The Ecuador Guide
My Ecuador Story
I first traveled to Ecuador with friends when I was 24 years old. My goal was two-fold: my friend had a ministry in Ecuador working with under-privledged kids, and needed an extra set of hands for a couple months; and, I had cabin fever from a long Montana winter, and was eager to get out and explore a new place. My job at that time was fully remote, and Ecuador lined up with the US Central time zone, so it seemed like the perfect summer plan.
Even though I had no prior Spanish study, and had never been to a Spanish-speaking country, I found the learning curve adapting to Spanish and the warm Ecuadorian culture to be mostly painless.
Ecuador quickly became one of my favorite countries, and it still ranks on my favorites list to this day.
This Guide is ultimately built with you, the traveler, in mind. If you and I were planning a trip together to Ecuador, here are some places I would want to show you:
As you know from elementary school Geography, Ecuador is literally located on the Equator. (In fact, visiting the Equator itself is in my Quito section!)
That said, Ecuador's temperature does not change much from season to season. For the northern part of the country (which is where this Guide is built around), you should hypothetically get the warmest weather possible in July and August, but "winter" wouldn't be much colder, and at Quito's high elevation, you should always pack a thick jacket, no matter when you visit.
For sunnier days, avoid rainy season which is December-February.
Ecuador is, in my opinion, one of the safest countries in South America.
But, there is crime and dysfunctional systems everywhere. Be alert, travel in groups of 2 or more as often as you can, don't get in the car with strangers, and be wary around which neighborhoods and alleyways you walk at night. Standard precautions.
Travel to Esmeraldas is strongly discouraged, and there are many areas of Guayaquil that are strongly discouraged for US visitors per the US Department of State.
There are no cities or regions warned against mentioned in this guide. 🙂
For the purposes of this Guide, as well as maximum enjoyment of the beautiful country of Ecuador, I would recommend flying in and out of Quito's international airport (airport code: UIO). There are many daily nonstop flights from various US airports!
