February 6th, 2012 | 
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Ecuador is one of the most lenient countries in the world with its Visa on Arrival Policy. This means its much easier to write which countries CANNOT enter Ecuador without a Visa than writing out the plethora of countries permitted. If you are from the following countries you are required to organize your Ecuadorian Visa beforehand:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia.
If you are not from any of the countries above (judging from the Google Analytics of this site thats pretty likely) then you do not have to worry about getting a Visa beforehand. If you do happen to be from any of the countries above the reason for the restrictions was probably due to a problem with human trafficking originating from these countries which I mentioned in my post about Advice About Overstaying Your Visa in Ecuador
The only Visa Requirements for the rest of the world is that you have:
1) A passport valid for at least six months after you arrive in Ecuador.
2) Proof of onward travel, such as a plane ticket back to your home country.
3) Demonstrate you have sufficient funds to stay in the country.
When I last took a flight from Sao Paolo to Quito at 3am in the morning the plane company Copa Air almost refused to let me board unless I bought another ticket to a third country right then and their. I argued with the lady at the airport saying that was stupid I had been to Ecuador many times before and never needed proof of onward travel because I normally travelled to Colombia by bus.
She said they couldnt accept that unless I had the bus ticket to Colombia with me at that moment and we continued to argue – she said the air company would be fined if I arrived and was refused entry which is why they enforced this rule of proof of onward travel. Fortunately I remembered my eticket from Buenos Aires to Sydney that left 8 months later and asked to use the internet to show her. She accepted and I saved myself $350.
Make sure you do not make the same mistake.
When I got to Quito Airport the officials didnt ask for proof of onward travel or for me to whip out some bank statement to demonstrate sufficient funds. They just said “Welcome to Ecuador” and stamped my passport for a 90 day stay.
This doesnt mean you should neglect the 3 Visa Requirements mentioned above because so much depends on the mood of the official at immigration in the airport. Its better to be safe than sorry .
Click here for a step by step guide to getting a tourist visa in Ecuador
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There is a lot of contradictory information on the internet about the Ecuadorian flag – especially as to what the colours and coat of arms symbolise. Perhaps part of the confusion comes from the fact that the first manifestation of the flag was designed in 1860 for a country called Grand Colombia which makes up modern day Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador.
Today the Ecuadorian Flag has the exact same distribution of colours to the colombian flag (which lacks the coat of arms) and the Venezuelan Flag which you can differentiate by an arch of stars in the blue section and its own coat of arms in the top right.
The colour yellow which is twice the size as the other two bands symbolises the abundance and fertility of the land.
The colour blue represents the sea and sky and Grand Colombias independence from the Spanish Conquistadores. Depending on who you ask the red is said to represent Courage or the blood spilt during the battle for Indepence though these two meanings do not seem mutually exclusive at all.
Ecuadorian Flags Coat of Arms
The coat of arms which is Ecuadors alone pictures Ecuadors highest mountain Chimborazo from which the mighty river Guayas flows where a steamboat floats. Historically speaking the River Guayas has been one of the major ports in South America since colonial times and the steamboat pictured was the first of its kind constructed in South America.
This represents PROGRESS.
Sadly I do find it a little ironic to see that poor old Condor flying over the coat of arms – the mythical creature and Ecuadors national bird is said to symbolise the protector of the country but after centuries of overzealous farmers shooting them down to protect their livestocks it has disappeared from much of the Ecuadorian Andes.
In fact the Condor is now extinct in Chimborazo National Park but if it were still alive in that region today it would see the highest mountain in the country stripped of much of its glaciers; a River Guayas so polluted that more plastic bags grace the place between its banks than fish; and steamboats, thousands and thousands of steamboats.
Ecuador is one of the best countries in the Andes mountain range if you like trekking and hiking. Many of the best treks in Ecuador require guides, donkeys and private transport but there are some great day hikes and independent treks you can do on your own
A great day trek for experienced and inexperienced trekkers alike is one to the cave, waterfalls, and abandoned hotsprings around the active Volcano Tungurahua . Here are the directions to get there with photos below:
- From the “Terminal Orient” in Riobamba catch the bus to Palitachwa (pronounced Palitawa)
- Get off at Palitachwa and follow the road down past the village and continue past the houses destroyed by the Volcano Tungurahua on the edge of a cliff above the River Patso
- The road will continue for about 45 minutes past farmland as you get closer and closer to Volcano Tungurahua until you reach a bridge. Cross the bridge and you will go past a cement gate over the road and then you will see a basketball court and the abandoned hotsprings facilities which you can enter and explore.
- From here there are two routes that you can take one to the beautiful view of several stunning waterfalls and the other to a cave inside the Volcano Tungurahua.
- The path to both these routes starts above the abandoned hot-springs, you will see a dirt track that goes to the left and the right but for both routes you want to go to the left and climb as the path to the right only leads to the river.
- Once you take the path to the right which climbs up the hill it will split in two again; to go to the waterfalls head to the right away from Tungurahua which follows the river and to see the cave head to the left..
- The right path to the waterfalls will climb for about two hours with multiple switchbacks and past a few remote indigenous farm-houses and plantations of Eucalyptus trees (the locals are super friendly so dont forget to say “hola!”) soon the path will curve North to the left which is where you will see many beautiful and very large waterfalls.
- The left path to the cave weaves and turns on the side of the mountain. Some parts of the trail were destroyed the last time the volcano erupted so you will need to do some path finding but there are old signs that point to another hotsprings higher up that have been destroyed.
- Once you get the hotsprings that have been destroyed, you will know because of the mangled cement and rocks, keep heading further up the source of the river and climb over the rocks. Then you will be inside the Corazon de Tungurahua (The Heart of Tungurahua) the giant cave with a beautiful waterfall above it.
I dont need to say that if the volcano is spewing lava this day trek is not the best idea. Ask the locals about the safety of the volcano, if its merely “fumando / smoking” the worst thing that will happen is a bit of ash will be in your lungs but when the volcano is very active this day trek can be dangerous.
Now youve had a taste of trekking in Ecuador and want to get off the beaten track then check out Ecuadors Best Treks
You wont regret it.
Here is a hilarious cartoon that speaks volumes about the police and judicial corruption in Ecuador – and I bet it resonates not only with most other Latin American countries but the majority of the third world as well.
The Guardian in the UK recently ran an article called Could Ecuador be the most radical and exciting place on Earth? which talks about the enormous reforms the Correa government has undertaken since taking office in 2007.
Ive criticised Rafael Correa a little on here with regards to Freedom of Expression in Ecuador and the murky undercurrents of the Yasuni ITT deal. There is no doubt however that Rafael Correa is one of the best presidents Ecuador has ever had.
Not since Jaime Roldós (the Ecuadorian president who was allegedly assasinated in a plane crash near an American military base for taking on the foreign owned oil and gas industry) has Ecuador had a president that cared more about its people and not self-enrichment. Its the reason the government has lasted so long:
The government is now the most stable in recent times and will soon become the longest serving in Ecuador’s tumultuous history. The president’s approval ratings are well over 70%. All this is due to the reorientation of the government’s approach, made possible by a constitution remarkable for its recognition of human rights and the rights of nature, and its acceptance of plurality and cultural diversity.
The consequence of these economic reforms enacted by Correa to create a more just and equitable society is that they have made him some very powerful enemies in Ecuadors elite class. This resentment boiled over on the 31st of September last year when rogue police forces kidnapped the president in what the government believes was an attempted coup.
Fortunately it failed and Rafael Correa has continued to use his doctorate in Economics to turn this once Banana Republic into a strong and steady latin american economy that will benefit Ecuadorians for decades to come.
