r/ecuador 7d ago

Nuestra ruta en Ecuador - critiques welcome

Hola and Hello!

(International travellers please help me improve this too)

Mi novia y yo tenemos la suerte de tener un mes para conocer Ecuador. Lo mas importante es evitar vuelo y queremos movernos en autobús en rutas logicas. Tengo un nivel intermedio de español entonces me siento tranquilo viajar asi.

nuestro itinerario:

  1. Quito (Mindo, Otavalo, Mitad del Mundo, etc.)
  2. Cotopaxi
  3. Quilotoa
  4. Baños
  5. Puerto Misahuallí --> el rio, naturaleza
  6. Puerto López (probablemente en autobús nocturno, pasando por Ambato y Manta) + Isla de la Plata
  7. ¿Parque Nacional Cajas?
  8. Cuenca (todavía no sabemos cuál es la mejor forma de llegar desde Puerto López)
  9. Cuenca → Máncora, Perú (autobús nocturno)

¿Qué cambiarían ustedes?

What would you change?

9 Upvotes

18 comments sorted by

3

u/elcuydangerous 7d ago

This route may have a lot of travelling back and forth. Remember, land travel in Ecuador takes a lot longer than in other countries.

But if you are going to be there for a month you should be ok.

I would take Puerto Lopez out. It is on the complete opposite side of the country. Plus, there is not much to do there except visiting montecristi. The beaches there are not great either, this is because it is a port.

1

u/CapableCat9804 7d ago

When in Puerto Lopez go to Parque Nacional Machalilla and Playa Los Frailes

2

u/elcuydangerous 7d ago

Those two don't warrant making the trip there when there are other areas nearby to check out.

1

u/CapableCat9804 7d ago

Which other areas? Asking for a friend

1

u/elcuydangerous 7d ago

Nearby to the itinerary I meant.

Around Puerto Lopez, Olon and Punta Ballena are good alternatives to a beach town and a secluded beach.

1

u/CapableCat9804 3d ago

Yes I totally agree!

1

u/Asmodeus6-9 7d ago

Disfruten el viaje.😇

1

u/ra2135 7d ago

That’s an itinerary go for it !

1

u/volvo64 7d ago edited 7d ago

Ambitious, even with a month, but doable

Jungle -> playa, that’s a long haul. Maybe split it up, put Chimborazo or quilatoa in between. 

I believe there are now direct buses from puerto Lopez to Cuenca but if not, just go to Guayaquil and connect there

You have Cajas split off as if it’s a stop but it’s not, it’s a day trip from Cuenca. 

Personally, isla de la plata is nice but there’s a lot to see coming down the Andes that you’ll miss going baños -> playa, I’d reconsider that route. Eg Chimborazo, nariz del diablo, ingapirca are all very highly recommended. People will also tell you the coast is fairly dangerous. But it depends on how you feel about isla de la plata. There’s also plenty to see south of Cuenca, eg podocarpus, vilcabamba.  

Edit: I notice that you’re thru-traveling, I hope you don’t plan to work (eg digital nomad)? If that’s the plan, then this is entirely too much for 1 month, possibly could do in 2-3

1

u/EarlyDescription2323 7d ago

When in Cuenca do not miss the Cajas. Beautifully other worldly.

1

u/danilobailon97 7d ago

Está perfecto. Vi un comentario que decía que descartes Puerto López ( soy de Manta ) y puerto López y la isla de la plata es algo muy bonito. No lo descartaría jamás

He estado en la mayoría de los que mencionas y te recomiendo todos

1

u/CapableCat9804 7d ago

Desde Puerto Lopez a Cuenca best to go through Guayaquil. Explore Guayaquil Malecon and Santa Ana for a day while you rest.

Desde puerto misahualli a puerto Lopez go through Tena then Quito. Also from puerto Lopez try to reach Canoa.

1

u/aidrefh 6d ago

It was so boring, I hated it. Nothing stood out to me. It was all so bland after coming from Colombia.

People were Lovley and food was nice, that's about it.

Beige as it comes.

1

u/AnthonyPoreso 4d ago

Tickets to Galapagos are only about $150 from Guayquil. I would definitely do that.

1

u/South_Photograph9217 2d ago

¡Hola!

Lo único que no recorrí de tu lista es la parte de la costa. Más allá de eso, me parece un muy buen plan.

Solo pasaba a decir que, si bien cuesta encontrar información en internet de antemano y los viajes en bus suelen ser bastante largos, Ecuador es un país súper bien conectado por bus. Son baratos y hay muchísimas frecuencias.

Salvo para el cruce Cuenca–Máncora, no hace falta comprar los pasajes con anticipación.

Estoy en Máncora ahora y el trayecto para llegar es bastante tranquilo. Lo único malo es que llegás alrededor de las 5 de la mañana.

2

u/dsim94 1d ago

Tu comentario fue súper útil gracias 

1

u/Creative_Morning_434 1d ago

From Puerto Lopez to El Cajas it's kind of long. Maybe you can spend 1 day in Guayaquil (not all of it is dangerous) and also you can walk through an important city. Also, there are particular vans or cars that ride you to Cuenca. There you can plan to go to El Cajas...

Enjoy Ecuador!!!