Ecuador (and Galapagos Islands)
Ecuador is a country on the Equator in northwestern South America, bordered by Columbia, Peru and the Pacific Ocean. Ecuador has 4 main geographic regions: The coastal region, the Andean highlands, the Amazon jungle, and the Galápagos Islands about 1,000 kilometers west of the mainland. Ecuador was once home to several groups of indigenous peoples that were gradually incorporated into the Inca Empire during the 15th century. The territory was colonized by the Spanish Empire during the 16th century, achieving independence in 1830.
The country’s capital Quito is the world’s highest capital city with an elevation of 2,850 meters. The largest city is Guayaquil. Just south of Quito, Cotopaxi is one of the world’s highest active volcanoes. Ecuador’s tallest mountain Mount Chimborazo (6,268 m) is the most distant point from the center of the Earth on the Earth’s surface because of the ellipsoid shape of the planet. Ecuador is one of seventeen megadiverse countries in the world and it has the most biodiversity per square kilometer of any nation. It has 1,600 bird species (15% of the world’s known bird species) in the continental area and 38 more endemic in the Galápagos. In addition to more than 16,000 species of plants, the country has 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, and 6,000 species of butterfly.
<Go to Galapagos Page>
29. October 2025 – Arrival in Quito, Ecuador
A short video illustrating our flight from Norway to Ecuador, and arrival in Quito with transport to our Hotel Mercure.
30. October 2025 – from Quito to Baños via Cotopaxi, Ecuador
We started our Ecuador tour by driving southwards from Quito to see the Cotopaxi volcano. On the way we stopped to visit the “smallest” rose plantation, producing up to 50,000 roses per day.
We really looked forward to see the snow-capped volcano, but the weather changed and it was overcast with low clouds when we finally reached the Cotopaxi National Park. On our way up to the plateau at about 3,800 meters we stopped at a visitors center where we learned about the volcano and park. We hiked up a few kilometers along an old lava channel to experience walking in thin air. Then continued up over the plateau for lunch at the El Gran Volcano restaurant. It started raining so we skipped a walk around a lake, and continued southest-wards to our Hotel Sangay in Baños de Agua Santa.
31. October 2025 – Baños Valley – the Old Road
The road down the valley from the town of Baños de Agua Santa leads to the Ecuadorian part of the Amazonas. We had a half-day tour down the road between high green mountains from about 1800 meters in Baños to 1400 meters.
On the way we took the scenic old road instead of driving through a long tunnel. The old road were in a few places carved into the mountain side.
31. October 2025 – Baños Valley – by Cable Car Across the Valley
Several places in the Baños valley there were cable cars and zip-lines across the Rio Paztasa river. We stopped at Tarabita Manto de la Novia near the Manto de la Novia waterfall to experience these.
31. October 2025 – Zip-line across the Baños Valley
Several places in the Baños valley there were cable cars and zip-lines across the Rio Paztasa river. We stopped at Tarabita Manto de la Novia near the Manto de la Novia waterfall to experience these. After crossing the valley by gondola, five people in our group took the challenge and “zip-lined” across the deep valley – and back. One did not get all the way back, so the crew had to slide out to rescue her back.
31. October 2025 – Baños Valley – the Pailón del Diablo Waterfall
We stopped in the village of Rio Verde and walked down a path along the river with the same name to the magnificent 80 meters tall waterfall. We were now in the outskirts of Amazonas and the forest was dense. We followed the path down to two suspension bridges, and from a platform we had a good view of the waterfall and the ravine below.
31. October 2025 – Baños Valley – Lunch in Rio Verde Village
After visiting the Pailón del Diablo waterfall we had lunch in Miramelindo restaurant the village of Rio Verde. A colorful and cozy place with lots of decorations and art made by a local female artist who had her atelier in one of the rooms.
31. October 2025 – the Town of Baños de Agua Santa
After our tour in the Baños Vally we had a short walk in the center of Baños. We started in a street where they made candy, visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Agua Santa and marked streets.
When I returned to our Hotel Sangay I crossed the street and visited the thermal bath and had a dip hot volcano water.
That evening they celebrated Halloween, and the hotel director dressed in Superman costume to entertain children visiting their stall outside the hotel entrance.
1. November 2025 – Driving from Baños to Penipe
Driving up the valley from Baños, over small mountains and up the deep valley to Penipe should have been spectacular, but we had fog and low clouds covering the height mountains and volcanos. Penipe is a small town about 200 kms south of Quito. In the hillside above Penipe we were going to visit a small chocolate factory.
1. November 2025 – Private Chocolate Factory near Penipe
The ‘El Fiquerito’ is a local private enterprise in the Penipe area, established by five local women to earn some extra money while taking care of their children and house. They buy cocoa fruits from the Ecuadorian Amazonas area and process the beans in their small factory. Sweetening the cocoa syrup into chocolate is done in the nearby town of Riobamba, but they make and pack the chocolate bars themselves. They demonstrated the process for us, and we bought several chocolate bars.
1. November 2025 – from Penipe to Riobamba
After a stop at a small chocolate factory in Penipe we continued to Riobamba for lunch. Before heading for our hotel vi had a short sightseeing in the city center. Riobamba is a town of about 170,000 inhabitants, about 2,700 meters above sea level.
2. November 2025 – Local Market in Cajabamba near Riobamba
Before heading back to Quito from Riobamba we took a detour to the visit the local colorful market in the small town of Caiabamba, 20 kms south-east of Riobamba. Population is about 2,800 – elevation 3,200 meters above sea level.
2. November 2025 – Driving from Cajabamba to Quito
After visiting the market in Cajabamba we drove back to Quito. On the way we passet the Chimborazo volcano. It’s snow covered summit at 6,263 meters above sea level is actually farthest point on Earth’s surface from the Earth’s center because of earth’s equatorial bulge. We arrived in Quito at 1 pm for lunch and sightseeing.
2. November 2025 – Lunch and Sightseeing in Old Quito
We arrived in old Quito at 1 pm and dined in the famous restaurant Hasta la Vuelta Senor near the Independence Square. After lunch we walked in the square past the Carondelet Palace up to Garcia Moreno street to the La Compañía-church. Thereafter the San Francisco Cloister and church. We ended our sightseeing at 6 pm after climbing up in the tall Basílica del Voto Nacional.
3. November 2025 – Quito: El Panecillo Hill with the Virgin Sculpture
From the El Panecillo hill with the Virgin of El Panecillo sculpture we had a panoramic view of the city. With a total height of 41 meters including the base, the virgin sculpture is the highest statue in Ecuador and one of the highest in South America.
3. November 2025 – Quito: Cruz Loma Viewpoint at 4,100 meters
TelefériQo is a gondola lift running from the edge of the city center up the east side of the Pichincha Volcano (4,784 m) to the lookout at Cruz Loma. It is one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, rising from 3,117 m to 3,945 m. The ascent takes about twenty minutes, traveling 2,237 linear meters. From the top station we walked up to a swing at 4,100 m where we normally would have had a fantastic view of Quito had it not been overcast. The air was this at this altitude so we had a few rests along the path up to the swing.
3. November 2025 – The Equator Line near Quito, Ecuador
The Equator line crosses Ecuador about 20 km north of Quito. First we visited the Intiñan Museum with the actual equator line. This is a theme park with with scenes from Ecuador. Afterwards we visited the nearby Middle of the World Park on the site where a French expedition determined the equator to be in 1736, which was incorrect by 240 meters. Unfortunately it started raining when we arrived there.
4-8. November 2025 – Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
8. November 2025 – Arriving in Guayaquil from Galapagos, Ecuador
We arrived in Guayaquil with a Latam flight from Galapagos Islands in the afternoon, and were met by a new local guide. A bus waited for us and drove us to Grand Hotel in the city center. After checking in we had an hour in our new rooms before we were picked up by the bus and driven to the Guayaquil Historical Park were we dined in a restaurant in Casa Julian within the “walled community”.
9. November 2025 – Sightseeing in Guayaquil and Homebound
– Our last day in Ecuador before returning to Norway. We started our sightseeing by stopping at the viewpoint at Mirador Bellavista to take photos of the panoramic view of the city. Next, the bus dropped us off at the Aerovia station at the Centennial Park. This cable-car/gondola runs in a continuous loop through 5 stations high over the city, and over to Duran on the other side of the Guayas river. Arriving in Duran we had to embark and show our tickets to re-embark. Back on the other side we walked 444 steps up between colorful/artistic houses to the top of Santa Anna hill + 48 more steps inside the lighthouse to see the view. Before checking out of our hotel and heading for the airport we dined in La Pata Gorda restaurant.
10. November we arrived in Amsterdam by KLM in transit for SAS to Oslo.