Hot answers tagged ecuador
10
After hearing about negative experiences at the Huaquillas crossing from several people, I decided to use one of the other border crossings. I also wanted to visit the small town of Vilcabamba south of Loja, which is on the way to the La Balsa crossing.
The town is famous for the high life expectancy of its residents, but also offers great hiking in the ...
9
I went to Cotopaxi, several hours south of Quito:
Image source: Peter Hahndorf
It is not active and you can go all the to the top. I know people who did this themselves but it is recommended to do it with a tour.
Most people however just drive up to a parking lot and then walk about an hour to a mountain refuge. From there it is another 30 minutes to ...
8
A 45 min bus ride from Quito (any local can tell you which bus) will get you to the Equator monument. However as Peter mentioned, it's a bit of a cheesy place. On arrival, there's a huge monument which costs to see, and costs more to go up. However, you can take photos and jump back and forth between "Spring" and "Autumn" or "Winter" and "Summer" as you ...
8
There is actually a monument called 'Mitad del Mundo' (Middle of the World) in Ecuador. However they claim this is based on being on the equator (it turned out later they were off by 240 meters when choosing the spot).
Why the place is more special (middle, centered) than any other place on the equator I don't know.
It is a bit of a cheesy place but makes ...
7
It seems the boats are leaving from Guayaquil and take 3 to 4 days.
A page of the Galapagos Voyagers web site, gives some information about this.
These are cargo boats that supply the islands with food and other goods required for all the tourists.
One of the two companies that run these boats was the owner of the oil tanker that caused the 2001 Galápagos ...
6
In the Andes regions of Ecuador, Colombia and Peru I've been to several restaurants where they served cuy. There was no need to search for special cuy eateries, I just saw them randomly on people's plates.
However I did not see any in restaurants in the low lands along the coast, but this could just be because they are not so popular there. I imagine that ...
6
Last year Ecuador closed its borders for a few days while the President was being kidnapped and all that. Sounded pretty hectic. But by the time I got there (two weeks later) everything seemed fine and easy.
You haven't said which way you're going (Peru->Ecuador or Ecuador->Peru) so I'll assume the former, since it's what I did, and you can reverse if ...
6
I was back-packing in Latin America for 20 months and took my camera everywhere. But it was only a 400 dollar point and shot which fits in my trouser pocket. I used that camera everywhere maybe except inside the favelas in Brazil.
Some friends of mine had bigger SLRs with them and used them a lot too. In Bolivia I met a guy who was there for National ...
6
I spent 3 weeks in Peru last year, mostly in Lima, Cusco and the Sacred Valley, and Colca Canyon and Arequipa. Among our fancier possessions, I had a Canon camera with me and my husband had an Asus laptop. We're not physically intimidating people by any means (I'm just 5'2"), but I think we also carry ourselves confidently when we travel (e.g. no looking at ...
5
I am a native from Ecuador. I have been in the Galapagos with my nieces and nephews and I think it will be a great experience for kids (6 and up) if they are young explorers that want to have fun while having activities with an educational approach.
Young kids could learn about endangered animals and habitats, and about Darwin and his theory of evolution. ...
4
Cuy is NOT tasty ;) It was very rich and oily and just not that pleasant at all. Most backpackers I met in Peru etc had the same opinion (although as always, there's always one or two that claim to enjoy it). Still, it had to be done ;)
I saw it in Puno (by Lake Titicaca) and in Arequipa as well, but I'd been trying llama, alpaca and any other animals that ...
4
According to Wikitravel it's separate to airfare, like many South American airports.
It doesn't have the latest value, but does state that:
International departure airport tax was just recently increased in
Guayaquil and is exactly $29.75 (January 2010). About 15$ cheaper than
Quito airport.
3
Unfortunately this site is only in German, but maybe you understand some basic information, because there are also lot of pictures in it:
http://www.hauser-exkursionen.de/amerika/eck12von_den_anden_zum_amazonas.php
It is a 18 day tour in Ecuador that leads from the Andes until Amazon. I know you have only time for 4-7, but maybe you can get some ...
3
Neither Peru or Ecuador require you to have a Yellow Fever vaccination before entering (see
http://www.passporthealthusa.com/vaccinations/yellow-fever/ for a list of countries that do require it such as Bolivia). However there is some Yellow Fever in the Amazon areas of both countries (see map of Yellow Fever infected areas in above link). So if you are ...
3
So Rabies is suggested? Before I started traveling I thought I don't hang out with animals I don't need that, in the end I still took it, better safe than sorry.
I was bitten by a street dog in the hills around Cusco (near Machu Picchu). I was just walking down the street when a bunch of them attacked me.
So you need three rabies shots and they are not ...
3
The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has a list and information about health in Peru and health in Ecuador.
You'll want to make sure your MMR, Polio and other regular ones are up to date. Tetanus too, because it's just annoying to have to get in a foreign country if you do injure yourself.
Scroll down the list, and you'll see Hep A, B, Typhoid are also ...
3
It depends!
I am sure you can travel in a way that is super interesting and not too stressful for you son. This would mean flying the long distances between southern Peru and Ecuador, staying in nice hotels and don't travel too far overland every day in a rental car. But of course, all that has it's price.
If you want to use public transport and stay in ...
2
First off, it's never going to be 'cheap', unfortunately. There are a few reasons for this.
(*these prices correct as of November 2010)
The Base
If you fly, there's no way around the fixed fare of USD$420 to fly return from Quito or Guayaquil. Then there's the $100 National Park entrance fee. And another $10 for taxes. So we'll ignore all that and ...
2
Thought I'd come back and give this question another try.
http://www.gapadventures.com/trips/exploring-the-amazon-rainforest/SEL4D/2011/ is GAP Adventures' sole Amazon tour IN Ecuador if you just search tours less than 7 days. 4 days in duration, it takes you from Quito to Coca and their jungle lodge, and back. Includes motorized canoe, caiman hunting by ...
2
I'm from Peru, and i have to tell you that it is dangerous to bring such an expensive camera. However not all the zones are dangerous, i suggest you try to keep it hidden while you are in the city because most of the thieves always check on the foreigners. Some tips to avoid these dangerous situations is that you hire a taxi from the hotel to transport you, ...
1
Guayaquil is a better bet for departure and the drive from Cuenca is spectacular.
Round trip from Guayaquil to Arequipa presently costs $321 on LAN. Keep in mind that prices fluctuate and will go up as you get closer to your travel date because the cheaper seats get used first.
Figure 2 or 3 hours drive from Cuenca to Guayaquil. For your trip, ...
1
I don't have experience with that, although I know a blogger who does. He is writing:
According to the inhabitants of Quito, Guayaquil, Lima, Trujillo and Arequipa, nearly every corner of their city is dangerous
Almost everywhere, locals advise us to be careful, because it is “peligro”, especially with a camera
You can read the whole blog entry ...
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