Definitely believe the hype! South America is beautiful, and backpacking Ecuador is not only easy, it’s also cheap! When you think of Ecuador you probably immediately think of Charles Darwin and the famous Galapagos Islands, right? Sure. Me too, at first. But, I’m here to tell you that Ecuador is more than just the Galapagos. So much more. Whether you enjoy the hustle and bustle of vibrant city life or the relaxation of an ocean breeze, this itinerary for 2 weeks in Ecuador will satisfy even the pickiest of travelers.
Planning is key!
For me, my friends and I knew that we wanted to plan an international trip, but none of us really knew where we wanted to go. Originally, it was Croatia, then maybe Hungary, then Guatemala, maybe Costa Rica. Finally, and thankfully, we decided on Ecuador because of it’s varied climate, rich culture, and easy going vibes.
Things to consider:
- Do you want to visit a lot of places for a short time or really take your time in just a few locations?
- Would you like to go from North to South or vice versa?
- Will you be traveling to the Galapagos?
- Do you want more adventure or relaxation?
- Are you flying in straight from your home base?
- Will you be coming from a neighboring country?
- Where would you like to end up?
Once you’ve answered those questions, you can decide which airport makes the most sense for you to use. There are two international airports in Ecuador: one in Quito (UIO) and one in Guayaquil (GYE). Both are very busy and service lots of destinations. Personally, I recommend flying into Quito because the prices are generally substantially lower unless you’ll be coming from a neighboring country to the south. For tips on how to find the cheapest flights, check out my aptly named article, 3 Best Tools To Find Cheap Flights. I live in Atlanta so I’ve learned that JetBlue typically has great fares depending on when you’re traveling. I was able to snag a round trip ticket for about $400.
A quick word on safety in Quito
Quito is a major South American city, and like any big city, that means there are certain things to be cautious about. However, Ecuador as a whole has a pretty good track record in terms of safety so as long as you use common sense you’ll be totally fine. For a more information, check out my article Is Ecuador Safe? A Guide to Safety in Ecuador.
Day 1 - Explore Quito and make some new friends
We couldn’t have made a better choice for our accommodations in Quito. The Secret Garden Quito quickly became our home base for our entire Ecuador trip. We loved it for a lot of reasons but two of the biggest ones were the views of the city from the rooftop balcony and the welcoming and communal vibe with all the guests. When we arrived at the hostel, we quickly learned that a guy from our flight was actually staying there as well. So after hanging out and chatting for a bit we exchanged contact information and went about our day. He would actually join us for about a week in Montañita, but I’ll get to that later.
Quito sits at 9,350 above sea level, and the terrain of the city is very hilly, so your first day or so should really be used to get yourself acclimated to the altitude. While sometimes a little strenuous, the city is definitely walkable and there’s tons of great places to see. So on your first day in Ecuador I recommend taking it easy, and just take in some of the sights and sounds of the bustling city. There are tons of great places to eat all over Quito. Our first lunch in South America was just down the street from the hostel at one of the many local restaurants serving up hearty almuerzos. It was about $4 and it included an awesome soup, chicken, and a huge portion of ubiquitous rice and beans.
About mid-day we went back to our hostel to get some advice about how to get to our next destination. Originally, we were planning to go Mindo next. But we were advised that since Semana Santa was coming up, we should really head down south the next morning if we didn’t want to risk all the buses being sold out. So we texted our new friend explaining that we were switching gears and would actually be headed to Montañita next. He was on board to join us, so with our new plan set, we started making the arrangements. We spent most of the afternoon on a wild goose chase that took us on a hour and a half walk across the city to a bus company to buy our tickets only to discover that they didn’t sell tickets there at all. We were in such a hurry that we didn’t bring our water bottles nor apply sunscreen, so you can imagine the lobsters that we were when we finally got back to the hostel.
Day 2 - Bus from Quito to Montañita
Wake up early and get to the bus station, because this is going to be a full day of travel. we thought about flying, which would have been SO much quicker, but we actually were really excited about taking the bus through the Andes. And I’m so glad that we did. Not only did it give my crazy sunburn a chance to heal a bit, it also offered hours upon hours of breathtaking views from my window seat on the bus. Travelling by bus in Ecuador really gives you more of an authentic vibe, in my opinion, so I highly recommend it. There was a little girl seated in front of me who loved to chat and practice her English. For the most part, she was adorable and hilarious, but one time when I was waking up from a nap she definitely called me diablo blanco as she squirmed around in her seat trying to get my attention. She wasn’t being mean or anything, she just wanted her travel buddy to wake up…I think. ;-P
Days 3-7 - Montañita, party capital of Ecuador
We loved Montañita so much! If you’re looking for a place to party in Ecuador, look no further. Year round, this little slice of paradise is host to not only international travelers but also Ecuadorians looking to unwind and get away from the city. If you’re like me, you appreciate a good adult beverage. And boy oh boy does Montañita have you covered there!
While Montañita is probably best known as the party capital of Ecuador, there’s also way more to do here than drink and dance! Voted as one of the top 5 Spanish schools worldwide in 2009, the Montañita Spanish School offers lots of ways to improve your Spanish. Our new friend who joined us back in Quito actually ended up enrolling in classes while we were there. But if you’re looking for a bit more of an adventure, there are tons of places to take some surfing lessons in Montañita as well, and most hostels will rent you a surfboard for next to nothing.
What to do around Montañita
Explore the town
Grab your sunscreen and water bottle and and start exploring. There are lots of restaurants serving up the freshest seafood you’ve ever had and plenty of places to grab a quick souvenir for your friends and family back home. plus the beach in Montañita is beautiful all on it’s own!
Isla de la Plata
Known as the Poor Man’s Galapagos, Isla de la Plata is a must see day trip from Montañita.
Los Frailes
Visit this beautiful beach located inside Machalilla National Park. Los Frailes is hailed as one of the absolute BEST beaches in all of Ecuador
*Bonus* Sunset in Puerto Lopez
You’ll be hard pressed to find a better sunset experience than in Puerto Lopez. Relax with a drink in hand as you watch the sun set over the harbor while local kids show off their acrobatics.
For more in depth information about this awesome town, check out my article, A Backpackers Guide to Montañita!
Day 8-11 - Enjoy the capital and take some day trips from Quito!
Take a tuk-tuk to the bus station just outside of Puerto Lopez and book an overnight bus from the coast and head back up to Quito! You’ll have just spent nearly a full week of fun in the sun in the coastal region of Ecuador, so you’ll be thankful for the long night bus to recuperate. That is, if you get luckier than we did. Everyone was enjoying their well earned sleep until around 3am when we were told the bus had broken down and we’d need to deboard to wait for a new bus to pick us up. Thankfully, we were able to pull over into a well lit area, so we were never in any danger. But it certainly made for an uneasy feeling for most of us who, in the midst of our slumber, didn’t really know what was going on at the time. But within an hour or so, we were back on track and eventually made it back to Quito safely by around 10am.
What to do around Quito
National Basilica and La Ronda
After the long bus ride, you’ll be itching to walk around and get moving. Quito is such a cool city that has a lot to offer! We had nothing on our itinerary for the day, and we never felt like we were without something fun to do or see. Since it was late morning by the time we got checked back into our room at Secret Garden, we missed out on the breakfast options at the hostel. So we headed out and grabbed quick bite at the first place that we came across that still had breakfast. From there, we made our way straight to the
Bascilica del Voto Nacional where we were happy to pay $2.00 for a self guided tour of the neo-Gothic church. The views of the city from the spires are breathtaking, so I highly recommend carving out time to check it out. From there, we started to make our way towards Calle La Ronda, a beautiful street in the historic district of Quito. La Ronda is very popular with tourists because of it’s old world charm mixed with world class artisan store fronts and local restaurants that pepper the colorful street. After sampling several awesome icecreams at Dulce Placer, learning about the honey production in Ecuador at Api Real, and visiting a handmade toymaker’s workshop at Zabalartes, we decided to start walking back towards our hostel to enjoy the family style dinner that we’d signed up for before heading out.
Mindo – Adventuring in a Cloud Forest
Baños is the undisputed adventure capital of Ecuador, but it just wasn’t in the cards for us during this trip. So after a little bit of research I found Mindo. To get there, take a taxi to Terminal La Ofelia and buy your ticket from the bus company, Flor de Valle. Your one way ticket will only set you back about $3 and you’ll arrive in Mindo in about 2 hours. When we got there it was raining – you know, like it does in a cloud forest – so we decided to go ahead and buy our return ticket to Quito then grab some food and make a plan for the day. By the time we were finished eating, it was sunny and beautiful so we started out on our day full of adventure. For about $30 we booked a full day of fun with Mindo Canopy Adventure. For that price, we flew through the cloud forest on 10 different zip lines, we tested our fortitude by jumping off a platform on the tarzan swing, and we soared over the valley on the tarabita which took us to the trailhead towards a series of waterfalls.
By the end of the day, we were exhausted but full of memories that will last us a lifetime. Bottom line: don’t skip Mindo!
Mitad del Mundo – Middle of the World!
We couldn’t go to Ecuador and NOT go to the middle of the world! About an hour or so outside of Quito is Mitad del Mundo and (according to who you believe) it sits at the 0º latitude. While more accurate GPS systems tell us that the actual equator is approximately 240 meters north of the marked lines, the monument and museum which was built in 1972 is impressive. And it certainly doesn’t stop thousands of tourists from flocking to the site to take the mandatory equator selfies and explore the museum dedicated to the ethnography of indigenous populations of Ecuador.
Otavalo – Outdoor Market
We had shown great restraint for the majority of our trip when it came to buying souvenirs because we knew that the Otavalo Market would be where we’d want to make some purchases. It’s about 2 hours away from Quito by public bus and it will only cost you around $2.50 one way. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, I’m sure it is for pretty much everyone. But I was instructed to remind the bus driver that I wanted to stop in Otavalo. So I did. And he dropped us off at an intersection. Where is this intersection in regards to the market, you ask? I honestly couldn’t tell you. Turns out, it wasn’t that far at all. But when we stepped off the bus and watched it drive away, we definitely had an “umm, what now?” moment. There was a couple that we came across that must have been dropped off by a different bus recently who were experiencing the same problem. But after 10 or 15 minutes of wandering around and asking for directions, we found our way to the market.
It was absolutely worth the adventure of finding it. Saturdays are the biggest market days, followed by Wednesdays, so we made sure we were there on a Saturday to get the full experience. For at least 3 or 4 blocks the streets were overflowing with tables and racks displaying everything from handmade clothing and crafts to practically drugstore items and knock-off shoes. There were food vendors serving up a variety of street foods, and everywhere you turned there was something more beautiful and interesting than before. I went home with a handmade wool and alpaca poncho-like sweater for $20 and a piece of artwork made by an indigenous artist.
***General Tip – when visiting markets like this one in South America, don’t be afraid to haggle. It’s expected and no one will thing you’re being rude. Just, ya know, don’t be rude.
Day 12-14 - Unplug with 3 days in Cotopaxi
When I look back on my trip to Ecuador, nothing stands out more than the 3 days we spent visiting Cotopaxi. Secret Garden Quito has a sister hostel about 2 hours away at the base of the worlds 2nd largest active volcano, Cotopaxi. Don’t let the price tag of $95.00 per person scare you. For that price you get round trip transportation from Quito, 2 nights of accommodations, all of your meals, a guided hike to a secluded (and frigid) waterfall when you arrive, and a second free and more strenuous trek which takes you to the extinct volcano, Pasachoa. There’s no wifi, which I know can be scary if you’re like me and you’re addicted to social media, but when you arrive and you see that view I promise you won’t care a bit.
In addition to the free activities, there’s several add on options as well:
- Horseback riding – $35-$40/person depending on how many people sign up
- Cotopaxi Summit – $295/person if there are at least 2 people, $395/person if only one person signed up
- Cotopaxi National Park Tour – $30/person + $5-$10/person to rent a bike
- Plus several other options depending on your hiking skill level and desire to pull yourself away from the views at the hostel.
We decided to opt for the horseback riding, since we’d never been before. It was about 3 hours of riding time, and we loved every second of it. Well, almost every second of it. My horse was kind of an asshole, to be honest! He would only go at his own pace, no matter what I did. He did not like being anywhere but the front of the line, and when he wasn’t at the front, he’d pick fights with the other horses. In fact, one time when he bit the horse in front of him, that horse got all kinds of riled up and actually knocked it’s rider off. Meanwhile, my horse just trotted right past them like a little jerk.
I did have better animal luck back at the hostel, though. They have tons of animals around including some llamas and alpacas. This one guy was my absolute best friend for the 30 seconds that I was feeding him a banana!
In all seriousness though, I can’t say enough good things about my time at Secret Garden Cotopaxi. Do yourself a favor schedule enough time so that you can book the 2 night, 3 day package!
Day 15 - Hang out in Quito, then catch your flight home or to your next adventure!
We got back to Secret Garden Quito yesterday evening and were able to reconnect with our new friends and go out partying last night. So today is all about getting ready to say goodbye. Since we stayed out much too late last night, we let ourselves sleep in a little bit before hitting the city one last time. We had nice breakfast at the hostel for about $3.00, then just wandered around for most of the day. By this time, since we had stayed in the same place in Quito on and off for two weeks we knew a several people who were also staying there. We walked around the city with our new friends sharing our favorite moments from the last couple of weeks and talking about where we’d be headed for our next trip. By 6pm, we knew we were quickly approaching the end of this adventure, so we headed up to the rooftop bar to enjoy our last few hours in Ecuador. There was never a shortage of stories as we sat at the long table drinking beer and laughing. Finally, when it was time to go, we gave our hugs, said our goodbyes, and tipped our bartenders. Then we got in our taxi and vowed that while this might have been our first experience in South America, it most certainly would not be our last.
