Ecuador

Ecuador Visas are issued on arrival. A passport valid for six months after date of entry is required. Visitors must hold return/onward tickets and all documents required for their next destination.

Hepatitis A and B, Tetanus, and Typhoid immunizations are recommended for all travelers. Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the CDC’s Internet site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel

Quito, Ecuador

Ecuador – country code +593. Most areas will have mobile access and Internet available. Some areas while trekking may not have mobile access.

Chile – Electrical current is 120 volts, 50Hz (Type A; electrical plug has two flat blades)

Make two photocopies of valuables such as your passport, tickets, visas and travelers’ cheques.  Keep one copy with you in a separate place to the original and leave another copy with someone at home.

Be sure to inform your credit card company as well as your bank you will travel internationally into South America. This will eliminate any credit card holds for fraudulent activity.

Carrying cash, an ATM or traveler’s check card and also a credit card that can be used for cash advances in case of emergency is advisable. The best places to exchange money are normally bureau de change, which are fast, have longer hours and often give slightly better rates than banks. Local currency is the US dollar (USD). Better hotels, lodges, and camps will accept credit cards, however it is advised to withdraw cash when visiting remote areas and villages.

Ecuador is a presidential republic

Religion in Ecuador is an expression of the different cultural heritages in the Ecuadorian culture including the Spanish colonization, the Native Amerindian and the Afro-Ecuadorian. There are majority Catholics and Protestants. There are also small communities of Jewish and Baha’i faith.

The population of Ecuador is about 65% mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Spanish). About 25% are Amerindian; 7% are Spanish or others; and another 3% are black. There are only a few groups of unassimilated Amerindians on the coast, notably the Colorados and Cayapas. The blacks live mainly on the northern coastal province of Esmeraldas. The Amazon Basin is inhabited by many primitive tribes, including the Jivaros, once famous for their shrunken-head war trophies, and the Zaparos, Aucas, Secoyas, and Cofanes. In the early 1980’s, the tribes were organized in the Federacion Shuar, which seeks to preserve their cultural identities.

The predominant and official language of Ecuador is Spanish, in addition to Northern Quechua and other pre-colonial American languages, which are spoken by 2.3 million.

The economy of Ecuador is based mostly on exports of bananas, oil, shrimp, gold, other primary agricultural products and money transfers from nearly a million Ecuadorian immigrants employed abroad. Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of bananas. After a severe financial crisis, unsustainable economic policy, inflation, and devaluation of the national currency – Ecuador announced its intention to adopt the US dollar as the official currency. Subsequent protests led to the 2000 Ecuadorean coup d etat. 40% of the population lives below the pverty line. The completion of the second Transandean Oil Pipeline will enable Ecuador to expand oil exports.

The climate of Ecuador varies by region, due to differences in altitude and proximity to the equator. The coastal lowlands to the west of Ecuador are typically warm. Coastal areas are affected by ocean currents and between January and April are hot and rainy. The weather in Quito is consistent to that of a subtropical highland climate. The city has a fairly constant cool climate due to its elevation and proximity to the equator. There are only really two obvious seasons in the city: dry and wet. The dry season (summer) runs from June to September and the wet season (winter) is from October to May.