r/TravelEcuador

I met with my tour group yesterday and we have different opinions on credit cards vs cash. I had read most places take credit cards with just a few vendors only accepting cash but they had the opposite information. Below is a list of where we are visiting. If you recommend cash over credit cards can you tell me how much I should tell my group to bring for lunches? Breakfasts and dinners are supplied by the tour company. Thank you!!!!

Day 1 – 2: Quito (very high altitude and can be quite cool)

Day 3 – Fly to Baltra Island & boat to Santa Cruz Island (lava tunnels)

Day 4 – Santa Cruz: Darwin Research Station, Snorkeling

Day 5 – Boat to San Cristobal, Hike to Junco Lake, Snorkeling

Day 6 - Kicker Rock – All day snorkeling

Day 7 – Fly to Quito and explore

Day 8 – Fly back to the States

So I’m heading to Ecuador in a couple of weeks with a group of friends and would love some advice on where to stay. We’re trying to decide between hostels, Airbnbs, and hotels, and aren’t sure what tends to work best in each city. I think the group is generally leaning towards hostels because of the price but if the other alternatives are better, we'll probably go for those.

The itinerary for now is Cuenca for 5 days, Banos for 2 nights, and Quito for 2 nights.

Ideally, we're hoping to stay somewhere that's walkable to the general social activity but also is relatively safe, especially at night. Tried looking on this subreddit before but found some conflicting/outdated info so wanted to ask again.

So if anyone has recommendations on which lodging type works best and specific neighborhoods to target or avoid, that would be super helpful, thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm taking a group of students to Ecuador next month and I have some questions I can't find the answers to and some things I just want verified. We are going to land in Quito but spend the next 6 days island hopping.

1. (Verify) I don't need an adapter... US plugs work fine

2. (Verify) I can pay in US dollars but keep to $1's and $5's

3. (Verify) Should pack one outfit per day as we will sweat through them

4. (Verify) I was told to never ever ever use the tap water and always buy a bottle of water even to rinse our toothbrush.

5. (Question) Do I actually need a money belt or is a small purse fine?

6. (Question) These will be inexpensive hotels; should we bring our own shampoo and conditioner?

I'd love to hear tips! I have a word document going and I'll just add to it. Thanks in advance!

Are there any lodges in the Ecuador Amazon that allow the guests to hike their trails at leisure? After a whirlwind tour of the Galapagos we’re looking for somewhere to do our own thing. We’ve stayed in lodges in Central America where we’d go on a morning excursion perhaps, but then head out on our own in search of wildlife. We just aren’t interested in spending our entire vacation on a fixed schedule.

We’re used to doing a lot of walking.

I try to plan a solo trekking trip (july-august, 6-10 week) but I am still not sure where. I am faczinated by Ecuador, but I am not sure how ideal is it for a solo female trekking trip.

How is public transport (since I don't have a drivers licence)? How are hiking trails and how are camping opportinies?

Safety seems ok, according to other posts, and how is it out in nature?

Do you have any experiences?