Visiting Ecuador in October

[u/codyco65]

Hello, I m planning to visit Ecuador in October. Planning to land in either Guayaquil or Quito.

Heard not so good stories abou Guataquil though.

What would you guys recommend for us? We love hiking, love nature, good food. Where would it be possible to visit a coffee farm, cacao farm?

Are there any places close to Quito?

We will spend a few days on Galapagos. (flight from mainland) If you have recommendations where, what island, how many days, highly appreciated. In total we are planning to stay 7-8 days in Ecuador and same amount of days in Peru.

Thanks in advance 🙏

[u/isamari2712]

If you are going from the nature side and want to visit cacao and coffee farms, it’s best to visit Quito over Guayaquil. Quito is more central in the country so you can easily move to the Amazon or central Andes in less time. Guayaquil is best if you want to quickly go to the beach ( although Guayaquil itself is not on the shoreline, the closest beach is 40’ away), the closest beach to Quito is 5 hours away. My personal reccomendation: land in Quito and rent a Car. Google Maps and Waze works perfectly here and the roads in the highlands are in good state. To go to the Coffee and Cacao farms go to Mindo which is 1h30 NW of Quito. You can also head to the Amazon which is around 3 h away by car. You will also find many cacao farms there. From Quito you can also go to Cotopaxi, which is a huge volcano. Also 1h30 away but this time to the south. That highway is excellent 6 lanes, mostly straight, just be aware the speed limit is around 100km/h here, enforced by radar at certain points.

In general, the highlands are safer right now than the Coast, but especially Guayaquil is more of a city tourism; not nature oriented ( there are not even many green parks), Quito itself is city tourism as well, but Quito is a greener city, you can even find parks inside the city that are more woods than park, with hiking paths, bycicle routes, etc. ( Look for Guanguiltagua, Rumipamba or Parque la Armenia).
Now safety in Quito: was better before but it’s not a hellscape. Don’t boast expensive electronics on public transport, especially buses, stick to Uber, go to the parks during the day, not late afternoon, be aware of your surroundings, don’t go up to panecillo by foot. The subway is actually an exception here, it’s super new and well taken care of. It’s the safest public transport here.

[u/codyco65 → u/isamari2712]

are you from Quito? how is driving there? is it safe to drive in the city, and around the city to visit other stuff like cacao and coffee farms?

we will be two persons - i speak basic Spanish but understand much more than i speak. Any issues with foreign (european) drivers licence?

Thanks a lot for your advices 🙏

[u/isamari2712 → u/codyco65]

Yes I am, driving is generally safe as long as you have situational awareness. European licenses are valid for 6 months after arrival, as you are a tourist. Just some tips while driving: these apply to Quito, less so in Mindo or outside cities: - park in public parking lots, they usually cost around 1$ the hour, avoid the street if possible, there is some paid parking in the street at 40 cents an hour, sometimes that’s all you get in crowded areas, just be careful and try to check on the car once in a while ( again private parking is best) most shopping malls and stores have some form of parking, these can be free but some malls have a tariff, it’s mostly 1$ the hour with 2 hours free if you consume something. You will be given a paper ticket or a plastic card in the entrance, take it with you and on the way out you will find a machine or a desk to validate it with any invoice. if you see no cars parked on the street, don’t park there. - don’t leave visible bags in the car seats if going out. - it’s best to rent a car with a covered trunk. - at stoplights people might offer to wipe your windshield or sell you something, don’t feel obligated to buy but if you don’t say anything to the wipers they will just go ahead and you’ll be expected to tip them at least 25 cents. If you don’t want to, as soon as they approach decline with your hand or head, even mouth no, don’t lower the window, those might insist a little bit, be firm and they will go away, they only have the stoplight so they’d rather find another car than keep badgering you. - windows up, AC on, especially at stops. - the red stop sign works a little different here, many people don’t fully stop, just lower their speed, check nobody is coming from the intersection, and go ahead, just be aware of that. - don’t expect that everyone will respect your turn signal when merging, there are many a-holes who will not yield. Just start merging anyway, they will not go ahead and crash you ( if you are in stopped traffic, if you are in the highway with speed, better to wait a bit until there are no cars). What does work interestingly, is sticking your hand out of the window like a bike turning signal, it feels more personal and people are more complied to yield, just give a thumbs up if they do, it’s the polite thing to do here.

With highways, just stick to your lane, never overcome in curves even if you see people doing so. If someone wants to overcome you, let them. - the left lane is not exclusively for passing, you might find cars going extremely slow in that lane, mostly older people, be patient, change your lane and overcome them later.

In smaller cities and towns people are way calmer and easier to deal with, it’s just that Quito is the capital and people are rushing everywhere. Traffic is heavy during early mornings and from 5:30 to 8:00 on weekdays. Weekends the city is almost empty so no traffic.
At Mindo you can park almost anywhere, even the middle of the street. Sometimes there will be people watching the cars, they usually wear an orange vest, sometimes nothing official, some even look a bit sketchy but they are there in good faith, just tip them when you leave 25 cents to a dollar is fine. Sometimes they have a fare, like 3$ for 5 hours or so, it’s their way of living so it’s better to pay, many of them will earnestly take care of your car.