For Ecuador continent

Ecuador is a country located in the north west part of South America. It limits with Colombia in the north, Peru in the east and south and the Pacific Ocean in the west.

It has 283,000 km2, to put in perspetive it has a similar size to the state of Colorado in the USA. It has justo ver 17 million inhabitants. Official language is spanish, however Constitution recognizes 13 indigenous dialects spoken by indigenous tribes.

Since 1999, local currency is the US dollar. Ecuador might be one of the few countries in the world who is located right at the Equator line and at the same time is crossed from north to south by the Andes mountains.

These particular conditions provide a wide variety of climates within the country. Ecuador has 4 regions, which are the Pacific Coast, the Andes Highlands, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands.

Each of these 4 regions is very different from one to another in their culture, background, inmigration, food, and clothing. The country goes from 0 meters at sea level up to 6340 meters at the Chimborazo summit in the Andes.

Ecuador is one of the best environmentally preserved countries in the world. The diversity of its four regions has given rise to thousands of species of flora and fauna. It has around 1640 kinds of birds, approx. 4500 species of butterflies, approx. 345 species of reptiles, approx 360 species of amphibians and 258 species of mammals, among others.

Not surprisingly, Ecuador is considered one of the 17 countries where the greatest biodiversity on the planet is concentrated, and is also the largest country with diversity per square kilometer in the world.

There are 12 national Parks having an approximate of 19% of the country as protected area.

The economy in Ecuador is based in oil extraction. Besides oil, Ecuador exports bananas, shrimp, flowers and cocoa.

There are over 1,3 million people visiting Ecuador every year for tourism purposes.

Credit cards are widely accepted particularly Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diner’s Club.

As in any country in the world, take the usual precautions with your money and personal possessions. Carry them safely with you at all times. Divide your money into different locations. Do not display large amounts of cash in public.

Practical Info

COMMUNICATIONS / TELEPHONE CALLS For calls to Ecuador, dial: 00 593+ city code + phone number. .

ELECTRICITY. 110 volts. Most hotels of 4* and 5* provide 110 or 220 volt power.

TIPS. Although tips are voluntary and at your discretion, it’s always recommended to recognize good service.  Regarding the guides, it is optional to leave a tip as a motivation and reward in case you feel service was good.  Usually 5 to 8 USD per day is the usual.

INSURANCE It is highly recommended that travelers contract travel insurance to cover events such as trip cancellations, medical expenses, repatriation and loss of belongings. Make sure you read your policy carefully to ensure that you are covered for all instances and up to an amount you feel appropriate.

For Galapagos Islands

BUDGET – An emergency stash of cash is always a good idea – we recommend at least $200. All that’s left is souvenir money and a tip if you choose to leave one.

TIPPING –  For drivers, helpers, and crew during your trip, $5-10 a day is customary. For your leader, $8-12 per day per person is the norm. Tipping is in NO way required and entirely at your discretion. It is however of great significance to those who have helped make your tour a success and a great way to express your appreciation for a job well done.

DOCUMENTS.-  In order to enter Ecuador, you must have a valid passport with more than 6 months validity. You may also need a visa depending on your home country. Contact your local embassy or consulate for the most up to date travel requirements. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE PROPER TRAVEL DOCUMENTATION. It’s also a good idea to have a copy of all important documents with you. Even better is to take a picture or scan important documents in a email to yourself (passport, airline ticket, etc).

Safety is our number one priority on each and every trip. However, the destination in which we operate has limited medical facilities and is an island off the coast of a third world country. Although we don’t anticipate a medical emergency, travel insurance with medical and emergency evacuation coverage is highly recommended.

Wi-Fi & Cell Phone Service. Internet service in the islands is extremely limited. Some hotels have it, some don’t. Sometimes it works great, sometimes it doesn’t work at all.