Ecuador: Tourist & Vacation Guide

Country's codes

International phone code for Ecuador: +593

Standard ISO 3166-1:

3 letters: ECU

2 letters (internet domain): .EC

Digital country code 218

Standard EAN-13 (country barcode): 786

Olympic country code: ECU

FIFA code: ECU

🇪🇨 Ecuador Travel Guide

Ecuador – Galápagos Islands and Andean Volcanoes

🇪🇨 Ecuador is one of the world's most biodiverse countries — a compact nation straddling the equator that packs in the Amazon rainforest, the snow-capped Andes, a lush Pacific coast, and the legendary Galápagos Islands, all within a land area smaller than Nevada.

🌍 RegionSouth America (equatorial Pacific coast)

⭐ Famous forGalápagos Islands, Amazon, Avenue of Volcanoes

📅 Best time to visitJune – September (highlands & coast) & year-round (Galápagos)

💰 CurrencyUS Dollar (USD)

  ✨ Why visit Ecuador?

  Ecuador offers an unparalleled concentration of natural wonders in a remarkably small space. Walk among giant tortoises and marine iguanas on the Galápagos, canoe through the Amazon jungle, trek past towering Andean volcanoes, and explore one of the best-preserved colonial city centres in the Americas — all in a single trip, using the US dollar for ease.

Top Attractions in Ecuador

🐢 Galápagos Islands

A living laboratory of evolution and one of the world's greatest wildlife destinations — home to giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and fearless wildlife that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection.

🏔️ Avenue of the Volcanoes

A dramatic Andean corridor flanked by towering snow-capped volcanoes including Cotopaxi and Chimborazo — the world's highest point measured from the Earth's centre — offering world-class trekking and climbing.

🏛️ Historic Centre of Quito

The best-preserved colonial old town in Latin America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring stunning Baroque churches, ornate convents, and cobblestone plazas set at 2,850 m above sea level.

🌿 Amazon Rainforest – Napo & Yasuní

Ecuador's slice of the Amazon is among the most biodiverse on Earth — Yasuní National Park alone holds more tree species per hectare than all of North America combined.

Best Places to Visit

🏙️ Quito – The high-altitude capital with a spectacular colonial centre, vibrant nightlife in La Mariscal, and easy access to Cotopaxi and Mindo cloud forest.
🌋 Baños de Agua Santa – An adventure hub at the foot of the active Tungurahua volcano, famous for whitewater rafting, zip-lining, and the swing at the end of the world.
🌊 Cuenca – Ecuador's third city, a UNESCO-listed colonial gem surrounded by the southern Andes, known for its Panama hat tradition and flower markets.
🐢 Galápagos Islands – Santa Cruz, Isabela, and San Cristóbal are the main visitor islands, each offering unique wildlife encounters and snorkelling with sea lions and penguins.
🌿 Tena & the Amazon – Gateway to Ecuador's jungle, where you can kayak jungle rivers, visit indigenous Kichwa communities, and spot monkeys and macaws in the canopy.

  💡 Travel Tip: Ecuador uses the US dollar, making it one of the easiest South American countries for budget planning. The Galápagos require a separate national park entrance fee (around $200 USD) — budget for this in advance.

Things to Do in Ecuador

Snorkel or dive in the Galápagos alongside sea lions, sharks, and sea turtles in crystal-clear Pacific waters.
Climb or trek around Cotopaxi volcano — one of the world's highest active volcanoes — in Cotopaxi National Park.
Take the famous swing at Casa del Árbol near Baños, perched on a volcano ridge with a breathtaking Andean panorama.
Explore Quito's colonial centre — visit La Compañía de Jesús church, the most ornate Baroque church in the Americas.
Visit a traditional indigenous market at Otavalo, one of the largest and most vibrant craft markets in South America.

🍽️ Local Experience: Ecuadorian cuisine varies dramatically by region. Try ceviche on the coast, llapingachos (potato and cheese patties) in the highlands, and maito (fish grilled in banana leaf) in the Amazon. Finish every meal with a glass of fresh naranjilla (lulo) juice — uniquely Ecuadorian.

Travel Tips for Visitors

☀️ Ecuador's climate varies by altitude and region rather than season — Quito is spring-like year-round, the coast is hot and humid, and the Amazon is warm and rainy.
🚌 Comfortable long-distance buses connect all major cities cheaply; domestic flights to the Galápagos depart from Quito and Guayaquil.
💳 US dollars are the official currency — widely accepted; carry small bills for markets, taxis, and rural areas.
🏔️ Altitude affects visitors in Quito (2,850 m) and higher Andean areas — allow at least one day to acclimatise before strenuous activity.

📌 Useful Country Information

Quick Facts

Total area: 109,484 sq mi (283,561 sq km)

Population (2023 est.): ~18.0 million

Capital: Quito (~2.1 million)

🇪🇨 Quito: Capital City Profile

Other major cities: Guayaquil, Cuenca, Santo Domingo, Ambato

Currency: US Dollar (USD)

CurrencyRate

National name: República del Ecuador

Language: Spanish (official); Kichwa and Shuar recognised as intercultural languages; other indigenous languages spoken

Ethnicity/race: Mestizo (mixed indigenous and white) 71.9%, Montubio 7.4%, indigenous 7%, white 6.1%, Afro-Ecuadorian 4.3%, mulato 1.9%, black 1%, other 0.4%

Religions: Roman Catholic 68.8%, Evangelical Protestant 15.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other/none/unspecified 14.7%

National Holiday: August 10, Independence Day (First Cry of Independence, 1809).

Background

🇪🇨 Ecuador's territory was home to advanced indigenous civilisations for thousands of years, most notably the Quitu-Cara and later the Inca Empire, which incorporated the region into its northern domains in the 15th century. Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1530s, founding Quito on the ruins of an Inca city in 1534.
🕊️ Ecuador declared independence from Spain on August 10, 1809 — one of the first independence movements in South America — and achieved full independence in 1822 as part of Simón Bolívar's Gran Colombia, before becoming a separate republic in 1830.
🌿 The country takes its name directly from the equator (ecuador in Spanish), which passes through its territory. Ecuador is one of 17 megadiverse countries in the world, harbouring approximately 10% of all plant species on Earth despite covering less than 0.2% of its land area.
🌏 Ecuador is a member of the United Nations, OAS, and UNASUR, and in 2008 became the first country in the world to codify the rights of nature in its constitution — a landmark step in environmental protection.