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Trip to Ecuador
Posted on 11/29/25 at 5:29 pm
Posted on 11/29/25 at 5:29 pm
Did about 11 days in Ecuador. The trip was a combination of solo and group. I arrived 2 days ahead in Quito, then joined a group that took us from Quito to Cotopaxi, Banos, Tena, and ended in Papallacta. From there i traveld to Mindo where i had 2 more days solo.
The group portion was a collection of hiking and adventure enthusiasts who were members of a Youtube Travel Vlogger. The itinerary was aided by Trovatrip.com. I was initially hesitant, but their portion of the trip surpassed my expectations and ended up being worth while and the group was fun and added to the experience.
Plus Ecuador is one of the few countries whos currency is actually USD so it made it very simple, i would just recommend taking a lot of one dollar bills (like half your stack) and nothing bigger than a 20 as they will take your dollar bills but give you back coins.
QUITO
In Quito solo, I did a tour of the town visiting the major churches and historical city center. I also found some stairs that hiked to the top to see th Virgil statue that over looks the city on the hill top (860 steps) though it is not recommended to tourists to go this way but to take taxi. On top of the Basilica church you can get an amazing view of the city and all the churches have amazing ornate insides.
After 2 days the group portion started and i met up with my group had a nice dinner at a restaurant called Vista Hermosa that over looked the city. The next day we visted the Middle of the World museum on the equator. We did a cooking class with some chefs where we made our own group dinner after attending a market where we learned about all the local foods. Then we went to a chocolate making shop and learned about what makes Ecuadorian chocolate the best.
>
The group portion was a collection of hiking and adventure enthusiasts who were members of a Youtube Travel Vlogger. The itinerary was aided by Trovatrip.com. I was initially hesitant, but their portion of the trip surpassed my expectations and ended up being worth while and the group was fun and added to the experience.
Plus Ecuador is one of the few countries whos currency is actually USD so it made it very simple, i would just recommend taking a lot of one dollar bills (like half your stack) and nothing bigger than a 20 as they will take your dollar bills but give you back coins.
QUITO
In Quito solo, I did a tour of the town visiting the major churches and historical city center. I also found some stairs that hiked to the top to see th Virgil statue that over looks the city on the hill top (860 steps) though it is not recommended to tourists to go this way but to take taxi. On top of the Basilica church you can get an amazing view of the city and all the churches have amazing ornate insides.
After 2 days the group portion started and i met up with my group had a nice dinner at a restaurant called Vista Hermosa that over looked the city. The next day we visted the Middle of the World museum on the equator. We did a cooking class with some chefs where we made our own group dinner after attending a market where we learned about all the local foods. Then we went to a chocolate making shop and learned about what makes Ecuadorian chocolate the best.
> This post was edited on 11/29/25 at 5:56 pm
1
Posted on 11/29/25 at 5:30 pm to BlackPawnMartyr
Cotopaxi and Banos
The group moved from Quito to Cotopaxi where we rode bikes around the national park getting views of the surrounding landscape. Probably my favorite part of the trip, highly recommend. Then we proceeded to Banos which was a good bit of a drive. The adventure town of Banos is a safe tourist destination that is a must go to in Ecuador with excursions and views in every direction. After a walk along the river and valley we ended up at a spot where you could walk across a suspension bridge or fly across a cable like superman while you soaked in the river and mountain views. Next we went to the Devil's Cauldron Waterfall which was one of the coolest things we did on the trip. Breathtaking views of a very powerful waterfall, up close and personal. Afterwards, we then drove up a mountain to the top where there was a small park and tree house with swings that swung out over the hillside. We finished the day in the town with shopping, dinner, then a public spa/hot springs.
The group moved from Quito to Cotopaxi where we rode bikes around the national park getting views of the surrounding landscape. Probably my favorite part of the trip, highly recommend. Then we proceeded to Banos which was a good bit of a drive. The adventure town of Banos is a safe tourist destination that is a must go to in Ecuador with excursions and views in every direction. After a walk along the river and valley we ended up at a spot where you could walk across a suspension bridge or fly across a cable like superman while you soaked in the river and mountain views. Next we went to the Devil's Cauldron Waterfall which was one of the coolest things we did on the trip. Breathtaking views of a very powerful waterfall, up close and personal. Afterwards, we then drove up a mountain to the top where there was a small park and tree house with swings that swung out over the hillside. We finished the day in the town with shopping, dinner, then a public spa/hot springs.
This post was edited on 11/29/25 at 5:54 pm
Posted on 11/29/25 at 5:30 pm to BlackPawnMartyr
Tena and Papallacta
Tena is a town that sits at the beginning of the Amazon. We stayed at hut style resort along the river where we were treated to locals showing us how they mine for gold, made food and pottery, hunted with blow guns, etc. Dinner and night hike later on. The highlight of this town, however, was doing a white-water adventure that had rapids pretty much the whole entire trip, so it was very exciting start to finish.
The group portion finished up at a hotel spa in the Ecuadorian highlands where we did more hot springs, massages were offered, an excellent dinner and one more night of drinks to toast farewell as an amazing trip came to conclusion.
Tena is a town that sits at the beginning of the Amazon. We stayed at hut style resort along the river where we were treated to locals showing us how they mine for gold, made food and pottery, hunted with blow guns, etc. Dinner and night hike later on. The highlight of this town, however, was doing a white-water adventure that had rapids pretty much the whole entire trip, so it was very exciting start to finish.
The group portion finished up at a hotel spa in the Ecuadorian highlands where we did more hot springs, massages were offered, an excellent dinner and one more night of drinks to toast farewell as an amazing trip came to conclusion.
This post was edited on 11/29/25 at 5:55 pm
Posted on 11/29/25 at 5:30 pm to BlackPawnMartyr
Mindo
After Quito I traveled to Mindo to see the cloud forests where I took in some hikes to see many waterfalls then ran down to a zipline and whipped from hillside to hillside taking in Mindo, the mountain valleys, and all of the lush green rainforests. The town is famous for its bird watching and also does a lot of ATV and river tubing tours. The town itself is safe and has many great cafes.
After Quito I traveled to Mindo to see the cloud forests where I took in some hikes to see many waterfalls then ran down to a zipline and whipped from hillside to hillside taking in Mindo, the mountain valleys, and all of the lush green rainforests. The town is famous for its bird watching and also does a lot of ATV and river tubing tours. The town itself is safe and has many great cafes.
This post was edited on 11/29/25 at 5:52 pm
Posted on 12/1/25 at 12:12 pm to BlackPawnMartyr
I took almost the same trip in 2024!
Posted on 12/2/25 at 8:35 am to BlackPawnMartyr
Great pics. That's some beautiful scenery.
Thanks for posting.
Thanks for posting.
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