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I'm going through old itineraries that I shared on our Jewish Girls Travel Facebook group in the past and sharing them here on my site so that you can find easy access to them! This one's a bit old, from before I learned the ins and outs of travel and itinerary writing, but it's still got lots of useful info. Hope you find it helpful, and you can always slide into my DMs (here or over on Instagram) with any questions!
Enjoy and safe travels,
Esther xx
Ecuador March-April 2018
Some General Pointers about Ecuador
List of Israeli Hostels in Ecuador
The Muchiler card costs 99 shekel and gives you discounts at all the Israeli hostels, tour guides, etc. Might be worth getting.
If you want to stay in an authentic village in Ecuador, check out https://villagemonde.com/en/ a website for finding homestays in local villages.
The currency in Ecuador is USD! Bring lots of small cash and change because they use cents here. You will never have enough small change, and it’s a little tough to break any bills larger than $20.
Taxis are super cheap and you can find them on every corner. Only use yellow taxis and use the meter.
It’s better to use Uber or the “Cabify” app (what locals recommended), though, as they provide more accountability and safety.
Note: All the taxis have a red button on the inside wall near the passengers. Click it when you get in in order to activate the in-taxi camera. In case of emergency, you can hold it down for a few seconds and it contacts the police or something like that.
Take down license # every time you get into taxi - especially important in case you leave an item behind
As a group of 6 girls, we often hired private car to take us from city to city or day trips. We recommend Renee, a driver we used who was reliable and spoke Hebrew. Reach him at +593987873825.
Pick up some Ecuadorian Pacari Dark Chocolate at the local supermarket. It’s delicious and certified OK Kosher. Costs about $2 in the supermarkets, but $6+ (!!) in the airport and in specialty stores in the US, so don’t wait until last minute to buy.
The sun is NOT a joke. On a cloudy day in Banos we all got burned because being on the equator & in high altitude means more exposure to the sun. Even in low altitude, we would wear sunscreen and still get burned bc the UV ray index is one of the highest in the world. Be careful.
Carry toilet paper in your bag at all times as bathrooms charge for toilet paper/entry.
Flights from Guayaquil to Quito (or vice versa) are about $36-$50, so if you need to, you can cross the country easily. You can also take an overnight bus for $12-14.
Itinerary
City 1: Quito
Where we stayed:
El Patio Hostel
The hostel is nice, beds have curtains so there’s privacy. Located in the touristy Mariscal area, decent hostel--recommended. Right next door to an excellent vegan place.
Masaya Hostel
The hostel is brand new, beautiful and in the center of the historic district (about a 30 min. walk from the tourist area). It’s a hostel/hotel hybrid, as it is owned by the Marriot. Great price, great hostel!
Hotel De Bellavista
Hotel located less than 10 minutes from the Chabad shluchim in the more upper class, residential area of Quito. It wasn’t the greatest for the price (kinda expensive), but they were very friendly and the rooms on the upper floors have a great view of the city.
Activities In and around Quito:
Wander around Quito. We checked out the Basilica (climb to the top for an insane view of the city), Centro Historico (old town, historic, plazas, museums, etc), Mariscal Sucre (touristy area), etc. Some of us did a walking tour with Community Adventures (communitytravel.ec) and highly recommend it. The historic area is beautiful and fascinating.
Take a cable car to get a great view of the city ($8/pp).
Day trip to Mindo, a rainforest town about 2 hours north of Quito. Super beautiful. There are chocolate and coffee factories plus butterfly farms. Everything closes early (by like 4:30) and the last bus leaves at 4 pm (and it can be hard to get tickets on it), so you might have to get a private driver or stay overnight.
Mitad del Mundo: a museum on the equator line. There are two museums here, each claim to be on the line. It’s a cute, short trip where you can take cute photos. The museum has a lot of interesting exhibits on the history of Ecuador + experiments you can do only on the Equator (supposedly, at least).
Quito Tips/info:
Chabad: Rabbi Tomer and Rivka Rotem
Address: Jimenez de la Espada, Quito (Ask the rabbi for the exact number)
Phone number: +593-26-02-6770 / +593-99-287-1770 (WhatsApp)
Link: www.jabad.org.ec
Mail: rabino@jabad.org.ec; jabadecuador@gmail.com
The Rotems were the sweetest people ever! If you go, ask RIvka if there’s anything you can bring with you. Even something as simple as Jewish magazines for her and for the kids would be great. We went early to help her cook, and they really appreciated it. If you can, reach out and see if you can help!
Beware the altitude, it’s intense (Banos, Quito)
In Quito there’s a big supermarket called Mi Comiseriato in a mall called Quicentro (kee•sentro). That’s the supermarket where you’ll find the most kosher food.
In general, the Mi Comiseriato chain is the best place to find kosher food (there’s a huge one in Guayaquil as well, next door to the kosher restaurant). They have a kosher section (tiny) that includes fish, chicken, bread, etc, and there are other items that are not in the kosher section that are kosher as well. Unfortunately, the people here could not find a kosher list but they did tell me about a few items that were kosher--corn crackers, cereal, soy milk, etc.
There are people who will make kosher food for you, near Quito. Ask the locals about this.
Rainy season: we were in Quito end of March/beginning of April and it literally rained all day every day. It was also quite cool, sometimes even chilly.
Quilotoa (Day Trip):
Located about 1.5 hours from Quito, Quilotoa crater is INSANELY BEAUTIFUL. You must go if you’re in Ecuador. Once you do the hike down, you can kayak in the lagoon, can hike back up or take a horse for about $10/pp. In North Ecuador, the sky tends to be clear in the mornings, so best to get there at 8/9am and hike down to be able to be back up before the rain starts.
Some people hike the whole Quilotoa Loop (it goes to all the towns around the lagoon) but we didn’t have time, and it takes a lot of prep. It takes like 4 days and apparently it can be a tad difficult and not for the faint of heart. On our way back we stopped at a crater and some small towns and markets. Our driver knew where to go, if you get a private driver you can ask him to take you.
Banos
Where we stayed:
Hostel Transilvania: Israeli Hostel. Very cheap. A little outdated in style, but clean. The owner is Israeli and he and his wife are super nice and really helpful. A really nice alternative is Plantas y Blanco hostel.
Things we did:
Casa del Arbol: This is the famous swing, really great for pictures. Entry is $1. We paid $10 (divided by 6) for the ride up in the back of a pickup truck-- which was a blast! Alternatively, take a $1 bus but truck is faster and more fun! You can hike back down, it’s actually a really nice hike, walking through clouds. It’s very straightforward; you just walk along the main road. Beware of wild dogs. Beware the sun too--even though it’s cloudy you can get badly burned.
Horseback riding. Booked it through our hostel. We went horseback to to nearby waterfalls, then hiked the falls. This was a nice trip--I recommend
Night: go to the hot springs. Closed at 8:30 so we didn’t make it. We were told that the public ones can be crowded and dirty, so try to find nicer private ones.
Montanita:
Getting there: We took an overnight bus from Banos to Guayaquil. Was cheap and a great bus. Once we got to the main bus station, we took another bus from Guayaquil to Montanita, which took around 3 hours.
Beware that just because it’s an overnight bus, doesn't mean you can sleep--they play blasting music/tv and leave the lights on overnight. Also, watch your belongings at your feet very carefully.
Where we Stayed:
Montanita Estates.
Stunning villas and apartments. Amazing location: right near beach, bus stop, and center of town. Gorgeous and calm, really great service. Totally recommend. Expensive for ecuador but relative to US prices its decent :) As we were 6 people, we rented a private villa. An amazing experience.
Kiwi Hostel
After part of the group left, some of us moved to Kiwi hostel, but don’t recommend it--the vibe was super unfriendly and there were lots of drugs.
Muana
After Kiwi, we moved to Muana, which is great hostel. Really nice, good location, clean, calm. More expensive than others, though--about $15 a night instead of the usual $8.
Things we did:
Surfing: You can find lessons by walking along the beach for 10-20 bucks per hour. Montanita is world famous for its surfing conditions. Definitely take a few lessons!
Day trip to Los Frailes. We took a $1.50 bus to Puerto Lopez, an hour away--beach town with whale watching (only during certain months--I think around September) snorkeling, and some other stuff. From there we headed to Los Frailes beach--just a really beautiful beach. Take a cab from Puerto Lopez.
Dos Mangas: take a cheap bus to Dos Mangas waterfall, rent horses (can bargain the price) and go for a ride to the falls. In the dry season, they’re not that impressive, but it’s a nice trip if you have time.
General tips for Montanita
There is an Israeli Hostel called “SP Hostel” not particularly nice but it has a huge beautiful shul -- Eli, the owner, built it. You can check it out and see if he’s around!
You can buy fish at the local fish market in Olon, 5 minute taxi from Montanita. We bought a whole Rovalo (kosher fish here) and cut it ourselves (although it was a lot of work). Was delicious!
We stayed in Montanita for a week. Surfed, took Spanish classes, and just chilled around a lot. It’s beautiful--you can stay here forever :)
Other things to do from Montanita: you can visit the towns nearby, such as Aguas Blancas, Olon, Manglaralto, etc… mostly surfing towns.
If you're there for Shabbat, go to a shakshuka cafe called (not kosher) Casa Fistook and see if Eldad (the owner) is around--he likes to make Challah for shabbat and you can help him do hafrashat challah.
If you're interested in learning Spanish, check out the Montanita Spanish School--it’s beautiful, and they're really good. You can take a weeklong session, or go for just a few hours. They have loads of really fun activities. Ecuador is a great place to learn spanish because the accent is pure and easy to understand, so there's lots of Spanish schools around.
Check out Lost Beach Club, the best place in Montanita--admission is expensive, but it’s worth it. They bring in international DJ’s and people come from all over the country (and sometimes from even further) to their bigger parties.
There's a great Selina hostel in Montanita
Guayaquil
Where we stayed:
Guillermo’s AirBnB: We rented a room in an AirBnB apartment. Really nice, great price, not far from chabad. The host was lovely.
Things to do:
Check out the only kosher restaurant in Ecuador: Kosher Pita Grill--amazing kosher meat restaurant. They serve breakfast on Sunday mornings. Open 12-12 usually. They serve falafel, Israeli food, burgers, etc. At night, they usually have live entertainment, drinks, etc. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Food is great, portions huge, nice venue. Lubavitch Shechita and they take kashrut super seriously.
Check out the touristy part of town is Malecon, where there’s a beautiful boardwalk lined with shops, museums, restaurants, bars, gorgeous gardens etc. We went for a walk there. At night, that’s where the party is at. It’s about 20-30 mins from Kosher Pita Grill area, where we stayed. I checked out the Guayaquil miniatures museum--it was okay, short and not expensive so might as well go if you’re in the area but not a must-see.
Not so safe to walk around at night, be careful and vigilant in general. Uber over taxi. Guayaquil has a bad rep for crime.
Visit Las Penas, a neighborhood of beautiful colorful houses built on a hill--walk up 444 numbered steps to reach the Santa Ana Lighthouse at the top and see an incredible view. I really enjoyed this. It’s adjacent to Malecon and there are lots of museums in the area.
Iguana park--a park where there are these huge iguanas just chilling:)
Tips
In Guayaquil, there’s a beautiful Chabad house but no permanent shluchim--they often have bochurim coming in and out for holidays. The community is super close knit and small. They enjoy having guests because they don’t have them often, and they are really nice. The chabad house is two blocks away from the kosher restaurant. You might be able to have Shabbat with them if you reach out and ask.
Cuenca
Getting there: 4 hours bus from Guayaquil, drive through Cajas National Park--if you can get a private taxi because you are a few people, get your driver to stop at markets and in the park along the way. We did that and it was lovely. Can get a private taxi ride for $50 (divided by all the riders) one way.
Where we stayed:
Check Inn Bed and Breakfast
Not very clean, and kinda gross, so not recommended. Instead, we recommend staying at Pepe’s House Hostel.
Things to do:
Walk around the beautiful historic area, check out art galleries etc. Loads of museums--the ones that are supposed to be good are the Central bank museum and Pumapungo, but they were closed when we were there :( instead, we went to an archaeological museum, which was lame.
Also, visit the Panama hat factory (fun fact: panama hats originated in Ecuador), where you can buy hats. Theres actually a jewish guy named Gabriel who owns a panama hat store--maybe you can find him :) Also, an Israeli named Chagai owns Goza Cafe, a lovely coffee shop in the historic center .
Cuenca is basically full of art, museums, etc.
There’s incredible horse riding in Cuenca. We did it and had an awesome experience. Info here.
Things we did not have time to do, but we heard are good (keep in mind that we can’t confirm any of this info as we did not do these things):
Cuyabeno Jungle: based around the Cuayabeno river. You can go on a 4 day jungle trip for around 200$ all inclusive. (Leave from Lago Agria, 8 hours overnight drive from Quito.)
Cotopaxi: one of the highest volcanoes in the world. Day trip from Quito. You need to mountain bike down. Our friend went and said it was incredible!
Otovalo Market - The leatherwork at the local market is apparently excellent quality. Better than elsewhere in South America. Near Quito. This market has a great rep--apparently best on Saturdays.
Cajas National Park--full of lakes and lagoons and apparently amazing. We stopped by here briefly and it was beautiful but didn’t explore deeply.
Devil nose train ride: crazy ride through the Andes
Galapagos Islands: Go from Guayaquil. Everything you need to know about the Galapagos is here: http://ecuador.idotrip.co.il/days/10-galapagos_organize.php. Cheapest you can expect to find for a quality experience is $1600 (for an 8 day trip including airfare to the islands). Alternatively, you can go for 4 days but honestly once you’re going it’s worth going all the way. You can order pre-packaged kosher food from Kosher Pita Grill.
If you go independently: Note that there’s an additional $100 entry tax for Galapagos Islands on top of flight.
Flights are normally $350-400 for non-Ecuadorians. If you get charged less, beware that you might get charged extra at the airport as the cheaper prices are only for Ecuadorians (specifically Latam airlines).
Recommended tour operator for Galapagos: Itay from RealityDreams. Local Jewish residents told us he gives the best price and does a good job. His number is +593991536185
There’s a great thread on Jewish Girls Travel dedicated to the Galapagos.
El Diablo Waterfall in Banos--3 hour atv drive to fall
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