4 Reasons to Travel to Ecuador
Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World), Quito, Ecuador
Because we both have family in Ecuador, it’s sort of required that we visit every now and then. Otherwise, we’ll be in deep doo doo with our abuelas. I mean, we do LOVE the food, views, and culture, so it’s not like anyone has to twist our arms to go visit. We won’t bore you with the sentimental stuff as Ecuador is very near and dear to our hearts, but we will share with you some great insider tips on why you should visit Ecuador and things worth doing while you’re there. Enjoy!
ECUADOR USES AMERICAN CURRENCY
If you’re visiting from the United States, you can bring cash from the States and use it without having to exchange your money! Just to be clear, Ecuador uses the US dollar. Bonus tip, you can choose a “cash” option when using Uber. This is great because you don’t have to worry about things that you otherwise might worry about with taxis, such as the driver racking up extra miles that they didn’t drive with you in the car, but ended up charging you for anyways. The cash option is often times available in other countries, such as Thailand but on the Grab app.
ECUADOR IS SAFE FOR FAMILIES OR SOLO TRAVELERS
Whether you’re on vacation with your friends or family or you’re looking to travel alone, Ecuador is safe for all travelers. No matter what country you’re from, Ecuador is very open to hosting tourists and they appreciate tourists coming to help stimulate their economy. What’s nice about Ecuador, when it comes to visiting, is that no one really treats you different than they’d treat a local. So you get a real-life feeling of what it’s like to live there. This is a huge benefit for those who aren’t interested in the “tourist vibes” that you get at resorts and other popular vacation spots or who want to just get away and submerge themselves in a different culture for a while.
During our most recent trip to Ecuador, we visited el Centro Historico de Quito, “Old Town” Quito, where you can find temples and convents and real samples of the mixture of Spanish and Indian culture of Ecuador. It’s so safe that Ecuador’s presidents have lived in the Carondelet Palace (pictured below) located in the heart of historic Quito during their term.
Carondelet Palace, Quito, Ecuador
We had a great time exploring the beautiful temples and historic basilicas. They have been preserved and guarded incredibly well. It’s definitely worth a visit. You’ll want to go very early though, otherwise, you’ll sit in traffic trying to get there because of the afternoon rush hour. Keep in mind too that if you travel via rental car or with a local, Ecuador does have what’s called pico y placa, “peak and plate”, which is a driving restriction timeframe enforced to mitigate traffic congestion in the city.
ECUADOR HAS ALL CLIMATE TYPES
Ecuador has mountains, beaches, rainforest, and more, making it the perfect destination to enjoy a little bit of everything! We tend to stick to the warmer cities, other than Quito, which can get down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit during winter evenings. The coldest place we visited during our last trip, December 2018, was in Quito when we took The TelefériQo up the east side of the Pichincha Volcano to the Cruz Loma lookout. The TelefériQo is one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, rising from 3,117 m to 3,945 m. When we got to the top, there was about a 15-degree Fahrenheit change in temperature, so be sure to take a light jacket!
The warmest place we visited this past trip was Santo Domingo (formerly called Santo Domingo de Los Colorados, now named Santo Domingo de Los Tsáchilas) which is about 84 miles outside of Quito. Because of the richness in tropical vegetation, it can get very humid in Santo Domingo. You’ll want to pack lots of rayon if you plan to visit Santo Domingo, especially if you plan to do anything outside.
Tsáchilas Village, Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province, Ecuador
We had the pleasure of visiting the Tsáchilas colony where we did a tour and learned about the Tsáchilas tribe and their history in Ecuador. It was a spectacular tour and we highly recommend it if you do visit Santo Domingo.
Tsáchilas Village, Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province, Ecuador
ECUADOR HAS UNIQUE FRESH FRUIT AND AMAZING FOOD
We ate fresh mangos almost every single day during our most recent two-week visit to Ecuador. You’ll never understand unless you try it for yourself the total difference tree-ripened mangos make. If you think you love mangos, wait until you’ve had a fresh one! It’s unbelievable.
Some of our favorite foods and dishes to eat while visiting Ecuador are:
Ceviche (a shrimp cocktail dish served chilled)
Encebollado (tuna, red onion, cilantro, and more…don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!)
Pan de Yuca (a bread made of yuca with cheese inside)
Higos con Queso (figs and cheese often eaten as a dessert)
Jasmine’s favorite fruit, maracuyá
Other favorite Ecuadorian foods are plantain chips, Inka Burger (a Christopher staple while in Ecuador), hornado (roasted pig), and patacones (another form of fried green banana) with fresh cheese and an egg, over easy.
planning your trip to ecuador
We recommend exploring other cities like Manta and Baños when you visit. They are two of our favorite cities in Ecuador. It’s usually cheapest to fly out of Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, or Ft. Lauderdale. Subscribe to Scott’s Cheap Flights because they do sometimes send flights to Ecuador to your inbox. The weather varies, so pack a little bit of everything, minus any snow or extreme cold gear unless you plan to hike up the snow capped mountains and volcanos.
Price-wise, everything is about the same as it is in our current city of Louisville, KY. Services like ride-shares are typically cheaper as are restaurants. The local fruit is so fresh and incredibly cheap. Eat plenty of it while you’re there because trust us, you will miss it! Save room in your luggage for souvenirs. The art market in Quito (Mercado Artesanal La Mariscal) is full of beautiful paintings, rugs, hammocks, and locally crafted items for your home or office space.
If you’ve visited Ecuador before, please leave any tips or travel advice you have in the comments below!