Ecuador really has everything: lush rainforests, volcanoes, snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, a gorgeous coastline. You can go surfing and diving, and you can go hiking and stare off into the distance from a mountaintop. And then I’m not even talking about the Galápagos Islands with the amazing and diverse wildlife. If you’re ever having trouble choosing a destination, because you can't decide what you want to do and see, then Ecuador is the place for you. Here, you don’t have to choose; here is everything.

I’ve spent about two and a half months in Ecuador. I think the ideal time, including the Galápagos Islands, would be about a month. And if you only go to the mainland, you’ll be able to see a lot in just two weeks.

Ecuador at a glance

Photo gallery. Even in these few photos you can see the diversity of the country.

Travel route mainland Ecuador

This route is very possible to do in two weeks, but if you’d like to travel a bit slower, three weeks would be ideal.

Travel locations at a glance:

Quito with a day trip to Quilotoa → 2/3 days
Mindo → 1/2 days
Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and Baños → 4/6 days
Las Tunas and coastal towns → 3/5 days
Cuenca → 2/3 days
Vilcabamba → 1/2 days

Quito and Quilotoa

You’ll most likely fly into Quito when you start your trip in Ecuador. Be aware of altitude sickness. This big city is situated at about 2.850 meters above sea level, which is no joke if you’re from a country like the Netherlands. I’ve spent two weeks here, but only because I was volunteering at an English language institute. Otherwise I would have, most likely, stayed for a day or two. During my weekends off, I visited Quilotoa Lake and went to Mindo.

Quilotoa was beautiful, but I would definitely not advise doing this as a day trip from Quito. Next time, I would love to spend more time here and do a longer hike along the rim. There is a famous 3-day Quilotoa loop (35 km) which you can also consider.

Mindo

In Mindo, I stayed two nights, which was absolutely perfect. It’s only a two-hour bus ride from Quito, so it’s easy to get to. The lush cloud forest and waterfalls are gorgeous. The town is cute, and there are so many hummingbirds. I’ve done the easy day hike here to the waterfalls, which starts with a tram ‘tarabita’ and then a short 35-minute hike along Ruta 3. You can also choose to walk instead of taking the tram, and walk the other routes, but Ruta 3 has the most waterfalls, so it felt the most rewarding.

My other recommendation would be ‘’Punto Ornitológico Mindo’’, which is a place where you can watch the birds, walk the garden, and feed hummingbirds from your hand. It’s only $5, so well worth the price. Peaceful, quiet, and such a cool experience.

Cotopaxi and Chimborazo

The next destination in Ecuador was the two volcanoes, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. This was very special for me, because this was my first motorbike trip. I go into more detail here, but we spent 4 days in the area, including Baños.

We didn’t get to see much of Cotopaxi, because the road into the National Park was closed for motorbikes. So if I could do it again, without a motorbike, I’d probably opt for a day trip with a tour and do one of the hikes in the park.

Chimborazo, on the other hand, was a great experience with a motorbike. We rode the windy roads to the volcano and got a better view with each turn. We also went to ‘’KUNUGYAKU Aguas Termales’’; hot springs, popular with the locals, which was a lovely moment at the end of the day.

Baños

Baños was an absolute favorite of mine. This was our destination during our 4-day motorbike trip, and we stayed here for two nights. Again, a great experience with a motorbike. The area is gorgeous, with ‘’Pailón del Diablo’’, the devil's waterfall, as headliner. It’s busy and popular for a good reason!

We stayed at ‘’Great Hostels Backpackers’’, which I definitely recommend.

Las Tunas

I hold this place close to my heart. I volunteered here at a hostel for a month. I learned to surf (a little bit), got my advanced diving certificate, explored the coastal towns, and got to watch the sunset every day. I believe Onda Hostel is closed now, but if I were to go to Ecuador again, I would look for a similar hostel on the beach.

Ayampe and Olon are lovely towns as well, with great restaurants, cute coffee shops, and above all beautiful beaches. Surfing is a big thing here, and Olon is great for beginner surfers.

Puerto Lopez is a bigger city, to the north, which is where you’ll probably end up doing most of your groceries. At least to buy the things that the trucks won’t bring. These are small trucks that go to the houses along the coast to sell fresh fruits and vegetables. Puerto López is also the place to go if you want to go diving. Especially if you’re also planning on diving at the Galápagos Islands, keep in mind that you need at least 25 logged dives and an advanced diving certificate.

If you can, four days would be ideal to really enjoy the quiet and learn to surf. If you need to get your diving certificate, you might need a bit more time.

Cuenca

Cuenca was our next mainland destination, the second biggest city after Quito. It’s a colonial city, with especially nice markets, inside and outside. We spent five days in the city, with a day trip to National Park Cajas, but 2 days would also be enough time to explore the city.

We stayed at El Cafecito, a hostel with nice private rooms, a great rooftop, a better location, and an even better owner and host.

A bit from my diary:
’City tour! Tony, the host of the hostel, gave us all the info about the nice things to see in the city centre of Cuenca, so that’s exactly what we’re doing today. We started the day at the famous market, which is just so beautiful!...’’

Vilcabamba

If you’re continuing your travels to Peru, Vilcabamba is a great last destination in Ecuador. It’s 5 hours south of Cuenca; the area is beautiful, and the town of Vilcabamba is like a smaller but more hipster version of Cuenca. We stayed for two nights, which was perfect.

Good to know before going to Ecuador

Expected costs

I spent about 50 EUR per day when in Ecuador, and this includes my trip to the Galápagos and all the diving. I stayed in hostels most of the time, usually in private rooms, some Airbnbs, and ate out a lot of the time. But this also includes my time volunteering, during which I didn’t have to pay for accommodation.

I think 50 EUR a day is still a realistic expectation of what your costs could be if you’re a comfort-budget traveller like me. Of course it ultimately depends on how budget you want to go and what activities you like to do (diving in the Galápagos is just expensive, there’s no way around that).

Best travel time

I was here during the months of May and June, and it was honestly perfect for me. On the coast, June is the transition month from surfing season to whale watching season. If you prefer one over the other, keep that in mind when booking your trip. For the interior, the weather was great, I only had some rain the first two weeks of May, when in Quito. But that did mean that everything was very green, which was especially beautiful in Mindo and Baños.

Favorite poem written in Ecuador

Changing

Just be yourself
that’s what they say
but what if you don’t like you
is it okay to change?
I’d like to be more considerate
give more energy
be a better me
Are we still we
if we go down that road
is us still us
if we keep changing
keep improving, keep moving
nothing remains the same
When the images are fading
can we keep the frame?

Ecuador travel itinerary

Ecuador at a glance