Ecuador experts please go to the red paging phone.

[Christophe Noel]

I have an upcoming trip to Ecuador I seriously need to plan asap. The clock is ticking. I have two days in Quito, then seven on a KLR motorcycle with a buddy, then two more days in Quito. I understand a week is not much time to campus an entire country. I'm somewhat drawn to the mountains and Cotopaxi looks rad. Being a kid from Kansas (the kid is long gone), I also would love a peak at the Amazon basin.

Any particular advice or suggestions? Must sees? Must dos? I leave October 1.

 

[DiploStrat]

Been a long time ...

But, assuming that the altitude doesn't bother you too much:

-- You used to be able to drive up to just below the snow line on Cotopaxi. Just be aware that the weather can change and fast.

-- The Otavalo Market is lots of fun.

-- The road down to the coast is sporting; you could go down via Santo Domingo de los Colorados and up via Quenca, another charming Andean town, returning to Quito via Riobamba. If you are lucky, you will might see the volcanos of the cordillera. (Usually too cloudy.)

-- Manabi province can be a bit rough, stay off the streets at night. Salinas and Playas used to be safer beaches.

-- Guayaquil was really rough when I lived there and had little to recommend it. It has much improved over the years and the artists colony of Las Peñas is nice.

-- If you go into the Amazon regions, stay north, away from the Peruvian border.

Sorry, been a long time.