Backpacking Ecuador: A Two Week Itinerary!
Over our winter break from college classes in 2017, we decided to take a bit of a non-traditional vacation. Our family and friends were shocked when we told them we were planning a trip to Ecuador. Truth is, none of them knew the beauty that this country held! We like getting off the beaten path and going to countries most people will give you a funny look when you tell them you’re going there.
We purposely had a long layover in Mexico City so we could spend some time exploring Mexico’s capital. We then spent 7 days in Ecuador before flying to the Galapagos Islands for 4 more days. All in all, including Mexico City and other travel days, this trip came out to be 15 days.
We spent a ton of time planning this trip and our route in order to maximize our time exploring. There were some days that were totally lost because of taking buses or flying, but we think we still had a pretty efficient route! Here you will find everything we did, so that you can hopefully enjoy the beauty of Ecuador too! We’ve also added in some links to make things easier for you.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more please feel free to contact us! Also check out our video of the entire trip here!
Day 1: quito
Our first day in Ecuador was spent in its capital, Quito. After a long layover in Mexico City, we were excited to check into El Hostelito. After a quick nap, our friend from college who lives in Quito picked us up and took us to Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, The Center of the World. There is a large statue that marks where the equator is. But in reality, this line doesn’t mark the real equator; the actual equator is a few hundred yards away and can be visited by going to Intinan Solar Museum.
Because it was New Year’s Eve, throughout the day we were able to see one of the biggest traditions in Quito: men dressed as women. They would stop you in the street and dance on your car until you gave them some money! It was quite an amazing show to witness. We ended our night by celebrating with drinks in Plaza Foch followed by fireworks and Quito’s other tradition, the burning of dolls. Ecuadorians make dolls of popular celebrities and politicians they dislike, burn them at midnight, and then jump over the fire as a way to cleanse going into the New Year.
HOSTEL: We stayed at El Hostelito during our time in Quito, which we really enjoyed. This hostel is located in the heart of Quito and has easy access to transportation. It’s also a really modern and fun atmosphere as they offer “pods” rather than the typical bunk beds. They also have two person pods, which was awesome for people like us traveling as a couple!
Ciudad Mitad del Mundo: Kissing across the Equator; from one hemisphere to the other! This is the touristy monument.
Intinan Solar Museum: The “actual” Equator. You can learn a lot about the various strange forces that take place at the Equator.
Unwinding with some drinks in Plaza Foch before ringing in the New Year
Day 2: Quito
The next day we were excited to take a cable car ride up the Pichincha Volcano, which stands 15,696 feet tall. Although it was cloudy, we were still able to see some cool views. At the top, Adam was able to go explore, but Emily sat this one out as she experienced altitude sickness for the first time. Quito sits at an elevation of 9,350 feet, so the rapid change in altitude can affect different people in different ways.
Since it was New Year’s Day, all the restaurants were closed, so we went to our friend’s house for dinner where her family treated us to a traditional Ecuadorian dinner!
Some views of Quito on the way up. You can only imagine how impressive it is with clear weather!
Standing near the summit of the volcano. It was nice to see the tall peaks poking out of the clouds, but we wish we could have seen the whole city!
Our friend Andrea, and her family, who graciously cooked us a wonderful meal on New Year’s Day.
Looking up to the snow-covered peak of Pichincha Volcano.
Day 3: Quito
On our last day in Quito we did a Free Walking Tour of downtown Quito. This tour was amazing as our tour guide was very knowledgeable and took us to public markets, churches, cool buildings, and statues. We were able to learn some of Quito’s wild history (we won’t spoil the secrets). This is also a great time to indulge in some local food from the markets. Our favorite was “granadilla” - it’s kind of like a passionfruit. It’s delicious!
After the tour we climbed Basílica del Voto Nacional and saw amazing views of the city. We had to climb up some steep and exposed ladders, but the views were definitely worth the scary climb. We highly recommend making the quick side trip to this spot; it’s super easy to get to from where the walking tour ends!
As our day in Quito started winding down, we had to get to a bus terminal outside of the city to catch a bus to Latacunga, our next destination. We pride ourselves on being good with public transportation, but we could not figure out how to get to the terminal we needed. Finally a kind man overheard us asking for help and guided us in the right direction. After a bit of stress, we arrived at our hostel in Latacunga.
Looking out at the streets of Quito.
Basílica del Voto Nacional
The President’s Palace
Half way up the church towers!
Another church, amazing architecture
Beautiful 360 degree views of Quito and the surrounding mountains
Day 4: Latacunga
We woke up refreshed and were very excited to take the bus from Latacunga to Laguna Quilotoa. After we were dropped off, it was about a half mile walk to the views of Quilotoa. The first sight of Quilotoa was the most breathtaking experience ever! We’ve never seen anything as spectacular as those views.
We hiked an hour down a gravel dirt path to the Laguna. We were able to go kayaking and soak in the amazing views even more! After a lovely kayak, we hiked the grueling path back to the top. Back in town, we grabbed our favorite meal – churrascos – steak, eggs, and French fries. Then we caught a bus that took us to the adventure city of Ecuador, Banos!
TRAVEL TIP: You can book day trips from Quito to Quilotoa, but they make for a long day and they are expensive. If you’re on a budget, taking the buses and spending a night in Latacunga is much more affordable and relaxing!
HOSTEL: We stayed at Hostel Tiana during our one night in Latacunga, which was a perfect stay. This hostel is a 10 minute walk from the main bus station and serves a delicious breakfast!
The stunning Laguna Quilotoa… Pictures don’t do it justice!
We love taking boots pictures, but this has got to be our favorite!
Kayaking in Quilotoa! Totally worth the brutal hike
How could you not take a picture with an alpaca!?
The beautiful blue-green water of Quilotoa
Churrascos… YUM! Adam had this meal at least 5 times on our trip
Day 5: Banos
On our first day in Banos we were ready for some adventure! We woke up early and waited for our ride to go ziplining! We were picked up at our hostel and taken to Puntzan Canopy for the most incredible ziplining we have ever done! We hiked around the jungle to six different lines ranging from 500 feet to 2,000 feet in length! We were able to try fun positions like riding upside down, superman, and even going down together!
After doing some thrills in the morning, we decided to complete the Route of the Waterfalls. It is a 10 mile downhill route that stops along some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. We rented bikes and began our journey. Along the way, there are plenty of spots where you can stop and enjoy lunch, stare at waterfalls in awe, and do some ziplining. The best stop on the route was Pailon del Diablo. It is a one mile hike down to a beautiful crashing waterfall. The falls are lined with stone stairs to get better views. At the final falls along the route, we were able to go for a fun swim! We were taken back to town by hopping in the back of a truck, because after a day of canyoning and bike riding we were beat and there was no way we were pedaling back.
TRAVEL TIP: Biking along the road and through the tunnels can be a little freaky at first, but most of the drivers mind your space and give bikers plenty of room!
HOSTEL: We stayed at Great Hostels Backpackers during our time in Banos, which was a really cool place. They have a cool garden area where you can hang out, a bar with delicious food, and amazing views of the surrounding city. The one thing we had an issue with was the weak WiFi connection, but that wasn’t really a big deal to us.
Enjoying ziplining through some incredible scenery
Another waterfall… good swimming spots here
Some of the first waterfalls along the Route of the Waterfalls
Pailon del Diablo
Enjoying some fresh lemonade before more biking
Day 6: Banos
The next day we were ready to go canyoning, which is rappelling down waterfalls! We went with GeoTours and highly recommend them! These guys are professionals and very supportive of everyone. Once equipped with our wet suits, helmets, and harnesses, we took a ride about 30 minutes outside of Banos. We began a 20 minute hike to the first waterfall. We started off slow by tediously going down, but by the end we were jumping back and forth and flying down the falls! In total we repelled down five waterfalls and the last one was a natural water slide! We would definitely go canyoning again.
We kept our adrenaline going by visiting La Casa de Arbol, The Swing at the End of the World. It’s a quick bus ride from Banos and completely worth the trip! We swung off the edge of a cliff to see amazing views! We were tuckered out from our adventure filled day and couldn’t wait until the next!
TRAVEL TIP: The bus for La Casa De Arbol doesn’t run as often as some of the other buses and it leaves from a weird location. Make sure to talk to your hostel about the best way to get to the bus stop!
Yup, we rappelled down that waterfall!
High up in the Andes Mountains
Adam takes his turn on the swing
Emily going for a swing
Such an incredible feeling swinging out into the open air
Day 7: Banos
We spent our last day in Banos with a tour through the Amazon Rainforest! We had to do this through a tour group due to the remote location, so we again used GeoTours to book our Full Day Jungle Highlights Tour. We began our day with a 90 minute drive to Puyo, the gateway to experiencing the Ecuadorian Amazon. Our first stop was at a wildlife refuge where we were able to see monkeys, tigers, parrots, and other exotic animals. Then we were taken to a traditional village within the Quichua community where we learned about the indigenous people, were taught ritual dances, and viewed handmade ceramics and crafts. We then got to take a ride down the river in a traditional wooden canoe - it was a bit freaky! Finally, we went on a beautiful hike through the jungle that led us to a gorgeous waterfall. We were able to swim here to cool off from the hot jungle weather! On the way out, we stopped at a rope swing that swung out to breathtaking views of the jungle. It was an amazing snippet of the jungle and we would love to see more!
To give an honest review of this experience, we had fun but we would not recommend doing the full day tour of the jungle. It felt very staged and fake at points, which was certainly disappointing. We were hoping for a “true” Amazon Rainforest experience, but this did not satisfy our needs. Instead, we would recommend doing a multi day tour deep into the Amazon to truly experience the wild - especially if you have more time.
He was a feisty monkey!
Going for a canoe ride down the river!
Oh hi there…
Hanging out with the locals!
Cooling off in a remote waterfall
Day 8: Guayaquil
We spent the next day on a long 8-hour bus ride from to Banos to Guayaquil. For only $10, the bus was relatively comfortable. Our favorite part was the stops about every hour where vendors would come on trying to sell food. We were very thankful for all of the empanadas and ice cream! We spent a relaxing night in Guayaquil exploring the mall near our hostel while waiting for our flight to the Galapagos Islands in the morning!
One of the things we did not get a chance to do that we heard is worth doing is visiting Seminario Park. The park is home to several iguanas that roam around as well as some really nice monuments.
TRAVEL TIP: Make sure to carry some small bills and coins with you if you’re planning on taking a long bus ride anywhere in Ecuador! You’ll need them to buy roadside snacks and to get entrance into some bathrooms.
HOSTEL: We stayed at Dreamkapture Hostel for our night in Guayaquil, which was located in one of the safest parts of the city. It’s in a great walk as some awesome restaurants and the mall are all within a 5-10 minute walk. They’re also super helpful with arranging taxi rides to and from the airport!
Some views on our bus ride to Guayaquil
These bus rides are so long because of all the mountainous terrain!
Day 9: Off to Galapagos
We woke up extremely excited to get to the airport so we could fly to the Galapagos Islands! Dreamkapture helped us arrange a safe taxi ride to the airport and then we were off! To see what we did in the Galapagos Islands, please visit our separate page which you can find here.
As experienced hikers, we always make sure that we are hiking with The Ten Essentials which include navigation, a headlamp, sun protection, first aid, a knife, shelter, extra food, water and clothes. Overtime, we have discovered some items that we always bring on our hikes and consider them to be our personal, expanded ten essentials.