The Ecuador Experience — Self-Launched

Land at Mariscal Sucre Airport (a 45–60 min ride from the centre). The cheapest reliable option is the Aeroservicios shared shuttle bus to the old airport (£6–7) then a short taxi (£3–4); an airport taxi direct is around £22–25. Ecuador uses the US dollar, so bring clean smaller-denomination notes and withdraw cash at Banos/Quito ATMs. Base yourself in La Mariscal or the Old Town (Centro Histórico). Take it easy on day one — Quito sits at 2,850 m. A gentle evening wander round Plaza Foch for dinner and a first taste of locro de papa soup is plenty.

🚌Aeroservicios airport shuttle + local taxi (~£10 total)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in La Mariscal / Centro Histórico, private room or 4-bed dorm

• →Airport shuttle to city centre
• →Evening orientation walk in La Mariscal
• →Dinner at a local eatery on Plaza Foch

Quito's two must-dos before leaving: the Teleférico cable car up Volcán Pichincha for views over the city (£7) and the Mitad del Mundo / Intiñán equator site (£10–12 by bus plus entry). In the afternoon catch a bus from Quitumbe terminal towards Tena (via Ambato/Puyo, or direct services through Baeza) — roughly 5–6 hours, £9–11. Tena is a lowland river town at 500 m: noticeably warmer and humid. Book two nights in a riverside hostel or guesthouse and arrange tomorrow's jungle community stay through them or a local operator.

🚌Local buses and city bus to Quitumbe; long-distance bus Quito–Tena (~£10)

🛏Riverside hostel/guesthouse in Tena, private room or dorm

• →Teleférico de Quito (£7)
• →Mitad del Mundo / Intiñán equator museum
• →Bus to Tena through the Baeza cloud forest

Tena is Ecuador's rafting capital. The Jatunyacu (Upper Napo) river is a big, fun Class III run with lunch included — book direct with a local operator or through GetYourGuide/Klook for around £50–55. Alternatives: the AmaZOOnico animal rescue centre near Archidona (£20, reachable by local bus and short walk), or a half-day of tubing. Late afternoon, transfer by local pickup truck or shared taxi to a Quichua community village for a two-night stay in rustic jungle huts. Expect simple beds under mosquito nets, shared cold-water bathrooms, meals cooked by the family, and no wifi.

🚌Local bus to river put-in; community pickup truck / shared taxi to village

🛏Quichua community jungle lodge, rustic hut (multi-share, mosquito nets)

• →Jatunyacu whitewater rafting with lunch (~£52)
• →AmaZOOnico animal rescue centre visit (~£20)
• →Transfer to Quichua community stay

A full day of locally led nature walks through primary and secondary rainforest: medicinal plants, ceiba trees, birds and insects, and a chance to learn about the community's land and traditions. Many families offer a visit with the local shaman or shaman apprentice — a cultural introduction to Amazonian plant medicine and ceremony (agree contributions directly with the family, usually £5–15). Bring long sleeves, long light trousers, knee-length socks, repellent and a headtorch. Meals are included with the stay (breakfast, lunch, dinner — roughly £25 for the day, covered in your accommodation total as a half-board/full-board rate).

🚌On foot / canoe where offered by the community

🛏Quichua community jungle lodge, rustic hut (multi-share)

• →Guided rainforest nature walk
• →Shaman / shaman apprentice visit
• →Community cooking and evening storytelling

Morning transfer back to Tena, then public bus (via Puyo and Ambato, or direct minibus services) to Baños de Agua Santa — around 3–4 hours, £5–7. Baños sits beneath the rumbling Tungurahua volcano at 1,820 m, with waterfalls, hot springs and adventure sports on tap. Settle into a guesthouse, then do the free self-guided waterfall route: rent a bike (£7) or take a local bus toward Río Verde and walk the Ruta de las Cascadas to the Pailón del Diablo. End with a soak at one of the town's thermal baths (£3).

🚌Bus Tena–Baños (~£6)

🛏Baños guesthouse or hostel, private room or dorm

• →Ruta de las Cascadas bike/waterfall walk (£7 bike hire)
• →Pailón del Diablo waterfall
• →Baños hot springs (£3)

A full free day. Book direct or via Klook/GetYourGuide: canyoning in nearby gorges (£25–30), ziplining (£20–25), rafting on the Pastaza (£25–30), or a horseback ride into the hills (£20). Free options: hike the Virgin of Agua Santa viewpoint for volcano views, or walk to the Casa del Árbol swing at the end of the world. Eat well: Baños is famous for melcocha (taffy), plus cheap set lunches (almuerzos) at £3–4 across town.

🚌Local buses and taxis to activity put-ins (£3–5)

🛏Baños guesthouse or hostel

• →Canyoning day trip (~£28)
• →Ziplining (~£22)
• →Casa del Árbol swing and Quilotoa-style viewpoint hike (free)

Travel south on the Pan-American: bus Baños–Riobamba (1.5–2 hrs, £2–3), then Riobamba–Alausí (2 hrs, £2–3) through the Avenue of the Volcanoes with Chimborazo views on a clear day. Alausí is a small highland town (2,500 m) of colonial streets and railway heritage. Buy your Devil's Nose train ticket for tomorrow at the station on arrival (book the early morning departure, £20–25 for the tourist class; the cheaper local service 'tren de la libertad' may not be running — check locally). Evening: walk the old town, eat hornado (roast pork) and humitas.

🚌Bus Baños–Riobamba (~£3) + Riobamba–Alausí (~£3)

🛏Small guesthouse in Alausí, private room

• →Avenue of the Volcanoes bus journey
• →Alausí colonial town walk
• →Book Devil's Nose train ticket at the station

Ride the Nariz del Diablo railway excursion — a switchback descent of over 500 m where the train zig-zags down the cliff face, with the option to hike parts of the old track. Departures typically 08:00/11:00, lasting 2–2.5 hrs. Book as an excursion via GetYourGuide or direct with Tren Ecuador (£20–25). Afterwards take the afternoon bus down to Guayaquil (4–5 hrs from Alausí/Riobamba, £5–6). Guayaquil is low, hot and humid — the malecón by the river is the place for an evening stroll and a plate of ceviche.

🚌Devil's Nose train excursion (~£22) + bus to Guayaquil (~£6)

🛏Budget hotel or hostel near the Malecón / Centro in Guayaquil

• →Nariz del Diablo train ride with zig-zag switchbacks
• →Guayaquil Malecón river walk
• →Barrio Las Peñas evening wander

Morning options in Guayaquil: the Parque de las Iguanas, the colourful hilltop Barrio Las Peñas (free) and a Guayas river boat ride (£5–8). Then take a bus from the Terminal Terrestre to Puerto López (3.5–4 hrs, £4–5), a fishing village turned backpacker beach base at the edge of Machalilla National Park. Book a guesthouse a couple of streets back from the beach for better value, and organise tomorrow's Isla de la Plata trip on arrival (£35–45 incl. boat, guide, snorkel gear, lunch — bookable through GetYourGuide, Klook or your guesthouse).

🚌Bus Guayaquil–Puerto López (~£5)

🛏Beach guesthouse in Puerto López, private room or dorm

• →Parque de las Iguanas and Las Peñas (free)
• →Guayas river boat ride (~£6)
• →Book Isla de la Plata tour on arrival

Full-day boat trip to Isla de la Plata: a 90-minute crossing to an island of blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds and albatrosses, followed by snorkelling on a nearby reef. It's the single best-value wildlife day in mainland Ecuador and requires zero pre-planning beyond booking the night before. Between roughly June and September, add a whale-watching trip off Puerto López (£25–30) for humpback migration season — boats go from the beach most mornings.

🚌Shared tour boat to Isla de la Plata (included in activity cost)

🛏Beach guesthouse in Puerto López

• →Isla de la Plata day trip with snorkelling (~£40)
• →Optional whale watching in season (~£28)

A slower day on land. Take a local bus or shared taxi (£2–3) to Los Frailes beach — a horseshoe bay inside Machalilla National Park, free to enter and walkable via marked trails with dry-forest birdlife. Add the Agua Blanca community museum and sulphur lagoon (£10–13 entry, reachable by local transport) for archaeology of the Manteño culture, or a guided hike in the national park (£12–15). Back in Puerto López, eat cheap grilled fish and encebollado at the beach shacks.

🚌Local buses / shared taxis to beaches and park (~£5)

🛏Beach guesthouse in Puerto López

• →Los Frailes beach (free entry, ~£3 transport)
• →Agua Blanca community museum and sulphur lagoon (~£12)
• →Machalilla NP guided hike (~£13)

Daytime bus north along the coast to San Clemente, a small fishing village in Manabí province (2–3 hrs with a change at Jipijapa or Manta, £4–6). Stay with a local indigenous/afro-Ecuadorian family through one of the community tourism networks (book direct or via a Quito-based agency, roughly £15–20 per night with meals) for a genuine two-night community stay. Afternoon: walk the beach with your hosts, learn about fishing and tagua carving, and eat home-cooked Manabí food. Many communities offer a small cultural show in the evening (£5–10 contribution).

🚌Bus Puerto López–San Clemente via Jipijapa (~£5)

🛏Community homestay, multi-share room with a local family (half-board)

• →Coastal bus journey through Manabí
• →Beach walk and fishing village orientation with hosts
• →Community cultural show (~£8)

A full day with your host family: nature walks in the surrounding dry forest and hills, birdwatching, helping with the day's cooking or garden work, and time on quiet beaches with almost no other travellers. This is the kind of day the group-tour version charges for as its 'Local Living Moment' — booked independently it's just board and lodging with a family. Agree payments and any activity contributions directly with your hosts; carry cash as there are no ATMs in the village.

🚌On foot / local pickup

🛏Community homestay, multi-share room with a local family (half-board)

• →Guided nature walk with hosts
• →Community life: cooking, fishing, crafts
• →Beach time

Bus back to Quito early (5–6 hrs from Manabí via Santo Domingo or Jipijapa, £7–9). Rather than staying in the capital, push straight on to Otavalo in the northern highlands (2 hrs from Quito's Carcelén terminal, £2–3) so you can hit the market fresh in the morning. Otavalo has good cheap guesthouses and is the heart of Ecuador's indigenous textile trade. Evening: wander the Plaza de Ponchos as stalls set up, and eat at the local market food court.

🚌Long-distance bus to Quito (~£8) + bus to Otavalo (~£3)

🛏Otavalo guesthouse, private room

• →Scenic highland bus journey
• →Plaza de Ponchos evening stroll
• →Local market dinner

Start at the Otavalo Saturday market (or the daily Plaza de Ponchos) — textiles, ponchos, jewellery and produce, one of South America's best indigenous markets and free to browse. Then take a local bus to Peguche waterfall (£1, free entry) and on to Laguna de Cuicocha, a turquoise crater lake on the Cotacachi volcano where a 4–5 hr rim trail can be walked without a guide (£3 entry, bus £2). Combine with a stop in the leather town of Cotacachi on the way back. All self-bookable, no tour required.

🚌Local buses to Peguche, Cotacachi and Cuicocha (~£5)

🛏Otavalo guesthouse, private room

• →Otavalo indigenous market (free)
• →Peguche waterfall walk (free)
• →Cuicocha crater lake rim hike (£3 entry)
• →Cotacachi leather town stop

Bus back to Quito (£3) and check into a hostel in the Centro Histórico. Spend the afternoon walking the UNESCO-listed old town on foot for free: Plaza Grande, the Compañía de Jesús church, San Francisco, and the Basilica del Voto Nacional (tower climb ~£3). A self-booked Quito city tour or the equator line excursion via GetYourGuide/Klook costs about £30–40 if you'd rather have a guide — otherwise the Old Town is very walkable solo in daylight. Evening: La Ronda street for music and food.

🚌Bus Otavalo–Quito (~£3) + city taxis (£4)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Centro Histórico, Quito

• →Centro Histórico walking circuit (free)
• →Basílica del Voto Nacional tower (£3)
• →Optional guided Quito city tour (~£35)
• →La Ronda evening stroll

Pick one big final day out. Cotopaxi National Park day tour (transport, guide, park entry) runs £35–45 booked via GetYourGuide/Klook or any Quito hostel; you'll hike to the refuge at 4,800 m and see the glacier, and usually stop at Limpiopungo lagoon. Bring warm layers — it's cold and windy up there. Alternative: the Quilotoa crater lake loop, a long day by shared transport (~£30–40) with a walk down to the emerald water. Budget the evening for packing, laundry (£4–5) and a last proper meal.

🚌Shared tour transport to/from national park (included in activity)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Centro Histórico, Quito

• →Cotopaxi National Park day tour with refuge hike (~£40)
• →OR Quilotoa crater lake day trip (~£35)

Final morning for a coffee in the old town and any last souvenir shopping at the Mercado Artesanal. Take the Aeroservicios shuttle plus taxi back to the airport (~£10) or a taxi direct (~£22–25), allowing 3 hours before an international flight. If your flight is late, the Museo Casa del Alabado (pre-Columbian art, ~£6) or the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo are easy fillers.

🚌Aeroservicios airport shuttle + taxi (~£10)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Mercado Artesanal souvenir shopping
• →Optional Museo Casa del Alabado (~£6)