Equador-galapagos vacation
 

I have 11 days:
1) is that enough to visit galapagos and get a good glimpse of equador mainland as well?
2) What are the must sees in Equador for one to have the feeling that they've gotten a good overview of the country?
3) best way to go around once there?does renting a car work?

Chances that i will manage to visit the country again are slim of course.
Thank you

I've done a day trip to Cotopaxi volcano where you can see Incan ruins and wild horses roam around. This was a private trip for 2. I've done a private city tour with an evening visit to the Jacchigua Folkloric Ballet. Also went Otovalo (sp?), the big market, with a group departure. I did not rent a car.

To give you an idea of what you might want to see on the mainland, you can check this link out. This is from the company I've gone to the Galapagos with, but their trips are a minimum 11 days in the islands.

http://www.galapagostravel.com/highlights.html

There are Galapagos cruises from 3 nights to almost 2 weeks. If you want to see the different species such as the blue-footed boobies, iguanas, tortoises at the Darwin Research Center, and sea lions, then about 5-7 nights on a cruise will do it.

shmoulie

Are you already booked for Ecuador and the Galapagos ...or are you in the planning stages yet.

Percy

thank you lynn.
Percy am still in the planning stages and my main concern is really the time

For 11 days, I actually did a combo Peru-Ecuador (Galapagos Islands) I would have done more, but I had time constraints (and a little girl I missed dearly!)

While it was a tease, I got to see alot. Galapagos was only a 4 day cruise, but we got to see all the different animals. We spent 2 afternoons checking out Old Historic District of Quito, which is gorgeous.

I would think, without Peru, you have time to check out all of Ecuador!

shmoulie:

You will have enough time to do the Galapagos and to see Quito and area.

I would do the 5 days at the Galapagos andf this way you willhave more than ample time to visit other places.

I am assuming that ther 11 days includes your travelling also to get to Quito.

Personally I do not think that renting a car will work that great.

The traffic is congested and terrible and Quito is 22 miles long!!!! and aboput 3-4 miles wide.

Cotopaxi is second onlt to the Galapagos , for tourists visits.

I find this an amazing statement because unless you have ot seen a volcano mountain or just that you wan to go there ..for the sake of seeing it...then go.
Otherwise....

It is 36 miles South of Quito on a very very bumpy road dirt road going to virtually nowhere.!!

You will see Condors here if you are lucky (I was!)
, also a few wild horses running about and there are Llamas(I never saw any here).

It is cooooold up year no matter what time of the year you go.

There is a Ranger Station about 3/4 of the way up Cotopaxi and your guide can driver you most of the way uo here.

( Oh yes,I would recommend getting a guide in Quito ... to tour you around, they are cheap...and most important of all...they know where they are going)

I remember coming back from Cotopaxi ,we were exhausted on the rough long road back and were extremely pleased when our vehilce finally came to a paved road.

Otavalo....hmmm , it is over rate.

Thereis a better market and bigger every Thursday at a place called Saquisili.

This place is about 5 blocks by 6 blocks and if you want to see people "right out of the pictures in National Geographic"...then this is the place for sure!!

It is on the way to Cotopaxi.

For your country drive/ride, you will see nice scenery , therefore you can go like this:

Quiot to Otavalo...Otavalo to Cotacachi( In Cotacachi, there is a lovely town square and an Arupul Tree that is always loaded with red flowers.

Let me tell you what happend to me:

From Cotacachi,Iwanted togo to Mitad del Munda( You have to go here because this is the Equator Line place.)

Anyway my guide said , "It is too far to go back and Mitad del Munda is on the other sdie of Quito...and Quito is 22 miles long"...

so you can imagine the traffic we would have to go through and we would not make it before darkness !

He said " I know a short cut."" We can circle up into the mountains and all around Quito and this would be better."!!!

Well let me tell you I was up and down one mountain after the other..,.passing through small village ,that I could not believe anybody could live way up here.!!!

Then there was a little landslide which blocked the road..we waited about a half hour for a grader to come to clear away the pile of dirt...

Okay we are on our way again...I have no idea where I am of even if we are heading the right way.

After another hour and one half... I half jokingly said to my driver, "Are you sure this is a short cut..your not lost are you" .!!!

He grinned and said "No,No soon we will be there."

Twenty minutes later , he rounded a curve high up in the mountains..and there below was
Mitad del Munda..."Phew !!!"

I now fely silly for questioning him.
He just winked at me !

When you get to Mitad del Munda... place one foot on each side of the Equator line ..get your picture take as you are now in both the Northern and Southern Hemipshers at the same time !!!! cool !!

In Quito you have to tour "Old Quito"
The main Square is called La Plaza de la Independence.

There are many lovely Colonial Churches and Museums building here.

Also inQuito you have to go to :

El Panecillo:

This is a hill almost in the middle of Quito with terrific views.

El Panecillo means "little Bread" due to the shape and size of this hill.

The statue of the Virgin stands on top of the hill.
Insdie the statue of the Virgin ..there is a Balcony (cost $1.00 to go inside cheap )

Go inside for super views of Quito City below.

Let me warn you that the ride going up is fine because the driver is on the cliff side going up...BUT on the way down...now your ARE on the edge looking down with no support railing on the edge !!

My knuckle were a little white by the time I reached the bottom...

But hey. like you said you are only going once.!!

Also I would tour Quito for 4-5 days BEFORE going to the Galapagos and try to get a late night flight out of Quito...then
on your flight from the Galapagos ,you willhave ample time to vist Old Quito and El Panechillo again in the evening darkness..terrific to see the City lights at night.

I arranged my flight out of Quitoat 11:45 PM

Also I have a super Travel Agent who lives in Quito and arranged everything for me, including my Yacht at the Galapagos and the tour guides during my 4-5 days in Quito.

Let me know if you want his e-mail

Have a great time.
(Hi atravelynn

:)
Percy

Thank you so much for all this info...and your very interesting stories Percy....

So i take it that Cotopaxi isn not all that exciting.... and that 5 days in the Galapagos would suffice.

Which islands are the must see in the galapagos?

How about Cuenca?

I wanted to have a glimpse fo the jungle or the andes, is that completely unrealistic?

shmoulie

If you do the big circle trip(Quito..Otavalo.....Cotacachi..........mountai n range..Mitad del Munda) that I did you will get a taste of the Andes mountain range.

I would say that 5 full days in the Galapagos will be just fine. I did 7 days and saw a few more Islands.

On the Yacht you will be on for the Galapagos ...I am sure the combination of Islands will be the best for the seson you are going in.

I was there in August and this was bird hatching time.

However, don't worry because you will see the Blue Footed Boobies and the Red Footed Boobies.

In fact when you aarive in Baltra Airport and then take that(short) ferry ride over to Santa Cruz...
just..
look up !!

See those birds flying above that are diving into the water like a spear, well those ARE the Blue Footed Boobies.

You will be able to get 2 feet from them on your cruise to the Islands and take their pictures.


I have not been to Cuenca.

With five days at the Galapagos and the rest of the time touring Quito and the country side. you will do just fine.

:)
On your Galapagos Cruise you will have a lecture the night before on the next day's activities.....so you will always know what you are going to do the next day.

You will have "wet" and "dry" landings.

Wet landings just means you will get your feet wet as the boat that takes you from your yacht to the shore will not be able to get right on the shore.

So you jump off the boat into about ankle deep water!!

Your feet and sandles dry off within a half hour !

Percy

shmoulie

I hate to say it but Cotopaxi is no big deal.

I hope others will rebuke what I say about Cotopaxi.

But if you have the time and want to go, then go... better to go nd then say to yourself ,hmm "Percy was right"...than not to go and have some regrets.

Percy

hi shmoulie

i would agree with percy that you can go on a 5 day itinerary for the time you have. unfortunately i don't think any of the 5 day itineraries will include fernandina, the furthest west island, which turned out to be my favorite island. and unless the itinerary goes to genovesa, you will not see red footed boobies.

in your limited time, i would skip cuenca & the jungle, as it involves too much flying & traveling and stick to doing trips around quito. i would also recommend going on a day trip or overnight to bellavista cloud forest. beautiful hummingbirds galore! i would not discount otavalo as a destination. along with the market (which really you could go any day, but the huge market is on saturday), you can go to a condor reserve, beautiful cuicocha crater lake, cotacachi leather goods town. i could go on, it's a very beautiful area.

i got back a month ago, have a look at my web site (you'll need to be patient... lots of pictures to upload!):

http://web.mac.com/quimbymoy/Site_2/Home.html

Percy and Quimbymoy you are being most helpful

What is that distinguishes the islands just the animals or the scenery?

I am thinking in safari terms what would be the must see in terms of nature and animals? (kenya=maasai etc)or is it pretty much fair game?

I was reading that bartolome, Espanola, Fernandina and genovesa are the best, have you guys been to those?

What is in Cotacachi?

I was readng about the Quilotoa loop ,is thsi inetersting and how long does it take?


Thanks zillion to all contributos

Hi Shmoulie-

I'll try and answer you questions below:

What is that distinguishes the islands just the animals or the scenery? Both really. Some animals can only be found on certain islands. For example, we did not see Galapagos penguins anywhere except on Fernandina, Bartolomé & parts of Isabela. And although all the islands are volcanic, you could definitely see differences between the oldest island (Española) & the younger islands, Isabela & Fernandina.

I am thinking in safari terms what would be the must see in terms of nature and animals? (kenya=maasai etc)or is it pretty much fair game?
What you see will really depend on the season & which islands you go to. You WILL see animals for sure, but activities will be different. For ex., we went during breeding season, so we saw lots of breeding & mating rituals and animal colors (like the really interesting colors of some of the marine iguanas & lava lizards). We did not see the waved albatrosses which show up around April, but I felt we saw ALOT. For the most part, you will see sea lions, blue boobies, Nazca boobies, Magnificent frigates, lots of smaller birds, like mockingbirds & finches, land & marine iguana, lava lizards, lava herons, (hopefully) sea turtles, shearwaters, colorful crabs... plus a whole lotta sea life if you go snorkeling! now that's a whole other wonderful activity!!

I was reading that bartolome, Espanola, Fernandina and genovesa are the best, have you guys been to those? I went to Española & Fernandina. Fernandina was my fave because of the sheer number of marine iguanas & flightless cormorants there were and all the ACTION we saw... lots of territorial fighting among the females defending their dens, a galapagos hawk looking for dinner & a snake going after a lava lizard. really cool. Española was cool cause we saw a TON of blue footed & Nazca boobies (& their eggs & babies right on the trail!) at Punta Suarez & Gardner Bay was sea lion heaven! The beach there was "littered" with sleeping & playful sea lions! Too much fun. Did not go to Genovesa, but there you will find red-footed boobies.

What is in Cotacachi? A village that sells all kinds of leather goods... if you are interested. I didn't find it too interesting, but I was shopped out. ;-)

I was reading about the Quilotoa loop ,is this intersting and how long does it take? Do not know, but again, I would concentrate on places closer to Quito. Cuicocha Lake near Otavalo, is a crater lake that you can hike around. It takes about 5 hours or you can take a boat ride and go around the islands on the lake.

Thansk quimbyboy..yours and others advice are a good starting point.

As far as the galapagos go I will see first what they propose to me and get back to you... I gues if I do not know what kind of animals I am supposed to see I am not gonna miss them...;-)

my boss agreed to a total of 13 days of holiday which leaves me with exactly 11 days for all the activities..I will try to put an itinerary together and share it with you for any comments...
any good quito based agencies?
I have decided to contact the slater bothers for now...

try this company too, located in ecuador. our tour agent went thru them and everything was great. there's really good info on their website too, esp the "month by month" under the galapagos section.

http://www.andandotours.com

Hi to Percy. I didn't care for climbing up Cotapaxi and only went up a little way for the fun of it. Terribly windy and not that picturesque of a climb. I liked the scenery surrounding Cotapaxi down on the ground. The wild horses were really interesting and they were not that hard to locate in herds of 6-15.

Quimbymoy, I noticed your comment of thinking in safari terms. If those are the terms you think in, you must head over to the Africa board and do some thinking.

Shmoulie, Most cruises give a combo of islands so you'll see the biggies: the blue footed boobies, the sea lions, the iguanas, and the tortoises. For red footed boobies you need to go to Genovesa, which is far out. Land iguanas are more plentiful on South Plaza or Santa Fe, but marine iguanas are all over.

There was a thread on what island was your favorite. I think Hood/Espanloa came out #1 and was my #1 choice. But all the islands provided unique and memorable viewing.

Here are some links on islands

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34996489

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34943071

Hi shmoulie

I have to agree with quimbymoy and atravelynn.

I have been to all the ilsands you mentioned...but you know , it does not matter what combination of islands you get on your cruise because they make sure you see all the major animals and birds.

For Bellavista Cloud Forest,I have to say I have never seen more hummingbirds in my life than I did at Bellavista Cloud Forest.

It is about a 2 hours drive out of Quito...then you turn off the highway and go up a bumpy dirt road for about a half hour.

You mentioned the Slater brothers ...do you mean Martin Slater ..because he is the fellow I was referring to in Quito.

Say Hi to him for me in your next e-mail..he knows me well because we stay in touch.

He has two lovely daughters,Sami and Rebecca !


I agree that there is lots to see around Quito on day trips and yes Saturday is the big day at Otavalo Market.

On the way to Otavalo ask your guide to show you the 1936 site of where they thought the Equator Line was... there is a big round rock and a poorly attended flower garden around the rock.

Of course this is not true location of the Equator Line....... BUT hold it !!! neither is Mitad del Munda the true location.!!!!

I know
I know you are wondering..."well where is this true location.?"

It is a short distance North of the impressive site of Mitad del Munda.

You have to go here because this TRUE line goes through a modest aboriginal museum .

Give them a little tip (they are poor) and they will demonstrate to you the balancing of an egg on a nail and how water poured down the drain reverses direction on either side of the line............ you gotta see this !!!

All this to convince you that it is THEIR location and not the big tourist attraction called Mitad del Munda that is the TRUE location line.

Bring a sweater and jacket ,the temperature in Quito can drop quickly and you could be out sight seeing and all of a sudden freezing !

Have a good time.

Percy

atravelynn, it was shmoulie who was thinking in safari terms, but i do lurk on the africa boards ALOT ;-)

atravelynn

You do a great job on the African board.
I have read much of your comments and they have always been excellent.

Good Night Everyone

Percy

I recently spent four months in Ecuador and my absolute FAVORITE place is Banos, a town located about 3 hours from Quito (probably through the town of Ambato). Banos is a small town surrounded by mountains and a huge active volcano. The town has a lot to offer including rafting, hiking, and bicycle, ATV or horse rentals. I rented a bike for $5 and followed the scenic trail downhill, stopping occasionally to check out beautiful waterfalls and even travel over one in a rickety metal bucket ($1)! At the end of the downhill trail I chained my bike went on a short hike to the Pailon del Diablo, the last and biggest waterfall. A hippie Argentine couple owns a restaurant overlooking the waterfall there and I ejoyed the view with a beer and a cheap delicious snack. Returning home (back to town) was easy on the back of a pickup truck for just $1.50 (they will haul you bike along too). If you are there on the weekends, the bars in town will probably be full with both locals and travelers from all over the world. This is truly my favorite place to go, especially if you are looking to fly in and out of Quito. I am 22, but this is a great place for any age group. As much fun as I was having with my friends, I was also thinking how much my mom would have loved it as well!

I have been to Cuenca twice and, while it is architecturally beautiful, I think that you can get the same experience in Quito, with more activities. Besides, Cuenca is quite far from Quito, and it seems you are trying to crunch a lot into a short period. Hope this helps and have fun!!