This summer, I visited Ecuador for the first time. I didn't expect to be so spectacular in many ways: amazing landscape, diverse culture, and the most friendly people in Latin American I have ever met.
Argentina and Peru are considered as the top destinations in South America. While I love both very much, this article will give you a glimpse into what it is like to travel through the Andean mountain in Ecuador, and inspire you to add this to your bucket list!
A Few Facts About Ecuador
The official language in Ecuador is Spanish and the predominant religion is Roman Catholic. The first Spanish settlement in Ecuador was established in 1534 at Quito. Prior to that, it was very much under the reim of the Incan Empire who arrived in the late 1400s from Peru.
With hardly any gold or silver, Ecuador did not draw many European settlers throughout the Spanish colonial period, which lasted until 1822. Its culture, especially the Andean Mountain, shares a lot of similarities with Peru.
A few fun facts about Ecuador:
The official name of Ecuador is República del Ecuador, which literally means 'The Republic of the Equator'. The equator runs through the country, just outside the city of Quito. There are many disputes on the exact location though.
Many people don't know Galapagos is in Ecuador. As a matter of fact, it is the number one in UNESCO World Heritage Sites!
The beloved Panama hats are from Ecuador, not Panama. Those woven hats were traditionally worn in the Andean mountain but they gained international acclaim in the 18th century. When they were shipped to the United States, they passed through Panama hence the label often had the shipping point, which was Panama, and the rest is history.
The official currency of Ecuador is the US dollars. Ecuadorian Sucre was adopted in 1884 and was in use til 2000. Following the depreciation of Sucre and the turmoil afterward, President Mahuad announced the adoption of the US dollar as the official currency of Ecuador in 2000. Many Ecudarians don't really own a bank account, so it is wise to bring some US dollars.
Although Ecuador is small, it is ranked as one of the top biodiversity countries in the world.
Andean Mountain and Its People
The Andean Mountains are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, to Chile. It is 4300 miles long and 430 miles wide.
Many highland areas are way above 10,000 feet with scarce oxygen and cold temperatures, this has made it a tough place to live. The human presence in the Andeans happened just 10,000 years ago.
Science study has found that the Andean people develop special heart muscle to adapt to the low oxygen level and their stomachs tend to digest starch more quickly as potatoes become the main source of the food.
Many indigenous people in Andrean Mountain speak Quechua. They wear traditional clothes in layers of bright, including capes, shawls, embroidered skirts, and colored hats. There are some hues from the clothes to indicate which tribe they are from.
Cuenca
Recommendations:
2 -3 Days
Sea Level: >= 2560 feet
Sites to see
El Cajas National Park
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Turi viewpoint
Pumapungo Archaeological Park
Visit Mercado 10 de Agosto
Stroll through the old town
Visit Homero Ortega and get a Panama hat
Must-try local food
Mote Pillo
Eat Hornado (the famous roasted pig)
Recommended restaurant
http://www.tiestoscaferestaurant.com/
In my opinion, Cuenca is the most charming city in Ecuador. The town is full of cobblestone streets and colonial parks.
Stroll through the old town which is full of the scenery itself.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the most famous cathedral with the blue domes in Cuenca. The town square is where all of the actions happen, especially if you are a photographer who loves people watching.
Just around the corner, it is one of the largest markets in Cuenca for produces and eatery.
Try to spend a day to hike through Cajas National Park. It is less than a half-hour drive from Cuenca, but breathtakingly beautiful, not to mention you have the entire park to yourself.
As I mentioned previously, Cuenca is the place where Panama hat is originated. So a trip to Cuenca is not complete without one. I highly recommend Homero Ortega which has a museum and English guided tour about the hat-making process.
Baños
Recommendations:
2 -3 Days
Stop in: Alausi
Sea Level: >= 5900 feet
Things to do:
Pailon del Diablo
La Casa del Arbol
Ruta de las Cascadas
Hotel
First, I want to mention how much we loved our hotel Hosteria Finca Chamanapamba. It is outside the town with a short taxi drive, but you are rewarded with this beautiful treehouse, hidden away in mountains with the sound of waterfalls to wake up to. The owners are a German family who fell in love with Banos more than 20 years ago, stayed and raised a family right here.
Baños is more than 200 miles from Cuenca, but it will take you more than six hours to get there due to the windy mountain road. However, there is a lovely town named Alausi to stop for a few hours, to make the long drive less dreadful.
The Baños town is known for two things: naturally heated thermal baths – the namesake of Baños, Ecuador also adventure sports!
So many hiking trails, waterfalls, ziplines, you can easily spend a week here.
One major attraction in Baños is to visit Pailon del Diablo. If you can only visit one waterfall, that is the one!
La Casa del Arbol is also worth a stop if you want to get a very Instagrammable picture like this.
Cotopaxi
Recommendations:
2 Days
Stop in: Quilotoa Lake
Sea Level: The highest point is 19,000 feet
Hotel
Ecuador has many volcanos and Cotopaxi is an active stratovolcano with the last eruption in 2015. For this part of the trip, try to drink lots of water and take your time to ascend. I have been taking Diamox prescribed medicine a few days before reaching Cotopaxi, that really helped.
Cotopaxi is only 3 hours from Baños so we spent the first-day hiking Quilotoa Lake. Quilotoa Lake is a water-filled caldera, formed by the collapse of volcanos following a catastrophic eruption more than 600 years ago. It reminds me of Crater Lake. One word of caution: Quilotoa Lake is more than 12000 feet high, so you may start experiencing some headache or shortness of breath if you are not used to high elevation. You can hike down the lake, then take a donkey or a horse ride back for 15 dollars.
Cotopaxi is so beautiful from the distance, til you tried to get close to then you realize what a beast it is. We hired a private guide for the park, and we only managed to get to the base camp which is already at 15,744 feet! It was so windy and I ran out of breath, and I knew it was time for me to say goodbye to Cotopaxi.
Quito
Recommendations:
2 Days
Sea Level: >= 9300 feet
Things to do:
Museo Templo del Sol Pintor Ortega Maila
La Capilla Del Hombre and Guayasamin Museum
San Francisco Plaza
Teleferico Quito
El Panecillo
Old town
Hotel
Casa Joaquin Boutique Hotel (New Town)
La Casona de la Ronda Hotel Boutique (Old Town)
Restaurants
Achiote (traditional)
Zazu (modern)
Quito is the capital of Ecuador. Little did I realize how large the city is. Quito is also divided into the old town and the new town.
We tried hotels on both sides of the town and loved both. The old town is where you find cobblestones, churches, and museums. The new town is where you find bars, nightlife also the scenes of drugs. Yes, drugs. That was the first thing I noticed when I entered the new town, people just seemed a bit high abnormally which much reminded me back home in San Francisco. Its close proximity to Colombia has shown the effect here.
Quito old town itself is worth a strolling. It is also the only place our driver asked us to be careful about pickpocketing.
I loved San Francisco Plaza, with a more relaxing atmosphere.
La Capilla Del Hombre and Guayasamin Museum are not to miss. This is the place where you will find the famous artist Oswaldo Guayasamin's work and his residence til his death. I knew nothing about this artist but was truly moved by the emotions he was able to illustrate through simple hand gestures.
You have to visit the equator line when in Ecuador! The first stop is Museo Templo del Sol Pintor, a masterpiece constructed by the indigenous painter and sculptor Ortega Maila. This is where many tourist groups will send you to when asked about the equator line. Or the Intinan Museum which is not far from the first location. I am still not sure I have visited the real equator line or not, but we have fun!
Otavalo
Recommendations:
Elevation: >= 8300 feet
We did a day trip to Otavalo from Quito because of my fascination with local markets. Local markets, in my opinion, are the place where you can observe life, culture and local communities.
Otavalo Market is the largest one in South America. Saturday is the best one with the largest crowd and the highest number of stalls. The indigenous Otavalo people are well known for waving textiles as well as other crafts.
Otavalo is only two hours away from Quito, which makes it a wonderful day trip. If you are energetic enough, stop to admire the Cayambe volcano and visit San Pablo Lake along the way.
Notes
We started our trip in Cuenca because we spent the previous week in Galapagos. This itinerary will work equally well if you start in Quito in the reverse order.
I only recommend hotels that we truly love. Hence some places I don't list the recommendation if it is just adequate.