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Hi Floyd, take a look here at some sample itineraries: https://internationalliving.com/country_clubs/ecuador/travel-itineraries/
There are some hotel and hostel suggestions in there. (Hostels here are not just for youth and range from shared accommodation to private accommodation with private bath and cable TV).
If you have a lot of time to spend, you will have no problem. But remember that Ecuador has huge mountains and it takes 2-3 times as long to drive anywhere as you might expect for the same distance back home. From Quito or Guayaquil you can fly to most major towns in Ecuador. But Quito and Guayaquil are the hubs — you’ll can’t fly to Vilcabamba from Cuenca, for instance. But overland that rip will take you only about 3.5 to 4 hours.
It might help you to take a look at the Aerogal www.aerogal.com.ec/ and Tame http://www.tame.com.ec/ websites while planning your trip.
You should not have problem making any reservations unless you plan to arrive during any local festivity of any kind – -and there are many and I certainly don’t know about all of them. if I were you, I’d wait until closer to your travel dates, just so you can remain flexible.
Send on any other questions you may have…
I don’t know what the regulated fare is. I always have my friend Jose pick me up at the airport. (Or take me there from Cotacachi.) He charges $60 and can be arranged by emailing his English speaking son, Mauricio Bonilla: gbsmaury@hotmail.com.
I suspect a taxi will cost more — and Jose is a safe, careful driver with a nice comfortable SUV.
Alan, you can apply for a visa extension while you are here, if you like. Quito’s old airport is in the city itself… pretty centrally located. How to navigate from there? It depends where you are going, but if you’re going to a hotel or a bus station, etc., I ‘d opt for a taxi from there. Knowing me, I’d just take a taxi from the airport directly to my destination and cut out the shuttle ride to the old airport.
Mike, hmmm… gated communities in Quito. I don’t really know them all that well. One you might want to check out is Los Chillos – -that’s where one of the golf clubs is. It’s in Los Chillos Valley — nice area. On the western flank of Mt. Pichincha you might also look at Quito Tenis — they also have a gold club…I think it’s a little pricey, but might be worth a look. And perhaps take her to Cumbaya and Tumbaco — its where the more upscale commuters live who work in the city.
You might want to email Sarah Dettman (s.dettman@yahoo.com) and ask her for more details. She lives in Conocoto and knows Quito and the valley areas very well. She also runs tours for expats and she’d happily put something together for you if you want — but she’ll also answer your questions in any case.
Favorite restaurants… that’s pretty subjective. There are many. When we go to Quito we often start our evening in the heart of the Mariscal district in one of the sidewalk cafes at Plaza Foch. Our favorite cafe is on the southwest corner… think it is called “O” or something like that.
For dinner, we might walk two blocks up Reina Victoria to the casually hip Boca del Lobo or a bit further to our favorite pizza place, called Cosa Nostra, near the Hotel Sebastian. There are also some very nice upscale eateries that offer exquisite tasting menus with wine pairings. (Alma and Zazu are two of them). Go hungry (like don’t eat all day ) and don’t plan on functioning the next day, you’ll be so sated. We also like Noe’s for sushi and a Peruvian seafood restaurant called Segundo Muelle. Both of these last two are in La Floresta, between the Swissotel and Hotel Quito. (The latter has a great bar for watching the sun go down over the city.) There are also a couple of nice restaurants in Old Town with great rooftop views… a good place for more restaurant reviews is TripAdvisor.
I am a woman and not any more concerned here than I would be anywhere else in the world. In fact, I feel safer here than I probably would in many other places. That said, if she will be here in Ecuador alone, be sure she is living in a place where she will feel safe — a building with a security code entry, etc. Has your friend done much traveling? If not, she needs to come and see for herself. As a whole, Latin America is very safe. I don’t want to sound like Ann Landers, but may be another issue at work here.
By the way, you don’t say how old your friend is, but I’ve noticed a trend of far more older (over 60) single women moving overseas than single men of the same age. Those single expat women here are very independent adventurous. They socialize a lot and see to be enjoying themselves immensely.
Juanita, I will try to find out for you, but I very much doubt you can introduce any animal into the Galapagos. Let me do some asking around, though.
Soraya, you need to contact an expert. Please email customs facilitator Sandy Baquero: Sandy_Baquero@hotmail.com
Hi Gary, I am not familiar with Punta Leona, although I have drive through that area, am familiar with Jaco area and I have stayed at the Marriott near there.
You may want to give the city of Esmeraldas a miss — but I assume, instead, you are referring to the province of Esmeraldas. There, you should probably concentrate your search on the towns of Atacames and Tonsupa. The former has more hotels and entertainment-type venues and the latter has more condos and apartment living.
There is also another little hippie/surfer town that might be worth a look. It’s Mompiche, and it’s the third stop on the Montanita/Canoa surfer circuit.
Gretchen, if you are interested: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/01/05/ecuador-president-refuses-to-inaugurate-wind-farm/
A wind farm has been built in southern Loja province. I just saw a newly built one on the shores of Lake Nicaragua a few weeks ago. Makes sense to me.
Gary, how far north? If you can be more specific, I can be more helpful. And you’ve looked at the itineraries write-up in the travel section, right? There are some accommodation suggestions there. Also, I use TripAdvisor when I travel — usually works well for suggestions.
Suzan
yes, same goes here.
Canoa is nice — surfer town with a wide beach. Pedernales is concrete buildings, dirty streets, but not much beach activity. Nothing remarkable at all.
I don’t think you will like Pedernales. I’d suggest Salinas and either Manta or Bahia de Caraquez and then maybe a trip to Atacames/Tonsupa.
You can bring in up to 10k worth at a time, I believe. For more info, you can email our friend David DeChambeau (ddechambeau@yahoo.com) who knows more about all this….
I agree with Edd. If an alarm goes off, who will respond and how fast will they get there? No telling. That’s why some people who live in remote locations opt to have a caretaker (usually with a family) live on site.
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