Ecuador

Quito:

Things To Do: For all tours in Quito, I had a gentleman named David Carrion as a guide. He was without doubt one of the best guides I have ever had. If you plan on visiting Quito, reach out to me and I can share his contact information.

  • Laguna Quilotoa: Quilotoa Crater Lake is one of the most beautiful volcano lakes in the Ecuadorian Andes. From the crater you can see various snow-topped volcanoes in the distance. When you arrive, you are at the viewpoint. You can hike down to the lake level, it takes about 25 minutes. Note that the pathway is mostly sand, so I would recommend wearing sandals. If you go down, you have 2 options for getting back up: hiking or taking a mule. The hike is really hard. You’re at a high altitude and because the pathway is sandy, there is a lot of dust in the air. It took me ~45 minutes to hike up, but it could easily take 2 hours. Make sure to bring lots of water! If you don’t want to hike, you can pay $10 to take a mule back up (this is what most people did).
  • Cotopaxi National Park: Beautiful national park; the famous Cotopaxi Volcano is the main point of attraction. I would definitely recommend spending several hours in the park, as there are plenty of hikes and walks. If I had more time in Quito, I would have scheduled a tour to hike to the top of the volcano.
    • There is one restaurant in the park, Tambopaxi. I would recommend making a reservation if you plan on eating here.
  • Otavalo & Cuicocha Lake: Otavalo is home to Ecuador’s largest indigenous market and one of the best known in all of Latin America. It’s really cool and you can find a lot of souvenirs; that said, depending on how much time you have in Quito, I wouldn’t suggest this tour first. I would do Cotopaxi / Quilotoa first before this, but I much prefer adventurous activities. The market operates throughout the week, but the main market day in Otavalo is Saturday.
    • On this day, we ate lunch at Hacienda Pinsaqui; the food was amazing.
  •  Termas de Papallacta Spa: This is a natural hot spring located high in the Andes; it was really nice and relaxing. I wouldn’t make this your first tour because there’s much to see in Quito, but if you’re looking for a relaxing spa day, go here. If you go, I would recommend booking your entry to the Spa and not the public pools; the spa is a little more exclusive, there are more pool options and less people. You can also book a massage for pretty cheap; all prices are online.
  • Quito TelefériQo: This is the cable car in Quito that takes you up to 13,000ft for a really nice view of the city. It’s $8/person. I would recommend going early in the morning because it gets pretty busy, especially on nice days.

Accommodation:

  • Sheraton Quito Hotel: This hotel was very nice and had great service. It was centrally located in downtown Quito, ~45 minutes from the airport.
    • While I typically prefer to stay at hostels (and it looks like Quito has some nice hostels), I was traveling during COVID-19, so I avoided staying somewhere that emphasized shared spaces.

Food: During my time in Quito, I planned a lot of day trips. Most of my meals were had on these excursions; I included our lunch spots in the “Things To Do” section above. Below, I have included some places I didn’t have the chance to dine at, but that were highly suggested by a travel agent I was in contact with. These suggestions are in italics. 

  • Quito Pizza: Delicious thin crust pizza that is available on UberEats
  • La Gloria Restaurant: The food is rooted in Spain, with touches of Peru, France, and Italy. Choose between the modern dining room, with polished concrete floors and abstract artwork, or the brighter, more casual terrace. Beyond the more Andean preparations—cuy crocante (deep-fried guinea pig), quinoa soup, tacu tacu (refried rice and beans)—there are plenty of excellent regional Spanish dishes like suquet de peix (a Catalonian fish soup) and a hearty seafood paella.
  • Carmine Restaurante: An Italian and Mediterranean restaurant, located in one of the most exclusive and privileged business areas of Quito. It is installed in a beautiful French style house, covered with ivy and surrounded by a beautiful garden, which makes it a wonderful refuge within the city. Art and gastronomy merge in this place where courtesy and service reign, offering a true visual and culinary delight. This confluence of cultures, tastes and tendencies, Carmine condenses them harmoniously in five different environments for any taste or occasion.
  • Osaka: Osaka serves a blend of Peruvian and Japanese dishes, offering the freshest seafood spiced with Andean flavors. This is the perfect place to share dishes, tapas-style.
  • San Telmo: One of Quito’s top steakhouses, San Telmo is an elegant restaurant with a sizzling grill firing up a wide range of cuts. It has a good wine selection and options for non-meat-eaters (pastas, seafood).

Other Tips:

  • The local currency in Ecuador is the USD; while many of the restaurants and stores accept cards, they much prefer cash so I would bring plenty of cash.
  • Make sure to bring lots of sunscreen! Ecuador lies right over the equator, so the sun is intense and sunscreen is really expensive there.
  • The plugs in Ecuador are the same as they are in the US, so you don’t need to bring a wall converter.

Background photo taken at Cotopaxi National Park.