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For one of the smallest countries in South America, Ecuador offers a huge range of landscapes and activities!
In the east are the tropical lowlands and jungle areas, to the west are beautiful beaches and The Galapagos Islands, while
through the middle of Ecuador runs the spectacular Andes mountains. Ecuador is extremely rich in plant and wildlife species
and is a must for bird-watchers!
I spent 2 weeks in Ecuador in June 2009, 2 weeks in May 2010 and 3 weeks in July 2011. I intend to see more of this beautiful country,
here are my experiences and story.
Huaquillas to Machala:
Crossing the border from Aguas Verdes north of Tumbes (Peru) to Huaquillas was my first experience in Ecuador. I immediately encountered a busy main street with all kinds of things for sale including apparel, fruit and drinks. I wanted to get to Machala and spend my first night there. More
Riobamba to Guaranda to Latacunga:
The next day I headed into the highlands to Riobamba to stay a night, mainly so that I could see Chimborazo, Ecuadors highest peak at 6268 meters. Riobamba is also the start point of the train ride down Nariz del Diablo aka The Devil's Nose through the cloud forest and ending up in the hot jungle, it departs at 7am on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. More
Latacunga to Quilotoa Laguna:
The next morning from Latacunga I got a local bus to Zumbahua/Quilotoa, again with amazing countryside to see along the way, it takes 2 or so hours, at the bus terminal locals were loading in produce to take to the famous Saquisili market. The journey to the lagoon travels through small towns such as Pujili which is known for making large ceramic jars, look out for the monuments at traffic islands and on the side of the road around Pujili and a huge colored staircase leading up a hill. More
Otavalo:
The next morning from Latacunga I began my 2 or so hour bus journey up to Quito where I planned to immediately find another bus north to Otavalo for the saturday markets. At the bus terminal in Quito it was easy to find a bus to Otavalo that was leaving soon, especially because of the markets on the next day. More
Mitad del Mundo:
There was one thing I needed to do on the way down to Quito from Otavalo and that was to stop off at Mitad del Mundo to stand on the equator! The bus dropped us off and we caught a taxi for $5USD to Mitad del Mundo, it was quite far from where we were let out by the bus. More
Puerto Lopez:
The overnight bus from Quito to Puerto Lopez left at 7pm and should have taken 11hrs but due to the driver being in rally mode, it took only 9hrs, so we arrived at 4am, there were other travelers on the bus and we all sat out on the road for a while waiting for the bread shop to open and to find a place to stay but without arriving too early, so that we wouldn't be charged for the current night. More
Puerto Lopez to Cuenca:
My plan for the next morning was to travel to Cuenca via Guayaquil during the day from Puerto Lopez so that I could enjoy the scenery from the bus and stay a night there and have a look at the city. The bus in the morning was to take about 4+ hours to Guayaquil, the bus headed north for a while past the fish markets in Puerto Lopez, past an early morning futbol game, up the coast and through small towns such as Pedro Carbo, people came on board the bus with food for sale along the way and people at intersections had things for sale such as kites, drinks and fruit. More
Cuenca to Loja to Macara:
After 2 hours of walking around Cuenca city it was time to get my backpack from the hotel and take the 5 and a half hour bus journey to Loja where I wanted to get another bus for 6 hours to Macara, on the border with Peru, by that night. The scenery to Loja was very beautiful with hills and fields, farm houses, little settlements and villages such as Al Canton. More
Portoviejo:
At sometime late at night around midnight I turned up in Portoviejo after traveling all day since the morning from Piura in Peru, up the coast through Tumbes and into Ecuador, passing through Guayaquil, this was my second time in Ecuador. Portoviejo is not in the Lonely Planet and it was easy to see why, but I have good friends there that I wanted to visit. More
Banos:
I had heard a lot of great things about Banos before I visited for myself for 3 nights, I didn't realise at the time of my arrival how amazing it would turn out to be and definitely not for the faint hearted. I arrived in Banos after an all night bus journey firstly from Portoviejo to Ambato then on to Banos as the sun came up, arriving early in the morning. More
Montufar and Ibarra:
I arrived in Montufar at 2am one night after falling asleep on a bus from Quito up to Ibarra, earlier in the day I had travelled up from Banos to Quito, it had been a long day. Montufar is off the main highway just over halfway between Ibarra and Tulcan toward the east. More
Tulcan:
I arrived in Tulcan in the late afternoon from Ibarra where I had spent part of that day, I found a cheap hotel across the road from the bus terminal for about $8USD. I noticed pretty early that the tv plug in the wall had exposed wires and I should be really careful when plugging my camara charger in right beside it. More
Cayambe:
I visited Cayambe during my 3rd trip to Ecuador, I left Tulcan by bus in the morning, passed through Ibarra and Otavalo and arrived in Cayambe about 4 and a half hours later. I had read that Cayambe is famous for its flowers, biscuits called Bizcochos and there are pyramids there. More
Quito Zoo in Guayllabamba:
I travelled 30mins further south to Guayllabamba from Cayambe, it's 40 minutes north of Quito, the reason was to visit Quito Zoo, it's not located in Quito itself but here in Guayllabamba. I had heard it was worth visiting and I was glad I did, it was possibly the best zoo I have ever been to! The animals are all well taken care of, many have been rescued from abandonment or illegal animal trafficking. More
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