History, ecotourism, nature (including the iconic Galápagos Islands);  urban scenes in Quito and Guayaquil; colonial treasures in Cuenca;  adventure in Tena - and all a relative bargain!


Cover photo: Diego Delso

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Beating the devil on the "Devil´s Nose Train"

efenziIf there's a single means of transport today that most preserves some of the old-time romance of travel, it surely must be rail travel, thanks to its close-to-the-ground, human scale, and in many countries, rolling stock which is literally vintage. Latin America is a good example - though these days intercity rail travel in the region is limited, the trains still in service run through some lovely landscapes, and many are throwbacks to the past. A prime example is Ecuador's elegant Tren…

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5 highlights of Guayaquil

Paulakindsvater Founded in 1535, this country´s largest city (pop. 2.7 million) and business capital sits on the steamy Pacific coast, near where Guayas River drains into the ocean, and except for business travelers it´s not as popular a destination as, say the Galápagos, Quito, and Cuenca. But Guayaquil is still very much worth a visit, starting with this quintet of highlights: read post  

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Las Peñas, Guayaquil´s charming colonial core

Noradoa When it comes to Ecuador travel, most of the attention goes to the Galápagos and Quito - maybe with some to spare for quaint Cuenca up in the Andes. But the country’s largest city and business capital, Guayaquil down on the Pacific coast, is despite its big-city amenities still seen as rather grey and uninteresting to visitors - mostly a destination for business travellers.Even so, there’s one historic neighbourhood, tucked away at the end of Guayaquil’s reconstructed malecón (and these…

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Ecuador cited in 'South America's Iconic Vicuñas'

  Visitors to part of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru (where it's the national animal and is even on the country's coat of arms) may come across this quintessential South American mammal, a camelid related to guanacos, llamas, and alpacas (which are descended from vicuñas) The smallest of the camelids, vicuñas stand about three feet tall at the shoulder; weigh between 70 and 150 pounds; and have long necks and legs as well as relatively small heads with long pointed ears.…

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  • When it comes to Ecuador, most of visitors' intentions tends to end up focused around Quito, the Galápagos, colonial Cuenca, and maybe adventure hub Tena. But there's a Pacific coast down here, too, and one of the cool things about it - besides great beaches - is that it's home to more than a million afro-Ecuadorians, descendants of slaves brought here from Africa in the 16th century. They're especially common in the country's largest city, Guayaquil, and in Esmeraldas province, and this video by a black U.S. travel vlogger (his channel is Ace Live) is about his visit to Esmeraldas city (pop. 162,000) - pretty cool! https://youtu.be/HFD6yBC-7IM
    The Black People of Ecuador Esmeraldas Beach - Diaspora in South America
    The Black People of Ecuador - Diaspora in South America. In Esmeraldas Ecuador beach. In this video, I visit Esmeraldas Ecuador, where there is a thr…
  • Anyone care to offer advice on photo equipment to a fellow Tripatini member headed to the Galapagos?  If so, please reply at this link to our Ask A Travel Pro forum. Thanks!!

  • A fellow Tripatini member is looking for suggestions re travel in Ecuador in the spring, especially Galapagos cruises. To help him out, please answer not here but at this link to Ask A Travel Expert.  Muchas gracias!

  • Poll: Where is your next ideal adventure vacation?

    View the answers and submit your own here.

    *Ecuador is an option!
  • Volunteer a few hours of work a day and get a free room, drinks, and 10 hours of Spanish lessons from the Secret Garden Spanish School in Quito. Thanks to travel/wine/design writer Jeanine Barone for finding this great deal. http://bit.ly/cKLrIG
  • RE: "You might want to scroll down this page for the article John Lamkin posted on Ecuador real estate. InternationalLiving.com has just named Ecuador the planet's best country for retirees." THANKS ED!
    BTW I got my 'Panama' hat in Mexico. I'll post a link to that story soon.
  • You might want to scroll down this page for the article John Lamkin posted on Ecuador real estate. InternationalLiving.com has just named Ecuador the planet's best country for retirees.
  • Please visit AfricanDiasporaTourism.com, a web journal about culture and heritage tourism in places of the African Diaspora worldwide. Let me know what you think and sign up for the mailing list to stay in the loop. We just did a great personal travel story on Ecudor.
    Thanks,
    Kitty
  • Here's a new article on Cuenca, Ecuador real estate: http://www.luxurylatinamerica.com/realestate/cuenca_ecuador.html
  • re: Panama hats. John, you might want to contact Tom Miller, author of The Panama Hat Trail.
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