Ecuador-able Adventures

One Detour reader writes in to request:

“We're looking at a holiday in Ecuador, end of October beginning November 2022 (me, daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter (16mths old)). Flight prices, of course, would be great along with any recommendations (preferably warmer areas, although not exclusively). 👍”

Okay, an autumn adventure in Ecuador, with three generations of travellers including an infant and a preference for some basking in the sun? Sounds incredible.

Detour readers, let us know if you have recommendations of your own for this fantastic family!

The rooftops of Quito

Getting there

So let’s talk flights, first of all: in the past couple of years, we’ve seen UK flights to Ecuador drop as low as £420-£440 for a return trip during the autumn months (compared to standard pricing of £700-£750 per person).

Infuriatingly, it looks like you might just have missed an Avianca deal for £419 that we sent around last month!

But the good news is that they do appear to be semi-regular; we shared another Avianca flight alert with our Premium members back in December, offering £443 returns to Quito during the time period you’re looking at.

So we’d keep an eye on your inbox - and if in doubt, consult our helpful guide to the very best time to book flights.

#1: Quito

So we’re going to have to begin by ignoring one of your instructions - in October / November, Quito will still be somewhere between ‘comfortably warm’ and ‘a bit chilly’, and you’ll have a fair amount of incoming rain.

However. The planet’s second-highest city and the second-ever UNESCO cultural heritage site is a place of wonders, and it’d be wrong of us not to encourage you to pay it a visit while you’re there.

(Amongst the many fascinating historical sights, we’d choose to stop off at the Basílica del Voto Nacional, which has remained incomplete since 1892 - it’s said that the world will end if it’s ever finished, so be careful not to do any accidental bricklaying while you're there.)

If you want to heat things up, take a trip out to nearby Baños (pictured above), the so-called ‘City of Waterfalls’ - with a combination of white-water rafting and adventure activities and chilled-out spa hotels making use of the local volcanic hot springs, there’s a bit of something here for everyone.

And if the humidity and remoteness of the deeper Amazonian jungle is off-putting, we’d investigate the remarkable Mindo Cloud Forest as a great way to experience Ecuador’s natural wonders without straying too far from Quito.

Where to stay:

Ciao Bambino has some great recommendations for family-friendly boutique hotels in the city centre of Quito, close to all the historical sights - Hotel Patio Andaluz is a particular stunner.

What to eat:

Check out Travel Outlandish’s tips on the best street food that’s to be found in Quito. We’re especially excited by the sound of Ecuador’s speciality ice-cream, helado de paila…

#2: Guayaquil and the Galápagos

Guayaquil's Cerro Santa Ana and its famous lighthouse

If you want to skip the Andes and the mountain chill completely, you could always keep an eye out for flights to Guayaquil, rather than Quito, and stay there for a day’s stopover or two. (You should expect to pay about the same price either way.)

It’s the second-biggest city in Ecuador, and the so-called ‘gateway to Galápagos’, offering direct 90-minute flights out to the islands, as well as the perfect pick for warm weather during the autumn months. (In October and November, Guayaquil will see consistent temperatures of 22-30 degrees, compared to Quito’s 20-degree peaks.)

Some downsides do exist, however: the city has suffered in the past from a bad reputation when it comes to crime. South America Backpacker has a good write-up on the facts, and some sensible safety tips that apply in Quito as well.

Guayaquil was also sadly hit hard by COVID-19 in 2020, and some of its tourist enterprises have remained shut ever since - for instance, it looks like you won’t be able to hitch a ride on the family-friendly, deeply goofy Barco Morgan pirate ship that used to take passengers up and down the Guayas river.

But if the four of you are up for doing some walking, it’s still a beautiful city centre to see on foot, with colourful old colonial neighbourhoods like the Cerro Santa Ana, as well as attractions like the nature reserve and car-free island of Isla Santay, or the picturesque Malecón 2000 riverside boardwalk.

On that note - we’ve seen several travellers advising that baby carriers or backpacks will be more helpful than strollers in Ecuador, as the pavements can be hit-or-miss depending on the location. (Check out some traditional Ecuadorian baby slings right here for inspiration.)

Where to stay:

If you’re prepared to shell out in Guayaquil, you could stay in the Hotel del Parque, placed within the city’s famous Parque Historico. Children are welcome, and the grown-ups can relax, listening to the park’s parrots and spider-monkeys in the trees overhead - or grab a massage in the hotel’s belltower.

On the opposite side of the price range, check out Hostal Macaw - a family-friendly and family-owned joint which sees a ton of praise online for its welcoming hosts.

Pictured: one Galapagos resident, waiting patiently as you do your best David Attenborough impression.

When you get to the gorgeous Galápagos (which we imagine don't need an introduction), be aware that you'll want to decide whether to book a multi-day cruise around the islands or a hotel on land.

There genuinely are benefits to either option. Cruises tend to be more expensive and ultimately a package experience, but they do offer convenience when it comes to taking in as much wildlife as possible. Booking a hotel on land will generally be cheaper, and you'll be able to set your own agenda - but you'll have to schlep out on a lot of time-consuming day trips to see all the sights.

However, cruise companies are far savvier about promoting themselves. Which means that there are about a million 'Galapagos - hotel or cruise?' blogs online, all written by copywriters for cruise companies, and all of them mysteriously end up recommending that yeah, you should definitely take a cruise and not bother with a hotel. Funny coincidence, that.

Skip it, and check out traveller reports on TripAdvisor instead - there's lots of good advice to help you weigh up the pros and cons of either choice.

If you opt for a land stay and you're willing to shell out (that's not a giant tortoise joke, we promise), you might be interested in the ultra-plush Galápagos Safari Camp, on Isla Santa Cruz, who'll take care of the day trips, meals, etc for you.

Their tents are set up to accommodate baby cots, and they even have a ‘family suite’ with three bedrooms, to accommodate multi-generational travelling groups.

#3: Ayampe

Set out for about a three-hour drive to the west from Guayaquil, and you’ll find yourself on the gorgeous Ecuadorian coastline, with stops such as the surfers’ party capital of Montañita.

For a more relaxing few days, however, we’d strongly recommend a stop-off at the smaller town of Ayampe; it’s a little way further north, but with equally balmy temperatures in October-November, and far calmer vibes. (Depending on whether your granddaughter is 16 months old now or will be turning 16 months old in the autumn, she might be old enough to have some fun in Spondyus Lodge’s crèche while the rest of you stroll on the beach.)

While you’re out there, you can stop off at Machalilla National Park and grab a day trip out to the Isla de la Plata - somewhat uncharitably nicknamed the ‘poor man’s Galápagos’ for its abundant birdlife, cheaper prices, and relative lack of crowds.

(You won’t quite be in-season for some of the coast’s most famous visitors, sadly, like the whales and manta rays that pop up during the summer.)

Getting around and safety

Ecuador’s world-famous rail network (with picturesque tourist routes like the Tren Crucero) has been another victim of the pandemic - the publicly-owned rail company was officially liquidated by the government in 2020, and efforts are currently underway to rehabilitate the network.

Ecuador Abroad has some great advice when it comes to travelling through the country by car or bus - the mountain roads can be alarmingly sharp on the turns, and baby seats aren’t always a given, so you may want to shell out for a van or a shuttle-bus.

When it comes to general safety (seismic activity in Ecuador is something to bear in mind, not just pickpocketing or phone-snatching!) the Broke Backpacker has you covered with some excellent recommendations.

And if you do set off into the rainforest, you may also want to remember that yellow fever vaccinations are recommended for travellers aged 9 months or older in certain Amazonian regions of the country.

Happy travels to all of you, and send us a postcard!

Got any more recommendations for our intrepid Ecuadorian travellers? Let us know, and we’ll pass them on in our next edition of the Detour!

Our Pick of the Clicks

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

• Tokyo’s latest café caters exclusively to writers who are trying to meet a deadline - and then refuses to let them leave until they’ve finished. (We're writing this news report from there right now, in fact.)
• A hearty tillykke to the 200,000 Danish cows who celebrated the springtime return to their fields this weekend with a bit of joyful prancing: Økodag, or ‘Dancing Cow Day’, sees thousands of visitors gather in Denmark’s farms every year.
• The Henley Passport Index has released its yearly ranking of ‘the world’s most powerful passports’, which is one way to pass the time, we guess. (This year, Japan and Singapore jointly take the top spot.)
• “The airplane was just kind of out of control.” A fairly startling Air France serious incident is under investigation.
• Polish up your CVs, everyone. The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust is looking for job applicants to run the world’s most remote post office, count penguins, and hopefully avoid getting eaten by The Thing.
• Bizarrely, one passenger - the Penguin? John Steed? - was stopped at Boston Airport this week with a sword hidden inside his walking stick.

• Oh, and it gets worse. The luggage handling at Chicago O’Hare also discovered on Monday that someone was trying to sneak a shipment of six human skulls through security.

  I know most of us haven’t flown in a while, but let’s get it together, yeah? No skulls, no swords, no large toothpaste tubes, and no venomous snakes.

Well, that’s one way to get butterflies in your stomach - check out the Blowing Flying Kisses attraction in China, which hangs terrifyingly over a 3,000-ft cliff.

Thanks for reading!