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Top 10 Travel Destinations Ecuador

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day95

    San Cristóbal 360° tour Galápagos

     February 4 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today we took a whole day boat trip around San Cristóbal Island, stopping at beautiful beaches, snorkeling spots and 'kicker rock' (named by Charles Darwin, as when he look at it it reminded him of a football boot ⚽. Kicker rock is a large volcanic rock with a distinctive shape and most importantly known for its wildlife that surrounds it in the waters between the channel in the rocks we saw soo many different types of marine fish; barracudas and rainbow fish 🐠🌈 we also managed to spot, lobsters, crabs, rays, sea lions and apparently there was a hammerhead shark close to the surface but we missed it 🦈😭... Next time we'll see one! As kicker rock is quit dangerous for snorkeling we had to follow our tour guide closely as possible as the tide is very rough, we also made it through the 2 rocks, through the channel which was scary but fun as the tide raised and feel so quickly, and we had to swim hard to get out. But while in there we saw 3 rays swimming below us, twisting and turning 🐟🐠😁 as we swam for 40mins around the kicker rock we ran into lots of jellyfish and got unavoidably stung! As they were mini ones just everywhere! 😳 On the return to the boat be saw a sea lion and I managed to swim alongside a turtle... Which was so awesome given the clear water conditions 😁😜 one of stops that day was the beautiful paradise beach of Cerro Brujo... It's without doubt the best beach we've ever been on! Be had lunch here, did some flips and turns off the boat into the sea and then had free time to snorkel and enjoy this piece of paradise. We were joined by a sealion of course, as they're absolutely everywhere on the galapagos... Just popping up in the water next to you when you least expect it lol 😂. On the day 360° we also visited islands to spot blue footed boobies and see a possible galapagos penguin! 🐧Read more

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day106

    Last night Montañita! Out with a Bang

     February 15 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    So today was our last full day in Montañita, and as other days go here, it was pretty normal.... sit on the beach, have a walk into town for some street food and chill in a hammock /read a book maybe and obviously befriend the hostel cat who was waiting for us on our porch aww 😻. But this was the day we most definitely went out with a bang, or fire! 😳 🔥 So as we both agreed we had been indulging quite alot in the really nice restaurant right next to our hostel, and on the sea front (that does amazing Thai and Ecuadorian food, but was a little pricey) So we thought let's cook a full meal for once instead of having our usual tuna sweetcorn wraps that we were eating for lunch all week! 😂😂 So we cracked on and decided to cook some pasta... Mmm fancy! At one point the gas on the stove stopped working, so realised it needed a new cannister, so we asked the hostel guy Jackson to change it, which he did, and we managed to light it again.. Whoop! As we went on suddenly the gas connection came off, and caught the fire we were cooking with, and exploded with flames from under the stove, with the whole of the stove catching fire....we ran back but was too late for zachs leg hair and toes! 😳 Zach screamed "fire fire", and luckily one of hostel guys ran to switch off the gas, which stopped the fire! We both got away without burns gladly but we're we're in real shock, good job we already had a beer to drink after!! So in the end Jackson checked on us, then said because of this (as we had no way of cooking tea plus the trama 😔) he offered to pay for us to eat and drink at the restaurant we loved so much at the beach front... And of course we milked it for a full meal and red wine at sunset. And the freebies didn't stop there, we also got free beers at the hostel bar later! To say we have had such bad luck at this hostel, including the mess up with our room booking from day 1 (we managed to get a superior room and more free beers after this mess too 😂) and the fire! Despite all this we still loved our stay here, and were quite sad to leave after nearly 2 weeks. We'd deffo go back and hope the bad luck wouldn't follow us again lol.Read more

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day92

    Isabela - Playa del Amor (Beach of ❤️)..

     February 1 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Today we hired bikes, as we seem to love bike rides in the sun 😂😍🚲☀️ and took the route from the small beach town we were staying on Isabela Island. The route took us along the coast line, along the the beach on one side and lots of flora & fauna filled with wildlife on the other. The route was mainly flat (love it 😍 lol!) and we made our first stop at La Playita beach where we took a breather and enjoyed the beach views to ourselves and gained company of many Marine Iguanas passing by or swimming in the sea 😊😘🏊🌊 (marine Iguanas only swim with their tails so they can move fast and really smoothly in the water). As we cycled on we got Playa del Amor aka beach of love ❤️ and it was absolutely lovely with black volcanic rocks, trees surrounding the area and lots more marine wildlife to see. We also visited the red lagoon.. I think that's what it's called! And it's red because of the type of soil it's sat on. We then cycled through the heat towards the view point of the island and on the way discovered many land tortoises chilling in the shade of the trees... So cool 😁😍. We made it to the view point after alittle hill cycling and many steps.. But so worth it! With a 360° view of the island and coast, with other islands in sight. Oh btw the pictures of this our on our next post... As we have way too many pictures that we can't fit on in just one post 😂Read more

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day79

    Quito Hop On, Hop Off Bus Tour

     January 19 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today we took the hop on, hop off bus around all of Central Quito City, starting from historial centre in San Francisco Square (home to the gold leaf Church) and headed to see the Vigin Mary statue that overlooks all of the historic centre from from mountain top with a great view over the city. From there we went onto see the Basilica Cathedral still within the historic centre, surrounded by green parks. We decided to buy our ticket in to climb the towers of the cathedral, it was pretty high and alot of non queuing going on the climb up and down the steps, so you can guess there were a few hairy moments near the edge 😂😅 the next stop was the Boho neighbourhood of La Florania, which would have been great in the evening, as everything was pretty much shut! It seemed to be a posh neighbourhood for the richer hippies or vegans 😂 as it seemed to be there posh gated homes with restaurants just on there doorstep so they don't have to venture into downtown Quito lol. Although it seemed lovely, and the cafe we found did excellent food! The next place we stopped was obviously the main shopping and living area of most of the locals, with lots of high rise buildings and shopping centres, and a big park in the centre (trying to be like new york I'm guessing! 😳). One of the last places we past was a small neighbourhood close to the modern district, with lost if hostels, lovely looking plazas with nothing but restaurants and happy hour bars... Plus the good old handy craft markets close by, which is definitely aimed at tourists 😂 with the same panchos, scarfs, bags and pottery that they had in all of Perú. To be fair though every time we have seen a market like this we're drawn in, and end up buying something... So it does work. Lol 😂 we ended the tour back in the historical centre, but was good to see how the building and culture changes from each side of the city.Read more

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day96

    San Cristóbal Island

     February 5 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We had quite along time on San Cristóbal Island so we had alot of time to wonder and enjoy the port town, go on own snorkeling adventures, long sweaty walks and to other beach's to chill or watch the sunset over a beer or ice-cream sunday for tea... Because who says you can't have dessert for tea 😂🍰😋 We also learnt alot of history about the islands from the research centre based within the about 30 min walk through the nature reserve from our hostel, which was very close to a few the lovely beaches 😍. The walk took us past Playa Mann beach with its snorkeling spots and a good place for a 2 course $5 lunch each! Not bad as the seafood was excellent 👌. As we continued towards the research centre we came across a quiter beach, great for chilling under shaded trees, with birds trying to steal your lunch and lizards jumping on you! 😂😂🐦. We visited this particular beach a few times as the wildlife was amazing, I was sat in the water keeping cool and out of nowhere a sealion swam right next to me with its baby, a Pelican fishing near me and marine Iguanas taking a swim or just chilling on the rocks and sand! Further past the research centre, along the reserve path we found a great snorkeling cove on the other side of the nature reserve, the water was rough the day we went in for a snorkel, so didn't see alot but was nice just to cool down after along walk in the sun to get there! 😎☀️😊Read more

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day98

    Montañita, Ecuador...Surf, Yoga & Chill

     February 7 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    So after alot of travelling back and forth the last few months we thought we'd book a beach escape where we could chill, relax... Laze in hammocks, do yoga and learn to surf! 🤗....😂 So we thought! When we arrived it was a surf competition weekend, so we didn't get much sleep for a few days here, although was pretty cool to watch the surf competition right from out balcony (of a hostel we didn't originally book into!.. That's too long of a story 😂😂). Anyway things quietened down here after 2 days, so finally good for relaxing.. And getting sleep at night! 😊 In our hostel (the original one we booked into) they offer surf lessons and yoga classes everyday 🙏😍 love it here! We obviously we're straight onto the surf lesson with a great teacher called Pablo, he taugh us all about the types of waves, dangers and about the equipment we would be using.... Then we headed to the yoga studio to learn how to stand up on a surf board! After a few practice runs we were ready to try the real thing! It was really fun, we both loved it and our teacher was at hand all the time to help us catch the waves 😜 it was really hard to paddle and stand up on the board, so think we need more practice! The days following we have taken a Yin Yoga class and today (10th Feb) we took the Basic of Yoga class, which was faster than Yin Yoga which I like more, but not sure it was Zachs favourite out of the 2 😅 Good workout though. Also they have lots of cats and dogs here... Always a good sign when a places has nice pets! 😘😻🐱🐕Read more

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day105

    Valentines Day in Olon

     February 14 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    So today we spent the day in Olon, which is the next town over along the coast from Montañita. We jumped in a taxi (which is only $1.50 anywhere to and from Olon or to Montañita centre from our hostel). We were dropped off on the main road and had no idea where to go, but managed to find our way to the beach front easily enough, as Olon is very small compared to Montañita. There a few restaurants, and most street foods for sale nearer the main road, but as we got closer to the beach alot more beach shops started to appear and right on the beach are a few rows beach hut style seafood restaurants with local style meals. We had met a guy in Montañita the night before, while waiting for friends, that had invited us on his date 😂 ( he was clearly not happy with her company for some reason) but anyway after lots if talking he recommended 'Mar y Sol' on the beach front to eat at, we found it and it was packed full of locals and a few tourists. It was great food and cheap, I had coconut prawns with... Yes you've guessed it double carbs 🤗 of fried plantain and rice (they love this in Peru and Ecuador). We spent the rest of the day on the beach here, as its so much quieter and cleaner than Montañita. Also it seemed to be more local families that use this beach rather than tourists 😁 the beach also has some beautiful views of the mountains further down the coast, and a nature reserve just off the beach front past the town centre. In the evening we went out for a meal in Montañita... Being valentines and all ❤️😘💕 and we had the best Pineapple Daiquiri, and of course goes without saying while we ate our romantic meal we had club music and parties in the street next to us 😂 once in a lifetime experience lol.Read more

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day92

    Isabela Bike Tour & Sunset Evening!

     February 1 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    More showing the viewpoint at the end of our bike ride, overlooking the whole of Isabela Island (well most of it) as Isabela is the biggest island of all of the galapagos, even though the town itself feels the smallest out of all 3 main islands (Isabela, San Cristóbal & Santa Cruz). At the end of the day we decided to have tea out along one of the many beach front shacks overlooking the beach and beautiful sunset.. And of course the seafood here is soo good as its soo fresh! 👌😋 Yum could eat prawns all the time!Read more

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day78

    Quito, Ecuador...the Centre of the Earth

     January 18 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    So we finally got here..whoop 😁🙌 I say this because we had trouble landing in Quito as we flew in, the tubulance was terrible, probably with the city being in middle of so many high volcanoes the wind were too strong to land... And everyone on board made that very clear, it was like being on a roller-coaster were everyone screams as you start to go down 🎢🙄😂 it's funny now but was pretty scary at the time. We attempted 2 landings in different airports and both were too turbulent to land in, finally landing in Guayaquil about 30mins away, we had to wait about and 1hr 30mins on the and here so they could try again in Quito. Luckily 3rd time lucky we landed 😊✈️ and everyone applauded the pilots 😊👍 so on our first day we took a guided tour around the historical city centre where we're staying. We visited the markets where you can buy any part of an animal that you want, herbs / flowers for wishing away those bad spirits within or just pick up some local fresh fruit and veg! Also you can get lunch for just $1 either the veg option or the cow stomach soup if your feeling adventurous 😏 we also tried the traditional edcudorian warm corn drink... As they love their sugar it tasted like rice pudding... Yum 😋 we also got to try alcoholic sweets that apparently the women of Quito started to make when alcohol was prohibited back in the day, so they could secretly get drunk at gatherings without any notice of any alcohol consumption through drinking! The tour took us through many historic buildings and old secret courtyards, where locals used to have private gatherings to prevent too much noise for their neighbours and also for privacy (alot of the streets are very narrow and close together, so these courtyards were a perfect solution!). We also visited some of the most ornately decorated churches and monstrosities in South America. Especially San Francisco Church which is decorated head to toe in gold leaf on the interior!Read more

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  • South America Backpacking Trip
    Day78

    Quito Walking Tour

     January 18 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    At the end of our walking tour we decided to explore more of the old streets near to where we are staying... In the day time of course as it actually quite a rough area in the evenings! 😳 We quickly saw the warning signs when we initially arrived to our hostel on the first evening and we were greeted by a bouncer on the gated door, he warned us not to venture the side streets around us at night and not to walk to the virgin Mary statue as most people get mugged! But aside the warnings its still a nice area in the day 😊😁 so good to venture and grab some lunch on the old streets.Read more

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You might also know this place by the following names:

Republic of Ecuador, Ecuador, Ikuwadɔ, ኢኳዶር, الاكوادور, Ekvador, Эквадор, Еквадор, Ekwatɔr, ইকুয়াডর, ཨི་ཁྭ་ཌོར།, Equador, Ekvádor, Ecwador, Ekuadɔ nutome, Εκουαδόρ, Ekvadoro, Ekuador, اکوادور, Ekuwatoor, Équateur, Eacuadór, એક્વાડોર, Ekwador, אקוודור, इक्वाडोर, Էկվադոր, エクアドル共和国, ეკვადორი, Ekwado, អេក្វាឌ័រ, ಈಕ್ವೆಡಾರ್, 에콰도르, ئیکوادۆر, Ekwatɛ́lɛ, ເອກວາດໍ, Ekvadoras, Ekwatele, Ekvadora, Ekoatera, ഇക്വഡോര്‍, အီကွေဒေါ, इक्वडेर, Eqüator, ଇକ୍ୱାଡୋର୍, Ekwateri, Ekuatëre, ඉක්වදෝරය, Ikuwadoor, Ekuator, ஈக்வடார், ఈక్వడోర్, เอกวาดอร์, ʻEkuetoa, ایکواڈور, Ê-qu-a-đo (Ecuador), Orílẹ́ède Ekuádò, 厄瓜多尔, i-Ecuador

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