The friendly and prosperous town of Otavalo is famous for its giant Saturday market, where traditionally dressed indigenous people sell handicrafts to hordes of foreigners who pour in every weekend to get in on the deals. Despite the market’s popularity, the otavaleños themselves remain self-determined and culturally uncompromised.
I only had one day in Otavalo – and it wasn’t a Saturday. However the setting was fabulous, and the entire experience enchanting.
Next stage: Ipiales (Colombia).
Visiting the Galápagos islands – cruise vs independent travel.
Once you take the plunge and book a Galápagos cruise you are unfortunately signing up for scheduled meal times, early morning wake up calls and 5 – 7 nights spent on the rocky ocean waves. You will join 15 – 25 other guests as you follow your set itinerary for the week. You move as slow as the slowest in the group and must be prepared to cater to everyone’s interests. It is great to be able to meet new friends, but you risk spending a week with a group of people that you don’t actually fit with.
Independent travel looks a bit different in that you decide when you go and where you go. You can take lazy days and eat breakfast/lunch/dinner on your own schedule. You will still end up working with tour companies, but you can shop around and pick the locations and prices that work for you. You don’t have a set group of travelers with you 24/7, but there are opportunities in the cities and on the excursions to meet other travelers. Your expenses will depend on how much you do. You could spend the week doing all of the free activities, or you could explore a different island or diving excursion each day which will definitely add up.
The animal and plant life in the Galapagos Islands is unbelievable. Don’t skip over visiting the Galapagos because you are scared off by the cruise prices or the rumored high tourist fees. Jump on a plane and visit the islands independently. Plan your own schedule and manage your own budget while exploring paradise.
My independent itinerary:
22nd Feb: Flew from Quito to Isla Santa Cruz. Got my first sighting of Galápagos sea lions, Galápagos fur seals, and Pelicans.
23rd Feb: Visited El Chato Tortoise Reserve, where you can observe giant tortoises in the wild. Watching these slow moving prehistoric looking beasts is truly amazing. Nearby are some impressive Lava Tunnels, which are more than a kilometre in length, formed when the outside skin of a molten-lava flow solidified. When the lava flow ceased, the molten lava inside the flow kept going, emptying out of the solidified skin and thus leaving tunnels. Just north west of Puerto Ayora is the Charles Darwin Research Station.
24th Feb: Took the local ferryboat to Puerto Villamil, the main town on seldom visited Isla Isabela. Backed by a lagoon where flamingos and marine iguanas live and situated on a beautiful white-sand beach, it’s a sleepy little village of sandy roads and small homes.
25th Feb: 4km west of town is the Muro de las Lágrimas (wall of tears), a 100m-long wall of lava rocks built by convicts under harsh and abusive conditions. Hiked there and back and stopped off at various viewing points and of course the beach!
26th Feb: Took a half-day tour and visited Los Túnneles, a wonderful spot for snorkelling, formed by convoluted lava formations standing between mangroves and the open sea. Saw white-tipped sharks, manta rays, eagle rays, sea lions, turtles and a sea horse. Also got to see a number of blue-footed booby and Galápagos penguins.
27th Feb: Walked around the Villamil Lagoon, which is known for its marine iguanas and migrant birds. A 1km-long trail begins just past the Iguna Crossing Hotel along a wooden boardwalk over the lagoon passing mangroves and dense vegetation, eventually ending at a Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre. Along the way I got to see lots of Pink Flamingos. In the afternoon I took the local ferryboat back to Isla Santa Cruz and spent the night there.
28th Feb: Took the local ferryboat to Isla San Cristóbal. Locals call San Cristóbal the capital of paradise, and since Puerto Baqueirizo Moreneo is the capital of Galápagos province, it technically is.
1st Mar: Went snorkelling around Kicker Rock, so named because of its resemblance to a sleeping lion. The island is an imposing, vertical, sheer-walled tuff cone that has been eroded in half. It was an awesome place to snorkel and the highlight was swimming with a green sea turtle. Got to see more Galápagos sea lions.
2nd Mar: Visited the interpretation centre, which explains the history and significance of the Galápagos better than anywhere else in the islands. Got to see more Galápagos sea lions.
3rd Mar: Flew back to Quito.
The total cost of my independent visit to Galápagos was approximately $1,500 USD (approx. $150 USD per day) for everything, including flights to/from Quito.
Next stage: Otovala.
“The Galápagos Islands may just inspire you to think differently about the world. A trip to this extraordinary region is like visiting an alternate universe, some strange utopian colony organized by sea lions – the golden retrievers of the Galápagos – and arranged on principles of mutual cooperation. What’s so extraordinary for visitors is the fearlessness of the islands’ famous inhabitants. Blue-footed boobies, sea lions, and prehistoric land iguanas – all act as if humans are nothing more than slightly annoying paparazzi. Nowhere else can you engage in a staring contest with wild animals and lose! This is not the Bahamas and these aren’t typical tropical paradises; in fact, most of the islands are devoid of vegetation and some look more like the moon than Hawaii.” Excerpt From: Lonely Planet South America.
The Galápagos Islands were declared a national park in 1959. Organized tourism began in the 1960s and by the 1990s some 60,000 people visited annually. Today, around 150,000 people visit each year, which continues to place added stress on the islands’ delicate ecology. Despite conservation efforts by organizations like the Galapagos Conservancy (www.galapagos.org), the future of the islands remains unclear. Since 2007, Unesco has treated the World Heritage–listed islands as being in danger.
Visiting the islands is not cheap, and the only way to truly ‘experience’ their marvels is by taking a boat cruise. It is possible to visit four of the islands independently, but you are unlikely see the full spectrum of wildlife or the many smaller islands that you would aboard a cruise.
The four boat categories and price per day are roughly as follows: economy class (up to US$200), tourist class (US$200 to $300), first class (US$300 to $400), and luxury (from US$400). This figure does not include your airfare to and from the mainland or the US$110 park-entrance fee. Boat Tours from five to eight days are the most common. You can’t really do the Galápagos Islands justice on a tour shorter than a week, although five days is acceptable. To visit the outlying islands of Isabela and Fernandina, a cruise of eight days or more is recommended. On the first day of a prearranged tour, you arrive from the main land by air at about noon, so this leaves only half a day in the Galápagos; on the last day, you have to be at the airport in the morning. Thus a ‘five-day’ tour gives only three full days in the islands.
I decided to visit the islands independently and accepted that I probably wouldn’t get to see everything. Looking back, I got to see pretty much everything that I wanted to see and for a fraction of the cost of going on an organised cruise.
Next stage: My independent itinerary in depth.
With its breathtaking location, surrounded on all sides by steep mountainsides of cloud forest, tiny Mindo was a delightful place to visit and for me, another Ecuadorian highlight.
It’s a dramatic arrival just off the Pan American Highway via a steep and curvy hillside descent that takes you down into the small but beautiful town centre. The place was in chaos whilst we were there – it was one huge construction site – new roads, new side walks – it will be amazing when it’s finished. There are lots of restaurants, bars and coffee shops to cater for your every need – all with super friendly staff.
Depending on your mood at the time, Mindo is a great place to kick back and relax or a great place to get active. The locals have created an impressive infrastructure for actively enjoying Mindo, and its surrounding cloud forest, including butterfly farms, zip-lines over the treetops, mountain biking, tubing and orchid collections. But unlike Baños, Mindo has retained its sleepy town feel – but I do wonder how much longer this will last!
A ‘must do’ in Mindo is a journey on the unique open-air tarabita (cable car) that takes you 152m above a lush river basin over thick cloud forest and across the valley where there are a number of waterfalls that you can hike to along well-signposted trails.
Whilst in Mindo I had the great pleasure of meeting up with Kevin, a very good friend of mine from Canada. He was travelling from Colombia and I was travelling to Colombia – what better place to meet than Mindo.
Click HERE to see our exilerating cable car experience.
Click HERE to see a rather unusual restaurant exit!
Next stage: Galapagos.
The crater lake of Laguna Quilotoa has to to be one of Ecuador’s most staggering spectacles.
Bumping along the spectacular dirt roads of the Quilotoa Loop and hiking between Andean villages was an exhilarating experience. Transportation was tricky but the rewards were abundant: highland markets, the breathtaking crater lake of Laguna Quilotoa, splendid hikes, and traditional highland villages.
The lake of Quilotoa is a water-filled caldera and the most western volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The 3 kilometres (2 miles) wide caldera was formed by the collapse of this dacite volcano following a catastrophic VEI-6 eruption about 800 years ago, which produced pyroclastic flows and lahars that reached the Pacific Ocean, and spread an airborne deposit of volcanic ash throughout the northern Andes. The caldera has since accumulated a 250 m (820 ft) deep crater lake, which has a greenish color as a result of dissolved minerals.
It took about 5-hours to hike around the rim of the crater and I lost count of the many times I said “wow” to myself. It was a tough hike but hugely rewarding. Because of the altitude, nearly 4000 metres, I quite often found myself gasping for breath as I attacked one crest after another.
Next was an exhausting but exhilarating 5-hour hike from Quilotoa to Chugchilán, a wee village about 14km north of Quilotoa, which proved to be an fantastic base for further hikes.
I stayed at one of the nicest places I have so far been to in Ecuador – the family run Hostal known as ‘Mama Hilda’ (www.mamahilda.com). The accomodation was plush, the food excellent, and my fellow guests entertaining.
From here I took a third hike to the ‘cheese factory’ – another great hike of about 5-hours with further breath taking scenery.
Next stage: Mindo.
I had made a conscious decision to try and avoid Carnival in Ecuador, nothing could surely compare to the celebrations that would be taking place on the other side of the continent in Brazil?
Both Brazil and Ecuador, along with many other countries around the world, with a dominant Catholic population, observe a form of Carnival. All of these festivals seem to have originated in Catholic Italy centuries ago. The fasting period of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, was proceeded by several days of living it up. Kind of a letting it all out before behaving yourself for the 40 days leading up to Easter.
My journey on the ‘Quilotoa Loop’ began in Latacunga, which proved to be a reasonable location to spend a couple of days and a useful place to drop off my large back pack. The next few days would take in a lot of hiking so I needed to travel light. From Latacunga I took a day bus to Zumbahua, where accommodation and food options proved to be extremely basic! From Zumbahua I took a pick up truck to the ‘surreal’ town of Quilotoa.
Quilotoa had an extremely well organised Carnival taking place the day that I arrived – with lots of games, lots of alcohol, and lots of dancing. Throughout the day children and teenagers did their best to cover everyone around them with spray foam. In addition, an alarming quantity of flour was also being hurled at unsuspecting individuals.
With an elevation of 3,914 metres, Quilotoa quite often gets engulfed in cloud, making visibility extremely difficult. Whilst it is very hot in the day, it gets bitterly cold at night. My hotel had a lovely wood burner and loads of thick blankets.
Next stage: day hikes along the Quilotoa Loop.
The Secret Garden, Near Cotopaxi, is an award winning eco-friendly mountain lodge nestled high in the Ecuadorian Andes. Situated less than two hours from Quito, in an isolated but beautiful location. It is overlooked by the snowcapped and downright amazing Volcán Cotopaxi (5897m).
It’s a great place for adventure seekers, as well as for people who just want to relax and get away from it all. After 2-months of relentless travel I plumped for relaxation!
Secret Garden has a number of accomodation options and for the first time on this trip I chose the cheaper option of a dormitory. After checking in, and taking lunch, my fellow ‘newbies’ and I were invited to join two members of SG staff for an ‘orientation’ walk. It was a great way to see the surrounding countryside and meet fellow guests. On our return to the lodge we were asked about what activities we would like to do the following day. These options included a couple of six hour hikes, horse riding or relaxing in a hammock with a beer!
Next day, after an awesome breakfast, we were driven to a farm where our horses were saddled up and ready to go. The eight of us were each matched to a horse (I was given the smallest!) and off we set. Trotting and cantering through the spectacular Andean countryside, with awesome views of Volcán Cotopaxi, was an amazing experience. I hadn’t ridden a horse in years and boy did I pay the price for it the next day!
The rest of my stay at SG was spent lazing in a hammock!
Getting to my next destination proved to be a nightmare. It was Friday afternoon and the following day was the start of ‘carnival’ and everybody was on the move! The taxi driver, from Secret Garden, dropped me off on the side of the Pan-American Highway and told me to flag down any bus displaying ‘Latacunga’ – the name of my next destination.
I doubt many people have attempted to flag down a bus on the M1 motorway (in the UK) but that’s the best way of describing my situation and futile attempts at trying to stop any form of public transport. Thankfully, after about 2-hours, I managed to bag a seat on an ‘Ambo’ destined bus, with no real idea where the hell I was headed!
What is the Pan-American Highway?
The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads measuring about 48,000 kilometres (30,000 mi) in total length, except for a rainforest break of approximately 100 km (60 mi), called the Darién Gap. The road links almost all of the mainland nations of the Americas in a connected highway system. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world’s longest “motorable road”. However, because of the Darién Gap, it is not possible to cross between South Americaand Central America by road. Excerpt from Wikipedia.
Next stage: Quilotoa Loop.
Oh dear, what to say about Baños! I’d like to be positive and write a glowing review, sadly this is not possible. The only redeeming feature about Baños was bumping into Colin.
I will let Lonely Planet describe Baños. I am sure if you read between the lines you will see why it wasn’t really my ‘cup of tea’.
“Hemmed in by luxuriant green peaks, blessed with steaming thermal baths and adorned by a beautiful waterfall, Baños is one of Ecuador’s most enticing and popular tourist destinations. Ecuadorians and foreigners alike flock here to hike, soak in the baths, ride mountain bikes, zip around on rented quad-runners, volcano-watch, party, and break their molars on the town’s famous melcocha (taffy). Touristy as it is, it’s a wonderful place to hang out for a few days.” Excerpt From: Lonely Planet South America.
The only activity that I didn’t need to pay for, and didn’t need to hire a guide for, was a hike up into the hills overlooking Baños. But even this activity was nearly curtailed by a certain Scotsman and his dog!
The manager of my hostel had given me clear instructions on the route I should follow – I was following these instructions to the letter. Just as I was catching my breath, at a spectacular viewing point, overlooking the town, a lone voice shouted out “not that way!” I turned round to see a gentleman, who looked slightly older than me, with a delightful little dog by his side. “what do you mean?” I asked. We then entered into a conversation about the pros and cons of my intended route. After a few minutes debating the gentleman in question said, “well I’ve got nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon, let’s give it ago.”
For the next 4-hours we huffed and puffed our way up and down the hills overlooking Baños. Colin was great company and we chatted away for the entire journey. Colin originates from Glasgow but now lives in Baños.
Next stage: Secret Garden, Cotopaxi.
“Comparing the colonial beauty of Cuenca and Quito is a favorite pastime around here. In grandeur, Quito wins hands down. But Cuenca – that tidy jewel of the south – takes the cake when it comes to charm. Its narrow cobblestone streets and whitewashed red-tiled buildings, its handsome plazas and domed churches, and its setting above the grassy banks of the Río Tomebamba, all create a city that’s supremely impressive. Though firmly anchored in its colonial past, Ecuador’s third-largest city (elevation 2530m) also has a modern edge, with international restaurants, art galleries, cool cafes and welcoming bars tucked into its magnificent architecture.” Excerpt From: Lonely Planet – South America.
Having travelled through Peru at quite a rapid rate of knots it was time to stop and catch breath – Cuenca proved to be the perfect place. I managed to find an excellent B&B (Cuenca Rooms) owned by an Ecuadorian couple who spoke excellent English. I also met and socialised with a wide range of interesting travellers, and locals, that made my stay in this delightful city such a joy.
As well as R&R I also took in an amazing 5-hour hike in Parque Nacional Caja. The scenery was stunning and the weather, which apparently changes rapidly, was fantastic.
Next stage: Cuenca to Baños via Riobamba.
From the depressing town of Chiclayo I took a day bus to to the (arguably) less depressing town of Piura (journey time 3 hours). Piura is a small transit town; adequate for an overnight stop, prior to the border crossing into Ecuador, but nothing else.
The worst travel stories you get to hear about are thankfully isolated incidences. I had read and heard horror stories about the border crossing between Peru and Ecuador. Stories of people getting mugged or being forced into paying exorbitant bribes to unscrupulous taxi drivers. Despite the low risk, I was full of apprehension. I wanted to play it safe and the safest way was to take a direct bus. Loja International bus company offers such a service – between Piura (Peru) and Loja (Ecuador). It wasn’t a flash bus but it was clean, reliable and safe.
During the border crossing process I met a delightful Tazmanian/English couple and a young German lady. We got on well and agreed to meet up that evening for a meal.
Loja looked a nice town, sadly I didn’t get chance to see much of it as next morning I was climbing aboard yet another bus.
Next stage: Loja to Cuenca.
