Sightseeing, Activities and Adventure
We have teamed up with
Dive With Mantas to create the perfect
pre-cruise add-on prior to your Galapagos liveaboard:
• Puerto Lopez on the Manabí coast of Ecuador is surrounded by the Machalilla National Park and Marine Reserve. Activities revolve around whale watching due to the annual migration of thousands of
humpback whales coming up from Antarctica to breed and calve in the warmer equatorial waters from June until October. But what locals have known for years is that this is where you come to dive with
manta rays - even Galapagos dive guides come here to dive with the mantas. August and September are the peak months for this. And this summer 2023, whale sharks are a common sighting at Isla de la Plata! Hawksbill and green turtles are abundant here, too. The coast of Ecuador will rival anywhere for turtle nesting beaches.
• Exclusive packages (season from June until October) include diving, free diving or snorkelling with mantas, and whale watching, plus accommodation with breakfast and lunch at an oceanfront hotel in town or a hotel 10 minutes away inside the Machalilla National Park (as guests prefer). Round trip transport to/from Manta or Guayaquil can be arranged.
• These packages are perfect for anyone going to Galapagos, especially those who have not dived in a while – guests will have ample opportunity to get comfortable in the water again, and the privileged opportunity to dive in the manta migration. Now there is a direct flight from Manta to Galapagos, it’s also extra-convenient! See more information ::
DiveWithMantas.com.
Ecuador straddles the equator after which it is named, and occupies an area of approximately 108,000 square miles (280,000 km²). Geographically, it can be divided into 4 regions: the coast, the sierra or highlands, the Amazon Basin in the east, and the Galapagos Islands. It has over 1,430 miles (2,300 km) of Pacific coastline and is bordered by Colombia and Peru.
Of course, the most popular tourist attraction in Ecuador is the
Galapagos National Park. Santa Cruz's main town, Puerto Ayora, is the Galapagos' most developed and many tourists overnight here as it represents one of the only shopping opportunities in the islands. Santa Cruz is the most densely populated island and consists of a bay normally full of boats, tour desks, some shops, cafés and the national park headquarters.
A must-visit is
The Charles Darwin Research Station, some 10 minutes stroll from the town center. Here you can learn much of the details of Darwin's research and study. Established in 1959, the Darwin Station works closely with the national park, protecting the islands and marine reserve. It is a very interesting glance into the past and a tangible link to one of the most profound and elegant answers to some of the greatest mysteries of life.
Traveling to the
Highlands of Santa Cruz represents a great opportunity to experience the various ‘life zones’ of the Galapagos from the coast, through agricultural lands and up into misty forests. A great variety of birds can be found in the highlands. You will also
see many of the giant tortoises here in their natural habitat. In addition, there are fascinating volcanic elements to the landscape such as sink holes, lava tubes and craters.
2 of the best known craters are known as
Los Gemelos (The Twins) and they are an attraction in themselves with unique vegetation and a variety of bird life. A licensed guide will allow you to visit these areas and make the visit a special one full of interesting facts and sightings.
If you want the full land and sea experience of the Galapagos Islands, we recommend non-diving, wildlife liveaboard trips. Guests will get some experience of land creatures during their diving cruise, but the island chain has much more to offer than that brief exposure.
For a wide range of eco-, nature and adventures throughout Ecuador, visit the specialists:
Ministry of Tourism.
City Life
Quito is the nation's capital and has the buildings, events and nightlife to prove it. It is considered to be one the best preserved historic centers of South America, a distinction for which UNESCO declared the city a World Heritage Site.
Set inland from the coast in a long valley in the Andes, Quito's historic sites, museums and the surrounding mountainous area, make it an interesting place to spend some time. It is well located to be a base from which to explore elsewhere in the country. Although less convenient for cheap flights to the Galapagos and well timed international transfers, if you intend to spend some time in mainland Ecuador, Quito is a great place to start.
Most tourists tend to focus on the Old Town, around the central plaza. The Old Town is what made Quito a UNESCO cultural heritage site in 1978. Cathedrals, places and statues of independence heroes dominate the streets.
Colonial homes can be visited in the Old Town, the choice of which are 2 of a distinctly historical nature, Casa de Benalcázar, the home of one of the nation's founders, and Casa de Sucre, where Field Marshall José de Antonio de Sucre, a hero of Latin American battles for independence, lived.
Museums are worth visiting in Quito, particularly the Museo Franciscano in the Monastery of San Francisco, the oldest colonial building in Quito. Other museums within monasteries include San Augustín and San Diego. The Museo del Arte y Historia and the Museo de Arte Colonial are great places to see the varying influences of Spanish, Italian, Moorish and indigenous art.
Given Quito's beautiful natural setting, it is not surprising that hiking tours into the nearby highlands overlooking the city are a popular pastime among tourists. Your hotel will have information on the various options available.
Guayaquil, located on the Pacific coast, is the main port of Ecuador and its most populated city. It is a hot sea port with what some call a ‘Caribbean air’ as the music of steel drums fill the air and seafood sizzles on the grills.
It is becoming an increasingly important tourism hub and, with the generation of new green zones and tourist-friendly features, it is trying hard to leave behind a past image of being a dirty and edgy city. Many divers pass through on their way to the Galapagos and might spend a night or two here.
You would be wise to stick to the downtown area near the main hotels in Guayaquil. This is a regenerated area, designed to ensure the safety and comfort of tourists, and there are a number of things to see and do.
The Malecon del Salado is an area where you can enjoy fresh air and wonderful sunsets, with restaurants serving local delicacies, all within a safe new park and free of the worst excesses of traffic and potential pickpockets.
Take a walk up the 400+ steps to the top of the Santa Ana and El Carmen hills. From here you can see almost the whole city. There is a lighthouse, church, museum and a small park. At the foot of the steps in the Malecon Simón Bolivar you will find another lovely park with an IMAX theatre.
Nearby is a market worth checking out for souvenirs and all manner of kitsch. It is known locally as the Mercado Artesanal - the ‘Artisans Market’.Ecuadorean Time Zone
The Galapagos Islands are -1 hr EST (or -6 hrs GMT). Quito and Guayaquil Standard Time is the same as EST (-5 hrs GMT).Electricity
Electrical appliances operate on an alternating current - 110 volts, 60 cycles (Hertz) AC, 2 flat pins - in Ecuador (same as USA). The Galapagos liveaboard boats use 2- or 3-flat pin sockets.Communications
In major cities, local telephone calls can be made from street phones. You will probably need to buy a prepaid card and the service is unreliable. There are also stores that allow the use of phones but these too can cause frustration and be busy.
Calls to the USA are best done via net-phones from internet cafés. Through a computer you can connect to dialpad.com and make calls for free, and of course there is always Skype and other forms of instant messaging and internet calling.
Internet cafés are plentiful, reasonably cheap and straightforward to both locate and use throughout the country. Due to the remote nature of the liveaboard cruises in the Galapagos Islands, very few boats provide an internet service.
593 is the international calling country code for Ecuador.Codes of Behavior
Shaking hands when meeting and parting is normal in Latin America. Body proximity is something you may note here as Ecuadorians tend to stand much closer to each other in normal circumstances than people from other cultures. You may also find them very inquisitive with many questions. In a safe environment this is an endearing way of showing interest in you. In a less safe environment you may not welcome such interest.
Tipping and Bargaining In Ecuador
Tips are generally given in restaurants, to supermarket bag boys and parking lot guards. How much depends on the person doing the tipping and how satisfied they are with it. Generally it varies between 20 cents for parking and bag boys and up to US$ 5 in restaurants.
Bargaining in markets is normal and indeed essential as there is normally no set price. Often the first one suggested is hugely over-inflated, so the best first response is shock and retreat. You should counter with a maximum of half what the seller began with and settle on a price you think reasonable.
Best Clothing to Wear
There are no clear rules about dress code, however skimpier outfits may be frowned upon away from tourist areas. Sometimes, and certainly in the highlands, the temperature can drop below what you might call ‘equatorial’ so a long sleeved sweater or jacket is worth packing.
Criminality
Most visitors will not encounter any difficulties in this regard although the usual precautions should be adhered to in order to avoid petty crime in the towns. Pick-pocketing in Quito and Guayaquil can be an unwelcome problem for the unwary or under-prepared.
