You are planning your next big trip and decided to go to beautiful Ecuador? Well good choice! Ecuador offers with its four regions, la Costa, la Sierra, el Oriente and las Islas Galápagos the perfect variety. To make sure you’re prepared best we have some useful advices for you.

Tips for your health

Altitude

First of all make sure, you feel fit and healthy enough to stand a long distance flight. As you probably might be landing in the capital Quito keep in mind that this city is located on 2,850 meters. The altitude might be a challenge for your body by causing headaches or making you extremely tired. That is to say you better make sure you’re getting enough sleep, you’re avoiding alcohol and you’re drinking enough water during your first days in Ecuador.

Sun and Mosquitos

As the name of the country already bespeaks, it’s located right on the equator which means the sun there is really strong, so always use sunscreen to protect your skin. It’s recommended to bring sunscreen because it’s insanely expensive in Ecuador. Another important advice to protect your skin from mosquito bites is to use protection spray because there might be different flying insects with a more aggressive kind of poison in Ecuador than in your home country. Furthermore mosquitos transfer serious diseases like Malaria.

Food

Make sure you’re only eating food that is either cooked or fried to avoid food poisoning and don’t drink water from the tap.

Vaccination

Before traveling you should definitely refresh your vaccinations. Besides the common things Ecuador requires yellow fever vaccination.

Onion Look

Because of its different climate zones, Ecuador basically requires every type of clothing. On the coast and on the Galapagos Islands it’s usually very hot which means shorts and shirts are a must but also a hat to protect you from the sun. The Amazon is usually warm and very humid and offers many mosquitos which is to say, you go best by bringing long but thin blouses and trousers. For the mountains you also need warm clothes and a rain jacket because the nights are pretty chilled and you can always be surprised by some rain.

Paperwork

Annoying but necessary. Before traveling you should definitely check with your insurance if you’re covered abroad. Also check the details and whether it’s necessary to get an extra insurance for your stay. Next you have to check if you need any visa for your stay. If you’re staying less than 90 days a tourist visa is fine. If you are staying longer check out our visa guide for Ecuador. You don’t have to apply for a tourist visa but you have to have your ticket for your flight back or to another country to show at the airport. If you are planning to rent a car in Ecuador you should get an international driver’s license because some car rental agencies require it.

Mental preparation

Ecuador is not dangerous! Nevertheless you should watch out for your stuff. Better don’t wear expensive jewelry and don’t take too much cash money with you. Poverty still occurs in the country which means there are some thieves that can easily identify tourists to steal stuff from. — That is to say always pay attention, especially phones are pretty popular to be stolen and never leave your bag open. In general Ecuadorians are really kind and willing to help you, which should be appreciated by all tourists.

English is spoken pretty rarely in Ecuador. If you are interested in also learning Spanish which makes traveling and discovering the country much easier visit our Spanish school in Quito.

And last but not least, don’t forget to have fun and enjoy your travels!

Originally published on Ailola by Laura Straub on February 7, 2017.