You cannot miss the ecuadorian amazon. Photo: Mintur.
By Lauren Horning
I studied abroad in Ecuador in the spring of 2014. During my five month stay, I planned some trips, but many adventures happened spontaneously. I cherish the stories and memories I now have, so I wanted to share my list of top things to experience in Ecuador. I feel like my identity is a mixture of my home (the United States) and my beloved second home (Ecuador). This list sums up the motto “Ecuador Love life”.
Ecuador Tourism
1. Drink “batidos” (fruit shakes) in a market – alfalfa with naranjilla, coco, and guanábana are the best
2. Spray foam during Carnaval (Popular holiday)
3. Eat shawarma at street restaurants
4. Play soccer
5. Eat an ‘almuerzo’ (lunch) with ají (chili)
6. Eat yogurt with ‘pan de yuca’
7. Eat ‘plátano maduro con queso’
8. Eat pitahaya fruit
9. Drink oregano tea when you get sick
10. Eat ‘helado de paila’
11. Eat ‘tres leches’ dessert
12. Buy a dozen roses for USD $1 for a friend on Valentine’s Day
13. Chew on fresh sugar cane
14. Go to Tiputini (Orellana) and eat the plant that turns your tongue blue
15. Go caving in the rainforest’s Jumandy water park (Napo)
16. Go hiking in the rainforest (with a guide is preferable)
17. See monkeys in the rainforest
What to do in Quito and Pichincha
18. Take pictures in front of La Basílica at night
19. Go canyoning in Mindo
20. Eat breakfast in the Iñaquito Market
21. Take the Teleférico and climb Pichincha, rent a horse at the top
22. Drink ‘vino hervido’ and canelazo in La Ronda
23. Go to El Panecillo
24. Have dinner in Guápulo and enjoy the view of Cumbaya
25. Go to Papallacta and jump in the river, eat dinner at a place with fresh trout afterwards with hot chocolate and cheese
26. Take a picture with one of the large Quito signs
27. Go to a butterfly sanctuary in Mindo, put banana on your finger, and let a butterfly sit in your hand
28. Climb to the top towers of the Basílica and take a picture of the Panecillo
29. Go to the real Mitad del Mundo and balance an egg on a nail
30. Walk through the forest of eucalyptus trees in Parque Metropolitano
What to do in the Andes highlands
31. Buy otavaleño pants (Otavalo, Imbabura)
32. Eat chugchucarra en Latacunga (Cotopaxi)
33. Go to Bosques de Polylepis (Carchi), take pictures with the massive hedges in El Ángel on the way.
34. Eat cuy in Cuenca (Azuay)
35. Eat a fritada in any popular market
36. Hike Quilotoa – down and back up (Cotopaxi)
37. Hike the Cotopaxi volcano to the refuge
38. Go shopping in the Otavalo market
39. Visit Cotacachi, the kingdom of leather (Imbabura)
40. Visit the waterfall of Peguche in Otavalo
41. Rent a bike in Baños (Tungurahua) and bike to the waterfalls, take the truck back to town.
42. Go to Pailón del Diablo, at the waterfalls route in Baños, and walk down the steps
43. Go on the longest zipline in Ecuador in Baños
44. Do bungee jumping in Baños
45. Swing at the Edge of the World and camp on top (Baños)
46. Party on a chiva at night – particularly the one in Baños
What to do in the Pacific Coast
47. Visit the beaches on La Ruta del Sol (Pacific Coast)
48. Eat ceviche at the beach
49. Visit Los Frailes (Manabí) and hike to the mirador, then go to the beach on the other side
50. Go to Montañita for Carnaval
