Ecuador Eco Volunteer

Archive for the ‘Ecuador Travel Advice’ Category

If you are flying to Ecuador there is a good chance you will be arriving in Quito Airport, also known as Quiport, and Mariscal Sucre International Airport.

Quito Airport is one of the highest airports in the world and those flying in at night are in for a treat when they see the valley of lights of Quito stretched between the Andes mountains. The airport services 6.2 million people every year and is one of two departure points to the Galapagos Islands (along with Guayaquil)

Taxis to and From Quito Airport

After leaving the airport you can save money on a taxi if you walk to the main road on the other side of lanes and parking places reserved for the airport.

From Quito Airport to the Mariscal, one of the most popular lodging places for tourists in the city, a taxi costs $4 and takes about 20 minutes without traffic.

To the Terminal Quitumbe, or South Terminal Bus Station (where many buses leave for Riobamba, Cuenca, Guayaquil, Coca and most other places in Ecuador) expect to pay around $15 for an hour ride without traffic. Quitos Northern Bus Terminal costs about $2 in taxi but services only a select few places like Mindo.

Safety in Quito

Quito can be a dangerous city especially in the night. Use your common sense and stick to highly populated places and don’t wander down dark deserted alleyways. It is recommended you book accommodation before you fly in instead of searching for a place when you get here. In the next blog post I will expand on places to stay in Quito especially its famous “gringolandia” or Mariscal.

Ive applied for and renewed my tourist visa a number of times over the years in Ecuador and I can tell you passing through the bowels of Ecuadorian bureaucracy is about as fun as passing a kidney stone.

The majority of countries can enter Ecuador without a visa for up to 90 days. If you wish to extend your trip for another 180 days the best visa to get is the 12-IX / 12-9 tourist Visa.

The process of applying for a 12-IX Visa is much faster now than in previous years and if you follow these tips ive learned from trial and error you will save yourself hours.

Follow this link for advice if you have overstayed your visa in Ecuador.

Complete the Paperwork the Day Before

– This article was written in April of 2012 and the steps to apply for a tourist visa may have changed since then. Check this page on the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores website for the most up to date requisites for the tourist visa.

- There is no way you will be able to complete the paperwork the same day as you apply for the visa. Save yourself a tonne of time and hassle by printing out the following papers the day before.

– Check that your passport is valid for at least six months in the future and make two photocopies of it.

- Have a photocopy of a flight ticket or bus ticket leaving the country. My return flight to Australia was from Argentina a year into the future which was accepted as a legitimate “proof of onward travel”

- Print out your bank account balance to prove you have solvency to stay in the country. This can be as easy as doing a print screen on your netbank account on the internet. Im not sure what the minimum amount of money in the bank is required but if you are worried you may not have enough its easy to fudge the numbers in photoshop.

- Download and print out a couple of copies of the Solicitud de Visa. Trust me its better to have a few of these forms spare than to make a mistake then have to run to the nearest cyber cafe and have to print it out again.

- Get some passport sized photos with a white background and remember not to smile. They do not like smiles in the Ministry of Exterior Relations. Bring some glue to stick the passport photo onto your Solicitud de Visa.

- The final thing that you can do on the day that you get the visa is the “Petición escrita” or Written Petition. You can get this printed out in about 5 minutes for 25 cents at the Cyber Cafe called COMPUWORLD down some stairs to the left of the front door of the ministry of Exterior Relations. Id recommend that you do not do this until you already have a Turno or Ticket with a number on it securing your place. The letter looks like this “Yo, John Smith, con passaporte numero M1234567, quiero aplicar para la visa 12-IX para realizar turismo en Ecuador.” with your name and signiture underneath.

How to Apply for a Tourist Visa in Ecuador

You can apply for a Tourist Visa in Ecuador in Quito and Guayaquil. The following will be a step by step process on how to apply for the visa Quito because ive only ever been to the Ministry of Exterior Relations there.

Step 1: Save yourself a few hours by waking up early and going to the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores between 7 and 7:30am. Even by 7:30 there will be a long line outside the ministry but if you arrive any later you will have to wait a few hours longer or even have to come back the next day because they may not have time to attend you.

Step 2: You will be given a ticket with a number on it when you arrive inside. If you get in early the guards will tell you to go upstairs at around 8:30 where you wait on the second floor for your number to be read out. If you arrive after 8 you will have to wait downstairs for a few hours until the first group upstairs have been processed.

Step 3: When upstairs wait for your number to be read out then go to the immigration officer and give them the completed forms and papers. Be nice and courteous because these guys have to deal with frustrated foreigners all day and they also have the power to reject your visa application and make life hell for you.

Step 4: If you have completed the form correctly and have all of the documents mentioned above the immigration officer should give you a ticket to pay $30 for the Visa Application. Go down to the bottom floor and there should be a place up end of the room that says “Caja” which means cash register. Pay the $30 there and he will give you a receipt which you need to take upstairs.

Step 5: Once you have the receipt for the $30 you will be able to skip the queue in the upstairs room and take it straight back to the immigration officer who served you. He or she will then take a photo of you which will be printed out onto a sheet which you have to carry around for the week that the Ministry retains your passport. The officer will then give you a date for when you have to come back to the Ministry.

Step 6: After a week or so go back to the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores at around 3pm in the afternoon and pick up your passport and shiny new visa!

As a reward to our Volunteers we offer discounts on our Trekking and Mountain Climbing expeditions with Ecuador Eco Adventure. Here is a breakdown of the price of the expeditions with the discounts:

Trekking Volunteer Discounts

Punay Pyramid Trek:
$100 each (2 People)
*$20 Volunteer Discount
$85 each (3 – 4 People)
$75 each (5 or more people)
*$10 Volunteer Discount (3 – 8 People)

Lagoons of El Altar Trek:
$175 each (2 or More People)
*$30 Volunteer Discount

Condor Trek:
$450 each (3 People Minimum) 4 day trek
$520 each (4 or More People) 5 day trek
*$25 Volunteer Discount

Inga Pirca Trek:
$150 each (3 People Minimum)
$110 each (4 or More People)
*$25 Volunteer Discount

Chimborazo Communities Trek:
$175 each (2 – 5 People)
*$20 Volunteer Discount

Mountain Climbing Volunteer Discounts

Chimborazo Mountain Climb
$180 each (2 People)
*$10 Volunteer Discount

Cotopaxi Mountain Climb
$220 each (2 People)
Volunteer Discount $10

Click for Higher Resolution Map

Here is a map of Ecuador and the times between major cities and tourist sites to help you plan your trip in this beautiful country.

Quito – Riobamba: 3.5 Hours
Quito – Mindo: 2 Hours
Quito – Muisne: 5 Hours
Quito – Canoa: 5-6 Hours

Riobamba – Guayaquil: 5 Hours
Riobamba – Banos: 2 Hours
Riobamba – Puyo: 3.5 Hours
Riobamba – Cuenca: 6 Hours

Puyo – Animal Rescue Center: 45 Minutes
Puyo – Paraiso Eco Lodge: 30 Minutes
Puyo – Banos: 1.5 Hours
Puyo – Tena: 1.5 Hours
Puyo – Coca: 5 Hours

Guayaquli – Montanita: 4 Hours
Guayaquil – Canoa: 6 Hours
Guayaquli – Mancora Peru: 12 Hours

Machalilla National Park is home to some of the most pristine and preserved tropical dry forest in Ecuador. The National Park also has an abundance of different species of birds and if you are lucky you may even catch a glimpse of large fauna like the Tapir, Coati, and Jaguar that populate the park.

Between the months of July and September it is also possible to see large pods of humpback whales migrating past the national parks’ coastline in search of warmer waters where they mate and give birth to cubs.

 
Unfortuantely every year humpback whales are trapped in fishermens nets and we have criticised the Machalilla National Park for their lack of action on here before. Nonetheless this National Park is a very beautiful place.

How To Get There

To get to Machalilla National Park you need to catch a bus from Guayaquil to Puerto Lopez the nearest town. From Puerto Lopez you can make your own way to the park or take advantage of the tour agencies there.

The Poor Mans Galapagos

The group of islands are home ot sea birds such as Fragrats, Rabihuncos, Albatros’ and Blue and Red footed Boobies that nest in the cliffs that surround the islands sea shores.

 
How To Get There

The only way to get to the Islas de la Plata is via an hours boat ride. Islas de la Plata tours are offered in tour agencies in Puerto Lopez and do not have the prohibitive costs of the Galapagos.

Ecuadors Most Beautiful Beach

Frailes Beach is often called the most beautiful beach in Ecuador. From the sandy shores there are clearly marked trails that lead up to the craggy cliffs and a panoramic lookout on the summit of the island. Also snorkeling around the islands is a must!

The coral reefs flourish with coloured fish of all kinds with the incredible diversity of species of a true sea forest. Other activities here include the Sombrerito Trail, and the ancestral culture of Puerto López fishermans’ village.

How To Get There

To get the Frailes Beach take a taxi from Puerto Lopez into Machalilla National Park which costs about $8 depending on your negotiating skills.