Ecuador Warnings Or Dangers

  Iguana Crossing
by MalenaN
 
  • Iguana Crossing
      Iguana Crossing
    by MalenaN
  • Iguana Crossing, Puerto Villamil
      Iguana Crossing, Puerto Villamil
    by MalenaN
  • Puerto Ayora
      Puerto Ayora
    by MalenaN
  • Av Charles Darwin, Puerto Ayora
      Av Charles Darwin, Puerto Ayora
    by MalenaN
  • be careful walking on very rough  rock surfaces
      be careful walking on very rough rock...
    by DennyP
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Be Careful with the insects - Les insectes

by Maillekeul

They're everywhere and have very strange shapes...Also, it would be wrong to say that, at 2500 meters above the sea level, they are no mosquitos or beetles...Indeed, they are rare, but you can find some very interesting species, as the one I found, very late at night, on the wall of our bathroom (the body is about 10 centimeters large)...Ils sont partout et ont des formes etranges. Et il serait faux de dire qu'il n'y en a pas en altitude !! Ils s'y font certes rares, mais l'on peut trouver des especes interessantes, comme celle qui se baladait sur le mur de notre salle de bain (le corps mesurait environ 10 centimetres de long)...

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Don't watch too much TV ! Trop de tele tue la tele

by Maillekeul

You'll see that a lot of Ecuadorians spend their time in front of TV screens : don't try and imitate this local custom !!! There is so much to see here...Vous constaterez que beaucoup d'Equatoriens passent leur temps devant des ecrans de tele : ne les imitez pas !! Il y a bien trop de choses a voir ici...

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Mira por donde pongas sus pies ! Fais gaffe !

by Maillekeul

Be careful, sometimes, you are so impressed by the landscapes that you don't look at what is just beneath your feet...Look at the picture and see what danger we just avoided ...Faut faire attention, parfois, la faune se melange avec la flore et on ne regarde plus ou on met les pieds...Si on regarde bien cette photo, on peut voir le danger que nous avons evite de peu...

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Seasickness on the Galapagos Islands

by maryellen50

If you are going to the Galapagos and you have a tendency to seasickness/motion sickness, you probably will experience it especially if on a small boat (12-16 people). The ocean around the Galapagos can be quite rough especially if traveling for 2-3 hours. Dramamine has little effect on me so I definitely used the (Transderm-Scop) Scopalomine patches and used them several times. You need a Rx for this medicine.

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Volcanoes and Robberies

by GilaMan

I went to Ecuador twice last year... I loved it, and I highly recommend it. Now, that doesn't mean everything is safe. A man walked by and reached into my pocket, stealing a few dollars one night. He ran off when I pursued him.A volcano erupted on my second trip, cancelling my flight, closing most stores and interrupting e-mail and phone lines. I was in Quito at the time, decided to head Riobamba to escape the ash... On the bus, a boy was helping a woman close her window - he pulled too hard and the window shattered, sending glass flying back into the bus...The adventure was worth it, best jungle scenery I've seen compared to many tropical countries. Chimborazo, Sangay, and the mountains are also impressive.

Petty crime and Quito Buses

by lenoreva

There are theives just itching to find an unaware tourist and steal his cash and valuable items. If you wear your backpack onto a bus, I would suggest wearing it on your front side. I was robbed on a Quito bus once when someone slashed the backpack I was wearing on my back (incidently, at the time I was far more concerned with protecting myself from an airborne contaigon that was going around). The theives got away with my purse, bad for me, but certainly not worth the trouble for them, since all I had in there was make-up and my contact lenses.

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violent demonstrations

by lenoreva

The demonstrations here usually involve burning tires and tying up traffic for some reason. One afternoon I saw the movie "Casino" in the theater, and then shaken from the violence that I had just seen on screen, I found myself in the middle of a violent demonstration against the removal of the government subsidy on natural gas (which had caused the price to soar and the quanity to diminish). Even young children were involved in the tire burning, forcing bus drivers to allow them to ciphon gas from their tanks to use as a fire accelerant. Scary stuff!Sometimes, indigenous people will burn tires to block the main highways as a form of protest. This is not dangerous per se, but it can cause your trip to be delayed.

mountain climbing

by gernot.re

From Riobamba you can take a taxi up to 5000mts (!) close to Chimborasso, the highest mountain of Ecuador. But climbing up or hiking around you are not allowed to make any mistake or get hurt.There is no help you can expect to get out of troubles !And thats how it is everywhere in the country.

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Transportation: Long Distance Buses

by lenoreva

Long distance buses are one of the easiest and cheapest ways to travel through Ecuador. It can also be quite an adventure! (see my transportation tip). And sadly, sometimes a deadly adventure. One of our fellow exchange students, a girl from Switzerland, was killed in a freak accident while on a long distance bus from Quito to Cuenca. Somehow, the tire of the bus hit a rock and the rock flew up and smashed through a bus window, splitting the girl's head open. She died a few hours later in a Cuenca hospital.Not quite so serious, but certainly annoying, is how they sometimes treat your luggage. One time, on a bus on the coast, the bus assistant did not tie down my backpack properly to the top of the bus. After about 10 minutes, someone yelled "Una maleta se cayó" (a suitcase fell off) and OF COURSE it was mine. By the time we recovered it, several cars had already run it over, smashing my...

At Easter, theres this...

by submarineman

At Easter, theres this traditional fish soup made from Tuna. Eat it at your peril! Mine made me sick for 3 days!If you get pulled over by a cop and he asks for a bribe, give him 5 or 10 dollars and get away fast. A refusal can cost a lot of heartache over a principle.Oh, One more thing, only a local or a fool will be in nearby La Libertad (see left) at night. Its a bit lke the wild west, and stay off the road to the city at night. If you don't see anything coming at a red light, drive through. Stopping would be foolish.

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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... 

 Hotels in Quito

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... 

 Hotels in Cuenca

Samari Spa Resort  Baños

 33 Opinions

 Hotels in Baños

Questions and Answers

enricosmith profile photo

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... 

cindymary profile photo

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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