Ecuador

History, eco-tourism, nature (including the iconic Galápagos Islands), urban scenes in Quito and Guayaquil - and all a relative bargain!

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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…

Started by Iberia Airlines

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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.…

Started by Tripatini

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Cuenca, Ecuador's Colonial Charmer

Sherwood Up in the Andes mountains south of Ecuador's political capital Quito and east of its largest city and commercial capital Guayaquil, this city named for the the city in Spain that was the hometown of the Spanish viceroy at the time of its founding in 1557 (later than the above two) is so lovely and historic that it’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, and in addition to a growing tourism destination has also become a magnet for expatriates, especially from the USA. …

Started by David Paul Appell

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Thrills & spills in Tena, Ecuador's adventure capital

Ecuador, a country embedded between tourism powerhouses Colombia and Peru, is sometimes overlooked by the average traveller. But even apart from the inimitable Galápagos and colonial gems like Quito and Cuenca, it's also got some quite cool adventure offerings around the city of Tena, 3 1/2 hours south of Quito. The capital of Napo province is located in the valley of the Misahuallí River, which starts on the eastern slopes of the Andes mountains and is surrounded by lush Amazon rainforest. If…

Started by Iberia Airlines

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Ed Wetschler October 21, 2010 at 4:09am

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
John Lamkin August 31, 2010 at 9:51pm

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.
Ed Wetschler August 31, 2010 at 9:34pm

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.
Kitty J. Pope May 11, 2010 at 2:53am

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
John Lamkin April 5, 2010 at 2:40am

Here's a new article on Cuenca, Ecuador real estate: http://www.luxurylatinamerica.com/realestate/cuenca_ecuador.html
Ed Wetschler February 19, 2010 at 6:27pm

re: Panama hats. John, you might want to contact Tom Miller, author of The Panama Hat Trail.
Sarah Clifford November 7, 2009 at 5:50pm

Dorothy, the afroEcuadorians are based mostly in Esmeraldas, on the coast in the north of Ecuador, also in the Chota Valley, more towards Ibarra. Many of the country´s best footballers come from the Chota Valley. The afroEcuadorian culture is quite distinct and the food is fantastic. Hope this is useful.
John Lamkin October 22, 2009 at 6:05am

Thanks Dorothy! Maybe I'll do the Panama hat story again :) John
Dorothy Conlon October 22, 2009 at 6:01am

Story ideas: I would love to read about the black Ecuadoreans, descendants of 18th C slaves imported to work the coastal plantations, but I believe they are centered up north in the Ibarra area. The Quichuas in Ecuador number 2 million, I'm told, and are the best politically organized, compared to Peru and Bolivia. We saw a large demonstration by Quichuas in the main square in front of the cathedral in Cuenca. Has the "Panama" hat story from Cuenca been written up enough already?
John Lamkin October 22, 2009 at 5:43am

PS, I'm writing an article on luxury real estate in and around Cuenca. Any leads will be appreciated. Thanks! John