Ecuador Things to Do

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Most Viewed Things to Do in Ecuador

26.

Colonial Quito   Quito

Colonial Quito, Quito

 169 Reviews  Construction of La Merced started in 1701 and the church was inaugurated in 1747. There had been an earlier church at the same site, but it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1660. Beside La Merced... 

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27.

Diving and Snorkeling   Galápagos Islands

Diving and Snorkeling, Galápagos Islands

 47 Reviews  The snorkeling along the edge of the lava flow at Sullivan Bay was excellent and we stayed in the water for 1.5 hours. We visited several great snorkeling locations during the cruise with M/S... 

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28.

Museums   Quito

Museums, Quito

 44 Reviews  Museo Nacional del Banco Central is situated in a large round building in the south end of Mariscal, in Parque Arbolito. It is a great museum displaying many masterpieces of Ecuadorian pre-Colombian... 

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29.

Charles Darwin Research Center   Galápagos Islands

Charles Darwin Research Center, Galápagos Islands

 16 Reviews  Also known as Solitary George, Lonesome George is the last turtle of his sub-species (Geochelone elephantopus abingdoni). His turtle buddies were all killed by either whalers in the 19th century (who... 

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30.

Mitad del Mundo   Quito

Mitad del Mundo, Quito

 26 Reviews  Take a short trip out of downtown Quito to mitad del mundo ... the Equator! We took a blue line public bus for $0.80 each way and it was a harrowing 1 hour journey with crazy drivers, but we survived... 

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31.

El Panecillo   Quito

El Panecillo, Quito

 25 Reviews  El Panecillo, which means the Little Bread Loaf, is a small round hill south of Centro Histórico. On top of El Panecillo there is a big statue of La Virgen de Quito. The statue has got wings like an... 

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32.

Local Markets   Quito

Local Markets, Quito

 9 Reviews  On weekends, El Ejido becomes the sight of a large outdoor market featuring handicrafts typical of Ecuador. Everything here is the typical sort of tourist souvenir that you might expect from the... 

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Tigua

by MalenaN

Tigua is situated high in the central Andean mountains at an elevation of 3500m and along the Latacunga - Zumbahua road. Tigua is not a proper village but a spread out community, something I found out when I hiked there from Quilotoa and didn’t find the village where I had hoped to get some lunch. Most people in Tigua are farmers and on the mountain slopes there is a patchwork of fields where grains, beans and potatoes are grown. Many people in Tigua are also painters. Around Tigua you can go hiking or horseback riding and you can visit the art gallery to see or buy the colourful Tigua paintings. On Saturday mornings you can make an excursion to visit the market in Zumbahua, and you can make daytrips to the Quilotoa crater.There is a small mountain in Tigua called Amina. According to the Quichua legend it is a sleeping giant, who lay down here to rest. In summer the locals meet to have a...

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Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Galapagos Islands

by MalenaN

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristóbal has got a population of more than 5000 inhabitants and it is the second largest town on Galapagos Islands, only Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz is bigger.I have not spent a lot of time in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. We came here on the third day of the cruise with M/S Cachalote. Before lunch, while our guide went to the airport to pick up two new passengers, we got some time to walk around in the town on our own. We got another opportunity to do that before dinner, when we came back from a visit to the breeding centre and El Junco Lagoon. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno seems to be a pleasant town to spend some time in. Around Avenida Charles Darwin, the street facing the sea, and the malecon, looks clean and tidy and here you find several hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and travel agencies. There is also an Internet place.Maybe I should have come...

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Quilotoa and Laguna Quilotoa

by MalenaN

Quilotoa is a small village by the beautiful volcanic crater lake Laguna Quilotoa. The village is situated high in the Andes at an altitude of 3900 metres. Many tourists come here to see the crater lake and for the good hiking possibilities. So, in the village, even if it is small with only 150 inhabitants, there are several places for accommodation, restaurants and a few small stores. Because of the altitude it can be very cold, especially during the night. The village is also very exposed and it ca be windy. I heard that the days before I came it had been very, very windy, but luckily it wasn’t when I visited.In the village you can stand on the rim of the crater and watch the stunning view over the lagoon with its steep surrounding cliffs. The walls of the caldera drops 400 metres down to the lake and across the diameter of the caldera is about 3km. The colour of the lake changes...

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Hiking from Quilotoa to Tigua

by MalenaN

I had heard that you should not do the hike from Quilotoa to Tigua without a guide as it is very difficult to find the right way, but I had also heard it is possible to do the hike alone, but you must ask people you see along the way for direction. I decided to do the hike alone, but without a map and description it was not easy. For Isinliv´- Chugchilán I had a simple map with description, and for Chugchilán - Quilotoa I had a simple map. And for both those walks I knew the direction more or less, for example you can see the top of the Quilotoa crater from Chugchilán, even if it is far away. For the hike between Quilotoa and Tigua I didn’t know anything, only that you follow the crater rim for a while in the beginning. When I saw someone outside their house or in their field I asked for direction, but there were not always people around and if there was a fork in the path I had to...

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Chugchilán

by MalenaN

Chugchilan is a small village high in the Andean mountains, above the Río Tuachi Canyon. Chugchilán is situated at an altitude of 3200 metres and there are some very nice views from the village. It lives about 100 people in Chugchilán. The village has one main street and along that street you will find the church, a basketball court, an Internet place, a restaurant and a few small stores. Chugchilán is one of the villages along the so called Quilotoa Loop and many tourists arrive here by foot from Quilotoa or Isinliví . Besides very good hiking possibilities in the area you can take a horseback riding tour to the cloud forest of Iliniza Ecological Reserve and visit a cheese factory higher up in the páramo. I have read there is a local market in Chugchilan on Sundays, but as I didn’t visit on a Sunday I can’t say how it is. There are three places for accommodation in Chugchilán and they...

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Bicycle tour from Baños to Puyo

by MalenaN

I rented my bike from Aventure Equatorland and they had bikes for rent for $5, $7 or $10 per day (July 2011). I chose one for $10 dollars because they were best and I was going to be away for the whole day. Before deciding I tried the bike, going back and forth on the street in front of the agency, and then I noticed I didn’t understand how the gears worked, so it was good I asked before leaving. From the agency they will give you a simple map, a helmet, a locker for the bike, a bicycle pump and an inner tube for the tire. When I started my bicycle tour I didn’t know if I was going to make it all the way to Puyo in one day, as I wanted to stop by some waterfalls and it was already 9.30. I thought I would go on as long as I could and then take a bus back from somewhere along the road. To Puyo it is 61km and to Pailón del Diablo it is 18km.The road follows the beautiful Río Pastaza valley...

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La Ruta de las Cascadas

by MalenaN

La Ruta de las Cascadas (The Highway of the Waterfalls) is what the road between Baños and Puyo is called. The road follows Río Pastaza in a green lush valley. The views are spectacular and there are 19 waterfalls along the road. Most waterfalls are along the first half of the road (coming from Baños). Between Baños and the biggest waterfall Pailón del Diablo there are several viewpoints from where you can see the waterfalls, which are on the other side of the river. At some of them you take a tarabita across the river to get a closer look. From Baños you can take a tour along La Ruta de las Cascadas with a bus or a chiva. It is also popular to go by bike, and that is what I did.

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Baños de Agua Santa

by MalenaN

Before coming to Baños I thought I would not like the town because it would be too touristy. Yes, there are many tourists in Baños, but there are so many fun things to do and I enjoyed my stay very much. I cycled to Puyo, and did a bridge jump and visited waterfalls along the road, I also went canyoning, rafting, canopying and hiking. What I didn’t do was to visit one of the baths Baños is famous for to swim in the mineral rich water from the hot springs.Baños itself is not a very pretty town, but the setting is beautiful in a valley surrounded by green mountains. Nearby is Volcán Tungurahua (5023 metres) which is a volcano with recent activity. In 1999 the inhabitants of Baños had to be evacuated , and also in 2006 and 2008 there was activity, but not so much that the people in Baños had to leave the town. When I visited there was no activity, but still the travel agencies in town...

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Hiking from Chugchilán to Quilotoa

by MalenaN

Hiking from Chugchilán to Quilotoa is quite easy to do on your own. As you can see the rim of the Quilotoa crater from Chugchilán you will know the direction. I left Chugchilán after breakfast, but before leaving a man at the hostel drew me a simple map.With the map it was easy to find the starting point of the trail in Chugchilán. For a while you walk along a dirt road past some houses, then you should take a path. The path leads down to the bottom of the canyon, where you cross a small stream. From here it is a quite steep ascend until you come to a level surface where there is a single house where you can buy something to drink (if it is open). Then you will continue along a small dirt road up to the village Guayamo. In Guayamo you turn right and follow the road out of the village till the end of it, where you take a path going up to the rim of the crater.To the rim of the crater it...

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Isinliví

by MalenaN

Isinliví is a small quiet village situated in the Andes at an altitude of 2900 metres. The village is surrounded by green mountains and farmland, and it is a very nice area to hike in. Many people who hike around the Quilotoa Loop only visit Chugchilan and Quilotoa, but I think Isinliví should be included too. It is greener around Isinliví.Most tourists coming to Isinliví only stay a night on their way to or from Chugchilán. I did not want to be in a rush and thought it could be nice to stay in this small tranquil village for two nights and do some hiking nearby one day. I had not planed to visit the festival in Sigchos, but I’m glad I did. I still had some time for hiking when I came back. Isinliví is situated southeast of Sigchos, about 45 minutes away by bus. From Latacunga it takes about two hours to Isinliví by bus.

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Fun things to do in Ecuador

Top 3 Hotels in Ecuador

Four Points by Sheraton Quito  Quito

 6 Reviews and 82 Opinions  I knew this hotel as the Sheraton Quito, but I suppose that it was, at least at one time, a Four... 

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Hotel Victoria  Cuenca

 1 Review and 46 Opinions  I arrived without a reservation at the end of a long and exhausting day (see my Alausi page). The... 

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Samari Spa Resort  Baños

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 Hotels in Baños

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Things to Do: Cities in Ecuador
  1. Quito Things to Do
  2. Cuenca Things to Do
  3. Guayaquil Things to Do
  4. Montañita Things to Do
  5. Otavalo Things to Do
  6. Baños Things to Do
  7. Manta Things to Do
  8. Riobamba Things to Do
  9. Latacunga Things to Do
  10. Mindo Things to Do
  11. Bahía de Caráquez Things to Do
  12. Laguna Quilotoa Things to Do
  13. Vilcabamba Things to Do
  14. Atacames Things to Do
  15. Isla Isabela Things to Do
  16. Isla Santa Cruz Things to Do
  17. Puerto Villamil Things to Do
  18. Cayambe Things to Do
  19. Puerto López Things to Do
  20. Puerto Ayora Things to Do
  21. Ambato Things to Do
  22. Mompiche Things to Do
  23. Ruinas de Ingapirca Things to Do
  24. Isla Baltra Things to Do
  25. Cuyabeno Things to Do
  26. Canoa Things to Do
  27. Cotundo Things to Do
  28. Isla de La Plata Things to Do
  29. Isla Santa María Things to Do
  30. Ingapirca Things to Do
  31. Hacienda La Ciénega Things to Do
  32. Chugchilán Things to Do
  33. Guaranda Things to Do
  34. Nanegal Things to Do
  35. Tigua Things to Do
  36. Salinas Things to Do
  37. Pujilí Things to Do
  38. Machachi Things to Do
  39. Zaruma Things to Do
  40. Crucita Things to Do
  41. Papallacta Things to Do
  42. Isla Española Things to Do
  43. Isla San Cristóbal Things to Do
  44. Santa Elena Things to Do
  45. Isla San Salvador Things to Do
  46. Esmeraldas Things to Do

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hello I leave in Ecuador next month and i'm looking a spanish school, located in the Pacific Coast. I know there is a school in... 

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A: Hello Enrico You're right, Montanita is such a touristic place. I understand you want to avoid it. Last year, I have spent one month in a spanish school in Sua, near... 

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