Ecuador - non-Galapagos itinerary suggestions?
 

I was on the Panama board reviewing travel options and a couple of postings recommended Ecuador so I jumped over here. I was looking for a new option to Costa Rica where we've been 3 times - though different regions each time. We like active travel - hiking, snorkeling, white water rafting, etc. We also like small lodges and good local food. We have both driven in countries and hired local travel agents to handle all local travel when we are doing a planes, trains and automobiles trip - which it looks like this one might be. We can fly into either GYE or UIO. We are looking at a 8-10 day trip. I was thinking about trying to figure out a 2 or 3 city/area itinerary. I tossed out Galapagos because we aren't cruise people and it seemed from reading the first 50 posts that most people like the cruise and no one flew to GPS. Suggestions from the experts on this board?

Thanks!

Fritch,

if you are into birds, a couple of nights at Tandayapa Bird Lodge might suit, http://www.tandayapa.com/. The hummingbird terrace was a hive of activity for most of the day and the lodge was peaceful and comfortable. I was also tempted by the road/rail trip to Cuenca with a return flight to Quito, however the rail car service doesn't always run as scheduled and we ran out of time.

For mid-range Quito accommodation, I'd recommend Los Alpes http://quitolosalpes.com/.

Happy planning,


Pol

Just got back from a nice adventure down there.

Ecuador very ecodense lots of nature variety

within a few hours of Quito.

Got great discounts on nice lodges with good

DIRECT local Quiteno provider/guide

www.guanguiltagua.com

Did www.nuhousehotels.com Quito

great Boutique perfect location

www.haciendapisnaqui.com

Awesome local hacienda where Bolivar stayed around Otavalo

www.bellavistacloudforest.com for birding near Mindo

www.hsoteriamandala.com for coast Galapagos like islands

www.exploradiving.com Isla De La Plata

Cuenca Ingapurca for Andes/Inka

then Banos for hot springs and jungle adventure

Cotopaxi for volcano/hiking climbing

www.huaorni.com best for authentic deep Amazon experience

Had a wonderful cost effective journey...

Happy Hunting,

www.haciendapinsaqui.com oops missed an n

www.huaorani.com missed an a too..not my day

We are considering a visit to Cuenca.

Thanks for the advice - I will check out these options over the weekend!

Fritch

Still in the thick of research. I got proposals back from 3 agencies recommended on this board but they were 5 areas + Amazon in 9 days - that's too much travel for us. We like to focus on 2-3 areas and come back another year for other areas. One agency gave me ballpark pricing - double the price of Costa Rica, Belize or Argentina where we had similar type planes, trains and automobile type trips.

Time to go back through this board again and see if I can narrow down my trip or if I need to change countries.

Fritch

Galapagos is perhaps the most fabulous place I have ever visited. I don't think you should exclude it. Yes, people travel via boats, but it isn't like a cruise in the usual sense, the point of the ship travel is to be able to get where you want to go, land based trip are too limited in their range. There was no dress up night, no real entertainment, no forced seating etc. I, too am not a "cruise person" but am forever glad I made an exception.

Cuenca and Banos-colonial beauty and the majestic Andes

traveltalesfromtheredheadedtraveler.blogspot.com/
(My travel writing blog)

I second the suggestion to reconsider the Galápagos. Most people take a boat that has very few passengers, which is a wonderfully intimate experience with the wildlife and the amazing, wild scenery. We were on the first-class category, 16-passenger Tip Top II on an 8-day cruise in Sept. 2009 and have never experienced anything like it. You have 2 landings a day (2-3 hours each) and 1 or 2 snorkeling opportunities each day. On the landings, you stand amidst the wildlife--sometimes practically eye to eye--while they live their lives around you as if you weren't even there. It's an astounding experience that can be had nowhere else in the world. It's not cheap, but everything is included in the cost of the cruise. The wildlife, the marine life, the scenery, you in the midst of the ocean--priceless.

Tina
trip report at http://galapagos2009.wordpress.com/