It’s hard to believe, but by the time you’re reading this, we will officially have less than a month left in Ecuador! Two+ years here have simultaneously flown by and gone slowly, but that’s for another post. I’ve been to Quilotoa before when my friend Mary Beth visited, but it was only a day trip.Continue reading “Hiking to Quilotoa Crater Lake, Ecuador”
Category Archives: Ecuador
Las Islas Galápagos: Budget, Logistics, and Other Useful Stuff
Or, in other words, the “Shit I’d Wished I’d Known” post. Don’t get me wrong, our trip to the Galapagos was fantastic! However, there are definitely some things that, had I known beforehand, we might have done differently. Also, “the Galapagos is so expensive!” is a common phrase but slightly misleading. So, if you’re thinkingContinue reading “Las Islas Galápagos: Budget, Logistics, and Other Useful Stuff”
Las Islas Galápagos: Isla Isabela
The second half of our Galapagos adventure was spent on Isabela Island, which is larger in size but much smaller in population. For reference, the number of permanent residents on Santa Cruz Island, where we spend the first half of the trip, is ~15,000 versus ~2,000 on Isabela. If we had it to do overContinue reading “Las Islas Galápagos: Isla Isabela”
Las Islas Galápagos: Isla Santa Cruz
I think it’s safe to say that Ecuador is most famous for the Galapagos Islands. Finally, after nearly two years of living here, we checked off a major bucket-list item! I’ll be honest. When I started planning this trip, I was overwhelmed. To start, the archipelago comprises 13 main islands, of which only 4 areContinue reading “Las Islas Galápagos: Isla Santa Cruz”
Cuyabeno Reserve, Ecuador
I’ll jump right in. This place is pure magic! There are two main nature reserves in Ecuador’s Amazon region: Yasuní National Park and Cuyabeno Reserve. Yasuní National Park is arguably the more famous one; it’s the biggest and has one of the highest biodiversity rates per square meter in the world. However, Cuyabeno is justContinue reading “Cuyabeno Reserve, Ecuador”
Midad del Mundo, el Teleférico, & Other Ecuadorian Adventures
Can we talk about the fact that it’s July? How did that happen? Shane and I are just back from a glorious 10 days in the Galápagos Islands (!!), but before I get to that, I need to round out my family trip back in *gasp* April, when my mom visited for about 3 weeks.Continue reading “Midad del Mundo, el Teleférico, & Other Ecuadorian Adventures”
La Isla de la Plata (the Poor Man’s Galapagos), Ecuador
La Isla de La Plata (or the Island of Silver) is an uninhabited island about an hour by boat off the coast of Puerto López, making it an easy and popular day trip and a “must-do” on our trip. Based on what we saw, all tours are nearly the same. So, although we scheduled ourContinue reading “La Isla de la Plata (the Poor Man’s Galapagos), Ecuador”
Anaconda Lodge in the Amazon Rainforest, Napo, Ecuador
For the past year, I’ve been taking Spanish classes online. The people in your class change from day to day, so typically, the teachers start by having everyone briefly introduce themselves. Where are you from? Where do you live? Why are you learning Spanish? Consequently, one of the first phrases I learned was “Vivo enContinue reading “Anaconda Lodge in the Amazon Rainforest, Napo, Ecuador”
The Shwits 