Ecuador may be small in size but it is anything but boring. Named for the Equator, which runs through the country, this small Andean country is full of adventure!
There’s a reason that it served as inspiration for Darwin’s theory of evolution, after all. And although it is primarily known for the Galapagos Islands, the country is full of biodiversity, beautiful architecture, lush greenery, markets galore, and volcanoes almost everywhere you look.
Ecuador at a glance | What to expect
Altitude: Quito is the second-highest capital city in the world. With an altitude of 2 850 mt / 9 350,4 ft above sea level. Make sure you are drinking tons of water, but you will usually get out of breath a little quicker than normal, and might get a headache for your first day or so.
Language: The official language of Ecuador is Spanish.
Currency: The currency in Ecuador is the US dollar. Note: Cash is highly preferred, so make sure you have small bills ready.
Weather: January through May is the coolest and wettest part of the year, and you can expect bigger crowds in the Galapagos in January as it coincides with school break and the ocean conditions are ideal. June through September are the driest and warmest months of the year. Because of this, the tourist demand rises, bringing the prices up.
Note: We went end of December-early January and on the mainland weather was in the high 60’s-70’s and on the Galapagos it was 70’s-80’s.
Food and Drink | Ecuador is a small country but its food is so diverse. The geography of Ecuador determines what people eat in different parts of the country. In the Andes, Ecuadorian food is full of pork and root vegetables like yuca. On the coast it’s common to have seafood. Here are a few must try dishes:
- Tortilla con papas y queso: small patties of grated potato, cheese and seasoning that are fried.
- Plantains: Yellow plantains are ripe and when they’re fried, they’re soft and sweet. Green plantains aren’t ripe, so when they’re fried, they are much crispier.
- Cuy (Guinea Pig): Considered a delicacy. If you are feeling adventurous, it is definitely something you should do at least once.
- Potatoes: With over 500 variations, try potatoes in all forms!
- Ceviche: Most commonly shrimp, fish, lobster, octopus, crab, oyster, or sometimes a mix of one or more of those.
- Fritada: Fried pork bites that are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
- Aji: This is a salsa-type condiment that goes on everything. Sometimes it’s spicy, other times milder. Everywhere makes it differently, but try it every place you go.
- Empanadas: The most common fillings are cheese, chorizo, mushrooms, chicken, turkey, beef, and veggies. These are a very popular street food in Ecuador.
- Soup: You are commonly served 3 courses, and the first one is always soup. Don’t skip it!
- Chocolate: Ecuadorian chocolate has been rated as the best in the world.Try unique flavors like rose, lemongrass, chile, coffee, or even Guayusa – a chocolate bar that mixes decadent cacao with a famous Amazonian tea.
We used Kensington Tours to help iron out the details of our trip and to ensure we have a seamless vacation without any worries. This is our 2nd time using Kensington and I highly recommend them for planning bigger trips! Our guides were AMAZING, we got to plan our itinerary exactly how we wanted, the service was 10/10 and they worried about all of the extra stressors so we could just show up and enjoy our vacation!
Ecuador/Galapagos Islands 11 Day Itinerary
Day 1: Quito
After a long day of travel – Chicago (ORD) to Panama (PTY) to Quito (UIO) we landed around 8pm at night. We met up with our guide Diana, and then headed to our hotel, Mama Cuchara for a good night’s sleep before the adventures begin!
Day 2: Baños
We were up bright and early to head to the southern part of Ecuador to Baños, AKA the adventure capital of South America. We drove 2.5 hours down south, admiring the beautiful countryside full of mountains, volcanos, eucalyptus trees, and rose plantations. We started our adventure day with a canopy zipline 1,000 feet long over a gorge. We went superman style (laying on our stomachs) and really flew through the Andes mountains. Talk about a thrill!
Next we headed to chase some waterfalls. Manto de Novia was the biggest one we saw and she was GORGEOUS. We hiked, walked across canopy bridges, to reach the massive waterfall and take in her glory.
One thing that was on my travel bucket list for years was the swing at the end of the world. I finally got to cross it off my list (probably the only reason why we added a day in Baños). Located on top of a mountain, the swing offers a wonderful view between the mountains and the valley. It was truly the coolest experience and really got your adrenaline pumping!
After our adventure we headed to our hotel for the night, Hotel Luna Volcan, which sits on the side of the mountain offering the most beautiful view of the villages below. We took a dip in their hot springs and took a trip to the spa that evening – where we enjoyed massages, volcanic body scrub, and a rose pedal bath. Mine was lovely, while mom’s said she cried because her lady was really finding her knots (all of that holiday stress).
Day 3: Cotopaxi Volcano
We said goodbye to Baños and headed back north to the 2nd tallest active volcano in Ecuador, Cotopaxi. On our way we stopped at one of the many rose plantations in Ecuador. Did you know that 40% of the roses we get in the United States are from Ecuador? It was so cool to see the whole process start to finish and see all the stunning roses in SO many colors!
Cotopaxi means neck of the moon in the indigenous language Quichua. It stands 5,897 m/19,347 ft. We winded up, up, and up, stopping for some altitude sickness tea. We reached Cotopaxi National Park and we basked in the glory. We were lucky it was a sunny day and that we were able to see the top of the snowcapped volcano.
We opted to hike around one of the lagoons. It was perfect for us because we weren’t exactly used to the altitude yet, and we were still able to get in all the nature. While we hiked we admired the lagoon, volcano, mountain landscape, and a few wild horses roaming around.
By that time we were starving and stopped for lunch at the only restaurant in Cotopaxi National Park. We started with a delicious pumpkin potato soup (Ecuador has some of the best soups), and grilled chicken with avocado.
We headed back to Quito to Hotel Mama Cuchara, and enjoyed a cerveza on the rooftop while watching the sunset before our dinner reservation.
Dinner was at one of the coolest restaurants in Quito. It is a female owned Ecuadorian restaurant called Somos. From the decor, aesthetic, service, food and drinks it was all AMAZING! Quick run down of what we ordered: Chicken, Shrimp & Green Plantain, Corn & Cheese, and beef empanadas, Tortellini stuffed with plantains and a chicken stew sauce, Hot lava cake with popcorn ice cream. I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant in Quito!
Day 4: Quito
We started the day riding up the telefico 11,000 ft. We were greeted by the fluffiest alpacas and the best view of Quito.
Ecuador is named based on the fact that the equator runs right through it. We spent a couple hours at the Middle of the Earth, 00″00″00″. We did experiments on that Ecuador, such as balancing an egg on a nail, seeing how water spins depending which side you are on, and walking in a straight line with your eyes closed. It was all super fascinating!
Ecuador is known for their chocolate, so of course we had to do a tasting. We headed to Yumbos Chocolate where we got to learn about the process of how they make their chocolate, and then the best part – TASTE it! We got to try 7 different kinds, as well as hot chocolate and probably the best brownie I have ever had!
For dinner, my mom has had these reservations for months, and we were so giddy heading there! Urko is a modernist gastro experience to celebrate the indigenous ancestral cycles and get creative with local cuisine. We got to indulge in the 8 course tasting menu (with a wine tasting for each course), and let me tell you it was the most incredible dining experience of my life. Everything was exquisite, beautiful, and some of the most interesting flavor combinations. If you are planning a trip to Quito, you NEED to eat at this restaurant.
Day 5: Galapagos Islands
We were up at 4am to catch a 2 hour flight to the Galapagos Islands! This was a total bucket list destination and we were SO EXCITED to explore! With a five-million-year history, The Galápagos Islands are an incredible destination. These UNESCO World Heritage Site islands are a haven for some of the world’s most endangered species and are a dream to explore if you’re a nature and outdoors’ lover.
You can either opt for a cruise, or do a land tour like we did and day trip out to the different islands. We are not cruise people, so we stayed on the most populated island Santa Cruz at Hotel Solymar.
You need to make sure you have your travel insurance, because only a set number of people are allowed on each island each day, so this is a must to get long before you arrive!
We stepped off the plane and took a minute to actually realize where we were and what we were about to experience. We quickly changed into our bathing suits (at the airport) and met our boat transport. Before we could blink we were kayaking through the mangroves seeing sea turtles, sea lions, birds and other creatures.
After kayaking we were itching to get in the water. We have heard of the amazing snorkeling here, and we couldn’t wait. The fish were so big and so colorful, the water was pristine, and we had our first encounter with about 15 white tip sharks!
Santa Cruz Island is known for the giant tortoises, so we were super excited to get up close to this massive creatures. They were truly unbelievable. I honestly thought there were only a few of them, but there are hundreds of giant tortoises on the island. I could’ve watched them for hours!
Day 6: Galapagos Islands
We started today, visiting the Charles Darwin Center to learn more about the man who put the Galapagos on the map and he amazing discoveries. We learned about his history, the islands, and more. It is honestly so cool how humans and animals can live in such peace together. Our guide, William stated it as it is the animal’s homes and we are just visitors. There are so many precautions taken to keep the animals here safe and protected.
We then took a boat over to the other side of Santa Cruz Island to visit Las Grietas. An impressive geological formation where 2 massive rock walls are separated by crystal clear water ponds and channels. We spent a few hours swimming in the water, cooling off, and taking in the beauty.
After our swim we took another boat over to Tortuga Bay (Turtle Bay) for some more kayaking. Marine iguanas sun bathed on the sand. We got to get up close with about 40 baby reef sharks, and the coolest part was there are massive sea turtles everywhere, they were swimming all around our kayaks, poking their heads out to say hello to us.
This day was New Year’s Eve, so we enjoyed a nice dinner overlooking the water at Almar Restaurant. We enjoyed live music, and all the crazy festivities of the New Year!
Day 7: North Seymour Island
We boarded our luxury yacht, The Wind Rose, and headed to yet another island: North Seymour. We were greeted to sea lions basking on the volcanic rocks or playing in the water. North Seymour island is known for their birds. It is a small, non-populated island, and only a set number of tourists are allowed to visit each day. If you know me, you know that birds are one of my biggest fears, but I pushed through!
We were able to spot a few blue-footed boobies, and the nesting areas for the frigate birds. Their massive red balloons were fascinating to see up close! We hiked around the island admiring all of the wildlife before heading back to the boat.
We were offered a chance to do some deep sea snorkeling, 150 feet. It was a super rocky day, so our guide told us it was suggested for strong swimmers only. We slipped into our wetsuits into the chilly water. We saw massive fish, sea turtles, sharks, including an 8ft one! It was a tiring snorkel, but so worth it!
Day 8: Bartholomew Island
Again we boarded The Wind Rose, and took about an hour and half long ride over to Bartholomew Island. This is also a non-populated island, with little to no wild life on it, besides the sea lions that greeted us on the shores. We hiked in the hot sun to the top of the island for the most iconic view of the Galapagos Islands. We were hot and sweaty, but the view was worth it!
This was our last day on the island, and I was dying to snorkel with sea lions. We saw them everywhere, but none have joined us for a swim. I was talking to our guide Zambo and he said today was the day it was going to happen!
We wet suited up, jumped in to the crystal clear, but cold waters, and started to see what was below the surface. I can’t stress enough how amazing the marine life is at the Galapagos. From fish, turtles, starfish, the list goes on and on. We went around a bend and there were no joke 20 sharks just swimming along, but out of the corner of my eye I saw a splash, and the tears started to well up. A momma and a baby sea lion decided to join us. It was the most amazing thing. They were swimming with our flippers, splashing us and making bubbles. It was a surreal moment!
We headed back to Santa Cruz, and we knew we wanted one last night of seafood before heading back to the mainland. There is this one street, where all of the restaurants display their fresh catches of the day. We found a spot that had some gorgeous lobsters, and they grilled them up for us right there. It was delicious!
Day 9: Quito
We were sad to leave the Galapagos, but back to the mainland we went. Today was a special day because we got to do a cooking class in our hotel, Hacienda Jimenita. The old Haciendas from the 1800’s were transformed into gorgeous hotels, and this one was stunning! But it was haunted, 3 ghosts stay here – an abuelo and 2 kids. We didn’t have any encounters however!
If you’ve been here for awhile, you know that we love taking a cooking class during our travels! This one was very fun! We made Ecuadorian potato soup, Fritadas (fried pork) with a corn puree, a traditional cocktail, and ended with cheese and sugar empanadas. It was a great time to learn more about the different foods that this country cherishes!
If anyone wants some homemade empanadas, let me know!
Day 10: Otavalo
For our last full day, we headed about 2 hours north to visit the largest market in South America, Otavalo. Handmade crafts and textiles of incredible quality have helped make Otavalo a traveller’s destination. The Otavalo Market is authentic and dates back to pre-Incan times. Locals came to trade food, woven products and more.
We spent hours strolling the 7 block market looking for goodies. From Alpaca, textiles, anything you could dream of.
On our way we stopped to try a local treat called Bizcochos – basically a biscuit that you dip in a caramel sauce. They were so yummy!
After our shopping we worked up an appetite and was invited to have lunch at a local indigenous woman’s home. Her and her adorable 3 year old daughter greeted us. We shared a lunch in her kitchen of corn potato soup, chicken, and potatoes. It was very interesting to see how the indigenous people live.
Day 11: Home
We were so sad to pack our bags and take the long journey home. We cherished our time in Ecuador. It was a beautiful country full of beautiful people. I hope this itinerary will help you plan your own trip one day! A big thank you to Kensington Tours, Diana, and William for helping us create memories we will remember forever!
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