Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands , livre ebook

Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Ecuador
Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands’ Top Experiences
Need to Know
Month by Month
Itineraries
Ecuador Outdoors
Galápagos Planning
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

Quito
Sights
Activities
Courses
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
La Mitad del Mundo
Volcán Pululahua
Northern Highlands
Cayambe
Reserva Ecológica Cayambe-Coca
Oyacachi
Otavalo
Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas
Ibarra
La Esperanza
Intag Valley
Northern Carchi
Reserva Biológica Guandera
El Ángel
Tulcán
Western Andean Slopes
Mindo
Cloud Forest Reserves & Lodges
Central Highlands
Machachi & Aloasí
Reserva Ecológica Los Ilinizas
Parque Nacional Cotopaxi
Latacunga
The Quilotoa Loop
Ambato
Baños
Ruta de las Cascadas
Parque Nacional Sangay
Guaranda
Salinas
Volcán Chimborazo
Riobamba
Laguna de Colta
Guamote
Alausí
Cuenca & the Southern Highlands
Cuenca
Parque Nacional Podocarpus
Zamora
Vilcabamba
Zumba & the Peruvian Border
Catacocha
Macará & the Peruvian Border
The Oriente
The Northern Oriente
From Quito to Lago Agrio
Lago Agrio
Reserva Producción Faunística Cuyabeno
Coca
Vía Auca
Lower Río Napo
Parque Nacional Yasuní
Parque Nacional Sumaco Napo Galeras
Cotundo & Archidona
Tena
Misahuallí
Upper Río Napo
Puyo
The Southern Oriente
Macas
Sucúa
Gualaquiza
Kapawi Ecolodge & Reserve
North Coast & Lowlands
Western Lowlands
Quito to Santo Domingo de Los Colorados
Santo Domingo de Los Colorados
The North Coast
San Lorenzo
San Miguel
Playa de Oro
Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas
Esmeraldas
Atacames
Tonsupa
Súa
Same & Tonchigüe
Corredor Turistico Galera-San Francisco
Muisne
Mompiche
Isla Portete
Cojimíes
Canoa
Bahía de Caráquez
Manta
Montecristi
South Coast
Guayaquil
Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco
Ruta Spondylus
Puerto López
Parque Nacional Machalilla
Salango, Las Tunas & Ayampe
Olón
Montañita
Santa Elena Peninsula to Guayaquil
Salinas
Playas
South of Guayaquil
Reserva Ecológica Manglares Churute
Machala
Puerto Bolívar & Jambelí
Zaruma
Peru via Huaquillas
The Galápagos Islands
Isla Santa Cruz
Puerto Ayora
Around Isla Santa Cruz
Islas Seymour & Mosquera
Islas Plazas
Islas Daphne
Isla Santa Fé (Barrington)
Isla San Cristóbal
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Isla Isabela
Puerto Villamil
Isla Fernandina
Isla Santiago
Around Isla Santiago
Isla Bartolomé
Isla Sombrero Chino
Isla Rábida (Jervis)
Southern Islands
Isla Floreana
Isla Española (Hood)
Northern Islands
Isla Genovesa (Tower)
Islas Marchena (Bindloe) & Pinta (Abington)
Isla Wolf (Wenman) & Isla Darwin (Culpepper)

UNDERSTAND

History
Indigenous Ecuador
Arts & Music
The Natural World
Ecuadorian Cuisine

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Directory A–Z
Accessible Travel
Accommodations
Children
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Food
Health
Insurance
Internet Access
Language Courses
Legal Matters
LGBTIQ+ Travelers
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Visas
Volunteering
Women Travelers
Work
Transportation
Getting There & Away
Entering the Country
Air
Land
River
Getting Around
Air
Bicycle
Boat
Bus
Car & Motorcycle
Hitchhiking
Local Transportation
Tours
Train
Truck (Ranchera & Missionary)
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers

COVID-19
We have re-checked every business in this book before publication to ensure that it is still open after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 will continue to be felt long after the outbreak has been contained, and many businesses, services and events referenced in this guide may experience ongoing restrictions. Some businesses may be temporarily closed, change opening hours, or require bookings; some unfortunately may have closed permanently. We suggest you check with venues before visiting for the latest information.
Welcome to Ecuador

A fabulous gateway to South America, Ecuador is a country that seems to have it all: Andean peaks, Amazonian rainforest, indigenous markets, colonial towns, pre-Colombian ruins and sun-kissed beaches – not to mention a rather famous chain of volcanic islands full of extraordinary wildlife. Adding to the appeal is Ecuador’s (relatively) small size and its ease of travel (good roads and an easy-to-remember currency). But best of all are the Ecuadorians themselves: kind-hearted, generous and proud of the great strides they’ve made in the last decade, they are in fact the nation’s greatest treasure.

Street vendor in Cuenca | BIBARAMA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

By Regis St Louis, Writer

@regisstlouis regisstlouis
For more about Our Writers
Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands’ Top Experiences

1 WILDLIFE WATCHING
An astonishing variety of animals have made their home in Ecuador’s diverse habitats from its high-altitude grasslands to its tropical rainforests. If wildlife-watching is your chief focus, you can chart a rewarding itinerary across the country, seeing dozens of bird species in the highland cloud forests, listening to the cry of howler monkeys in the Amazon, and spotting whales, dolphins and diving seabirds off the coast.

FOTOGRIN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

The Galápagos
Amid the otherworldly landscapes of the famed volcanic islands, you can watch massive lumbering tortoises, scurrying marine iguanas (the world’s only seagoing lizard, pictured), doe-eyed sea lions, prancing blue-footed boobies (pictured) and a host of other unusual species both on land and sea.

JOHN SULLIVAN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

Parque Nacional Yasuní
Set out on the rivers and forested trails in search of furry primates, massive capybaras, toucans and river dolphins in this national park (pictured). Some lodges also have canopy towers offering magnificent views (and a better chance to see birdlife), and by night you can set off with a guide in search of nocturnal animals.

SL-PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES ©

Mindo
The cloud forests northwest of Quito are famed for the variety of their winged inhabitants. You’ll find more than 600 of Ecuador’s 1600 bird species here, as well as orchid gardens, butterfly sanctuaries and evening frog serenades.

Plate-billed mountain toucan | MIGUEL LINCANGO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands’ Top Experiences
2 ADRENALINE-FUELLED ADVENTURES
The view from a lofty summit is sublime, you don’t have to scale a mountain to enjoy the Andes. These landscapes make a fine backdrop for mountain biking, horse riding or even, canyoning, ziplining and bungee jumping. Ecuador’s forested lowlands offer equally alluring adventures, from surfing tight breaks off the Pacific coast to white-water rafting rivers along the jungle-clad banks of the Oriente.

Mountain biking Chimborazo
Race along the flanks of 6310m-high Chimborazo, Ecuador’s highest mountain. In Riobamba, you’ll find reputable outfitters to take you up to the starting point from the refuge; from there it’s a memorable and dramatic descent with great views along the way (pictured).

BARNA TANKO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Surfing at Montañita
A dependable year-round beach break and a welcoming community of experienced surfers (pictured) and mellow dreadlocked travelers make this coastal village an ideal stop for those looking to ride some waves.

FOTOGRIN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

White-Water Rafting near Tena
Take to the waters around Tena for some of South America’s top rafting and kayaking (pictured), where rivers churn through tropical valleys and waterfall-splashed canyons, and serve up some memorable one-day to week-long adventures.

MICHAEL HANSON/GETTY IMAGES ©

Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands’ Top Experiences
3 HIKING & TREKKING
Strap on crampons and follow your guide up a 5000m volcano, hike through tropical rainforests or plot a multi-day trek around the misty highlands, sleeping at mountain villages along the way. Ecuador is a paradise for self-powered adventures and offers much more besides the thrill of reaching Andean viewpoints. Wherever you go, you’re likely to see wildlife and take in some spectacular scenery as well.

Quilotoa
Adventure begins at 3000m along the popular Quilotoa Loop, a rough travelers’ route that takes you through indigenous villages and painters’ colonies to an azure crater lake and into the heart of Ecuador’s central highlands.

Hikers on the Quilotoa Loop | SL-PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

El Altar
It’s a challenging, technical climb to the 5319m summit (pictured), but a more manageable, two-day hike takes you over the Collanes plain to the stunning, jade-colored Laguna Amarilla at 4300m.

ECUADORPOSTALES/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Cotopaxi
Home to Ecuador’s best known volcano (pictured), Parque Nacional Cotopaxi offers adventures with million-dollar views, mountainside lodging and the daunting 5897m Volcán Cotopaxi.

ECUADORPOSTALES/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands’ Top Experiences
4 INDIGENOUS CULTURE
With more than three million indigenous people hailing from at least a dozen distinct groups, the country offers numerous ways to interact with native Ecuadorian culture. You can overnight in indigenous settlements in the rainforest, take eye-opening guided hikes led by native guides and purchase artwork straight from the source. Locally run ecotourism projects often provide memorable travel experiences and give much-needed support to marginalized communities.

Papangu Tours
In the Amazonian town of Puyo, you can head to Shuar sights like the Cueva de los Tayos as well as remote Kichwa villages alongside knowledgable indigenous guides.

Indigenous houses in Puyo | DFLC PRINTS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Agua Blanca
On Ecuador’