Travel in Ecuador

There’s no denying that the power of libations brings people together—and there’s simply nothing like toasting to the holiday season with Christmas drinks that are essentially crafted cocktails. This year is a perfect excuse to sip your way into one-of-a-kind Christmas traditions, celebrated around the globe.

Jamaica shared company with New Zealand, Costa Rica and Cyprus as it middled the 2023 Global Law and Order Report by respected Washington DC, United States based international analytics firm, Gallup, Inc.

Quito is home to a wide range of community-based tourism options, which are rooted in the principle that tourism should benefit the community, help develop the local area and way of life, as well as contribute to the preservation of ethnic identity and the appreciation and transmission of the region’s cultural heritage.

“Gastronomy or conservation working alone doesn’t make sense any more. But these two working together: this is the way.” So says Rodrigo Pacheco, who, over the past decade, working with his wife and business partner, Dayra Reyes, has transformed several deteriorated parcels of land on the rural coast of Ecuador’s Manabí province into thriving habitats for wildlife and produce such as cocoa, soursop and yucca. These BCBs (Bosques Comestibles Biodiversos, which translates as ‘biodiverse, edible forests’) supply their 10-year-old restaurant, Bocavaldivia, and its neighbouring eco-hotel, Tanusas, with around 150 species of fruit, vegetable and herb. 

The beautiful winning images of the 2023 international Nature Photographer of the Year contest celebrating the beauty of nature photography were unveiled at an awards ceremony that took place at the annual Nature Talks Photo Festival in the Netherlands.

Chloe Leung and Garrett Cuff knew they wanted their destination wedding to be unforgettable. “We’re a pretty adventurous couple,” says Garrett, an engineer at an oil company. “We do a big trip each year [for] three or four weeks and go to a few countries at once, and wanted to share that experience with our family and friends.” They never even considered getting married near their home in Calgary, Canada, nor did they want a typical all-inclusive Caribbean or Mexican resort. Seeking a real thrill, they opted instead for a country—and in Garrett’s case, a continent—they’d never seen before their nuptials.

Go up north for festive fun in the city of Manchester, with the main market hub situated in Albert Square, twinkling beneath the town hall. Follow the trail of market stalls through the city centre to find little Christmas gems – including amber jewellery, Belgian chocolate and French soaps.

Quito Turismo was in the spotlight for yet another year with its participation in World Travel Market, which took place in London on 6-8 November. This internationally renowned event has been a key opportunity to show the full range of tourism, cultural and gastronomic attractions the city has to offer. During the fair, Quito Turismo held more than 50 meetings with media and agents from the tourism sector, with the aim of establishing strategic alliances to promote Quito’s novelties and charms. Ten interviews were also successfully conducted with various international media channels, in addition to destination presentations that targeted more than 10 international media, providing the opportunity to learn about the destination first-hand.

Ecuador’s Oyacachi has been recognised as one of the Best Tourism Villages of 2023, according to The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). This global initiative sees Ecuador’s villages leading the way in the preservation of cultures and traditions, celebration of diversity, creation of opportunities and protection of wildlife, through tourism as a positive force for transformation, rural development and the well-being of communities. This award follows Ecuador’s success in 2022, where Aguarico and Angochagua received the same accolade.

Quito Turismo will be attending the new edition of World Travel Market, from 6-8 November 2023 at ExCel (London). This is one of the most important international tourism events, with the aim of promoting the capital’s top tourism products to the British market, as well as establishing relationships that will boost the flow of tourists with the European market. The outstanding work done by Quito Turismo in recent months has enabled the city to take part in the fair with its own stand, S3-405, accompanied by a select representation from the Quito tourism sector, offering the opportunity for interviews and to make new contacts and businesses. This year, Giohana Albuja, Quito Turismo technical manager, and Katia Freire, European market promotion coordinator, will be responsible for representing Quito at the fair, showing the best of the city to the press, tour operators and travel agents. Over the three days, destination presentations will be shown at the stand: Monday 6 November, 12:30-13:30 and 16:00-17:00; Tuesday 7 November, 12:30-13:30 and 16:00-17:00, and Wednesday 8 November, 11:30-12:30. Sampling will also take place at the stand on 6 and 7 November at 17:00, where visitors can taste canelazo, a traditional drink from Quito.  For yet another year, Quito Turismo’s presence at the World Travel Market reaffirms its commitment to positioning the city as a top tourism destination, driving the local economy, gastronomy, customs and traditions that make it unique.

Ecuador, a country known primarily for The Galapagos, has so much more to show off: the Andes, the Amazon, indigenous cultures, cuisine and traditions, rapids and waterfalls and birds and monkeys, and in Quito , the most well-preserved Spanish city in the world.

For more than 25 years, Alberto Avila has been making careteros, or paper maché masks, perpetuating a tradition of Indigenous communities in Ecuador. Typically worn by tribal leaders, the masks are used widely in local festivities. As Avila explains, each mask is intended to reflect “what’s inside” its creator—his first took the form of a devil, a character he identified with at the time, but he’s tranquil, nowadays, and has made more playful versions lately.

Organised by IFEMA MADRID, the 44th edition of FITUR is set to take place from 24 to 28 January 2024 at Madrid’s trade fair centre. According to FITUR’s director, María Valcarce, the outlook for the next edition is looking bright and everything points to the trade fair expanding to occupy more than 140,000 m2 of space across 9 halls, bringing together more than 9,000 companies and over 150,000 professional visitors from the world tourism industry from 145 countries. It is also estimated that around 100,000 people will visit FITUR over the weekend. Figures that already placed FITUR at the forefront of the major international tourism fairs at the last edition.

Jamaica’s position as a leader in the global tourism industry has been further bolstered after the Caribbean nation secured the post of second vice chair of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Executive Council.

Good news! You don’t need to book an expensive cruise to discover the wonders of the Galápagos - here's how to DIY it. Regis St Louis, who has journeyed extensively across the archipelago for multiple editions of Lonely Planet Ecuador explains how to put together an independent itinerary.

Ecuador has emerged as a popular travel destination in South America, and with good reason.

This August, 55,769 tourists arrived in the city by air. During the eight previous months, this figure came to 459,590, some 122,499 visitors more than in the same period the previous year.

The rugged Andes and tracts of impenetrable rainforest present formidable barriers to overland travel in Ecuador.

Ecuador offers some of the most incredible outdoor experiences on earth, from surfing on beautiful beaches to treks through the Amazon jungle. The fourth-smallest country in South America offers experiences to rival anything in Brazil, Argentina or Chile, all packed into a small space that's easy to explore by bus, boat or plane.

A Florida-bound JetBlue flight experienced such extreme turbulence as the plane approached the Sunshine State on Monday that multiple people on board were left injured and had to be taken to the hospital, the airline said. 

Many of South America’s greatest hits can be found in Ecuador, from Andean peaks and the Amazon to tropical beaches, Inca ruins and the wonders of the Galápagos Islands. Pretty impressive for a country that's a fraction of the size of its neighbors!