Roman-catholic belief.
You don’t need any special vaccinations to enter Ecuador, but especially one against yellow fever is recommended. A vaccination against hepatits A is recommended aswell. If you stay longer a vaccination against hepatitis B and rabies may be considered. There is also the Zika-Virus and Dengue-fever, but there aren’t vaccinations against that. Malaria occurs in the amazon basin, so be sure to have medication against it with you. The highlands, Quito, Guayaquil and Galapagos islands are malaria-free. Health care in the private sector is good in the bigger cities, but doesn’t meet western standards in the rural areas and in parts of the public sector.
You don’t need a visum for Ecuador if you don’t stay longer than 90 days within a year. That’s applicable for citizens of the EU, but also for citizens from the US, Canada or Australia. Besides you should have a valid onward ticket.
The crime rates in Ecuador are high, especially in the metropolitan areas of Quito and Guayaquil (and Cuenca). Pickpockets especially occur in busy places and within the public transportation. The border region between Colombia and Ecuador isn’t safe as there is drug trafficking. Behave reasonable, take an Uber at night, don’t drive by yourself at night, don’t do drugs and avoid the bad areas. Don’t wear expensive clothes or jewelry and don’t show your newest iPhone in public. Then you should be fine!
Ecuador wasn’t as cheap as we thought before. One reason is that they have the US-Dollar as their currency. But busses between the cities and activities still have fair prices, so have local restaurants and hotels. Visiting the Galapgos islands is also very expensive. Flights from Guayaquil or Quito are at least 300-400$ return, there is an national park fee of 100$, and a 1-week-cruise starts at 1.500$. That’s one reason we skipped the Galapagos this time. You wanna know what we spent in Ecuador, click here.
Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, is located in the Andes Mountains, which provides stunning views and unique experiences. If you are planning a trip
