THE 2 Week Backpacking Ecuador Itinerary

First off, you’re probably wondering if Ecuador is safe to backpack in 2024, given the political situation. We backpacked Ecuador in March of 2024 and wrote a whole post on this topic here.

But if you don’t feel like clicking on that link, we’ll give you the short answer … Yes. BUT, there are some areas you are going to have to avoid (the WHOLE Pacific coast), and you are going to have to be extra vigilant of your belongings while you are on public buses. 

Ecuador has been getting much more dangerous in the last few years, so you are going to have to be comfortable being uncomfortable in Ecuador. For reference, we traveled through Colombia for a month before Ecuador and we felt completely fine in Colombia. Few problems (sans Santa Marta, read about this here). Hardly any worries in Colombia besides this. 

🇨🇴 Ultimate 2 Week Colombia Itinerary

Ecuador was very different. We had to be super careful with everything we did in order to make sure we didn’t get robbed like a bunch of other travelers we met. In any case, this blogpost breaks down things you should know before embarking on your Ecuador Backpacking Journey. We also give a suggested itinerary based on our travels. Check out the table of contents to jump to your preferred section or read on! ⬇️

Backpacking Ecuador – Complete Guide

Things to Know Before You Go

Let’s start with 5 things you definitely should know before you come to Ecuador in 2024…

1 – Outside of Secret Garden Cotopaxi and Secret Garden Quito, we did not see many backpackers in Ecuador. Tourism has lessened A LOT.

2 – The currency in Ecuador is the US Dollar. If you go to the ATM, it will give you US Dollars.

3 – Ecuador is cheap in some aspects, and expensive in others. Let’s break it down by category…

• Public Transportation – Very Cheap. Our 4 hour bus ride to Banos cost us $3.50 a piece.
• Food – Mid-range. Colombia is much cheaper. A decent meal here will run you $8-$10. You can eat like the locals do for $2.50, but we found these meals to be pretty awful. In Colombia we ate the local ‘Menu del Dia’ very often and loved it … but in Ecuador we found the food to be pretty bland and flavorless.
• Accommodation – Mid-range. More expensive than Colombia, again. Expect to pay $40-$50 for a private hotel room with a bathroom. 
• Taxis – Mid-range. Much more expensive than Colombia. Meter moves much faster and the US Dollar makes these much more expensive.

👆 We like comparing the costs to Colombia 🇨🇴 because we came from Colombia before Ecuador, and had such a wonderful time. Colombia is extremely cheap, and great for backpackers. We definitely wouldn’t say the same about Ecuador!

4 – The Quito airport is very nice. It has actually been rated the nicest airport in South America for the last 8 years and running! It is worth noting that the airport is actually 45 minutes outside of Quito. Taxis to Quito from the airport could be $25 – $30. If you’re a good negotiator you should be able to get the price down to $20.

5 – Theft / crime in general is very common in Ecuador. Especially on public transportation, but also on the streets. Everyone has a story about being robbed or almost being robbed in Ecuador. You should know this before you go.

6 – While not absolutely necessary, traveling Ecuador in 2024 would be A LOT easier with a car. (We recommend renting with Discover Cars) Having a car will allow to get around much quicker and see the sights, plus you won’t have to worry about getting your stuff stolen on the public buses. (a MASSIVE worry in Ecuador) Without a car, you will have to stop in Quito for at least a night on your way from Banos (South) to Mindo (North). A car would also easily allow you to stop at Lake Quilotoa – which is much more difficult with public transport!

Suggested 2 Week Ecuador Itinerary Backpacking

Here are the places we recommend you to visit backpacking Ecuador, in order that makes sense for traveling.

1 – The Galapagos – 1 Week

This is by far the best thing Ecuador has to offer, and should be the number 1 priority on your Ecuador itinerary. 

Why? Ecuador in 2024 can be quite dangerous and unpleasant to travel in some places. The Galapagos is not. These are peaceful islands about 2 hours from Quito by plane that can be enjoyed just like any nice place in the first world. 

The downside? Foreign tourists over the age of 12 have to pay $100 just to enter. Kids under 12 pay $50. Also, this is INCREASING TO $200 PER PERSON on August 1, 2024.  Also, the roundtrip flights are going to cost you about $300, from Quito. (We know, Ecuador actually ISN’T very backpacking friendly)

However, once you actually get to the Galapagos, the costs aren’t THAT high. Accommodation and food isn’t that expensive, and you really don’t have to join any of those expensive guided tours to see the cool stuff.

If you are going to come to Ecuador, you should see the Galapagos. If you don’t want to go to the Galapagos, we would say Ecuador is not worth visiting in 2024 – just go to Colombia or Peru. The safety situation on the mainland is less than ideal.

🐠 Book Your Galapagos Tours Here

2 – Quito – 2 Days

Everything in mainland Ecuador revolves around Quito, thus you are not going to be able to avoid it. You are going to have to spend some time in Quito before you head out of the city to the South (Banos and Cotopaxi) and the North (Mindo). 

We recommend you stay at Secret Garden Hostel Quito. This is by far the most popular hostel, and the most convenient as you will probably be heading to Secret Garden Cotopaxi (super famous!), and the shuttle leaves right from Secret Garden Quito.

👉Book Your Stay at Secret Garden Quito

Quito is a cool city and there is a lot to do here, you’re just gonna have to be very careful. (so you don’t get robbed) While you’re in Quito, make sure you climb the Basilica del Voto Nacional, Take a Free Walking Tour, Visit El Panecillo aka “The Bread Roll”, and ride the Teleferico Cable Car up the mountains. 

We would like to put a HUGE EMPHASIS on the Teleferico in Quito as you are going to want to acclimate before you head to Cotopaxi. This is really important as we did not take this seriously before we traveled to Cotopaxi and we definitely suffered because of this.

Quito sits at 9,350 feet above sea level. The Teleferico will take you to 12,943 feet. Secret Garden Cotopaxi is at 12,500 feet. Cotopaxi Base Camp is at 15,760 feet.

If you do not acclimate to the altitude properly in Quito beforehand, you will almost certainly suffer from altitude sickness when you head to Cotopaxi. (huge headaches, trouble breathing, etc.) We did not acclimate in Quito before heading to Cotopaxi and got HUGE headaches and sickness while we were in Cotopaxi. We highly recommend you take this into consideration.

🌇 One Day in Quito – Detailed Itinerary

3 – Secret Garden Cotopaxi – 3 Days

This is probably the most famous place amongst backpackers in Ecuador. We wrote a whole post on our experience at this hostel. But long story short, it’s a hostel in the middle of nowhere very close to Cotopaxi National Park. There’s no internet or cell service so the community vibe is very high. From here, the hostel organizes a bunch of trips to Cotopaxi National Park and the surrounding areas. A bunch of these tours are included in the price. 

4 – Banos – 2 Days

Banos is a cool place. Tourism has definitely gone way down here, but we think this is the best place in Ecuador in 2024 for backpackers after Secret Garden Cotopaxi. 

Why? There’s a ton to do here, and it’s safe. Banos is known for El Pailon del Diablo, aka “The Devil’s Cauldron”, which is a very impressive waterfall outside of town. (You can’t swim though … you’d probably die!)

🏨 View All Your Hotel Options in Banos

Banos is also famous for the “Swing at The End of the World”, hiking, white-water rafting, and Thermal Baths (our favorite part). There is decent nightlife in this town and for all of these reasons we definitely recommend you come here. 

🇪🇨 Top 8 Things to Do in Banos

5- Back to Quito – 1 Day – Ecuador Backpacking

After Banos you are going to have to come back to Quito either to fly out of the country, or to head North to Mindo/Otavalo. It’s not possible to get from Banos to Mindo in one day by public transportation as the schedules just don’t line up. 

We recommend staying at Secret Garden Quito again as it’s just the most convenient option. We got a private room with a shared bathroom here for $20. There is a restaurant on the roof with very good food for good prices. (Guests get 50% off the food which is a GREAT deal)

🏨 Secret Garden Quito also offers $20 airport taxis which is cheaper than every other hotel we’ve seen in Quito. (most offer them for $25 or $30)

🇨🇴 Top 9 Things to Do in Medellin

6 – Mindo (Cloud Forest) – 1 Day

Mindo is a bird-watching paradise North West of Quito. It’s is a tiny little town surrounded by a “cloud forest”. You can go bird-watching, take a chocolate tour, and hang out by the river. (all can be organized through Secret Garden Quito)

We spent a few nights in Mindo, but honestly, we recommend you just take a day trip here from Secret Garden Quito. The hostel offers $40-50 group day trips, and takes care of all the activities for you. You will easily end up paying more than this for the activities if you do them on your own. Also, the town of Mindo is very quiet and there really isn’t much to see here past one day. 

🎋 Things to Do in Mindo

Going with a tour will also allow you to travel safely to and from Mindo. The public bus from Quito to Mindo is INFAMOUS for robberies and theft. We personally met someone who had his whole bag stolen on this bus, including his passport, wallet, and phone. When we took this bus, there were signs everywhere warning passengers to hold their belongings in their lap to avoid theft. In our opinion, the risk of theft to get to Mindo by public transportation just isn’t worth it. Mindo isn’t that amazing anyway.

🚌 Book Your Day Trip to Mindo from Quito

There is also an option to add Otavalo here as well. You will have to take the bus from Mindo back to Quito (2 hours), then Northeast to Otavalo (another 2 hours). Another option would be to join the Otavalo day trip from Secret Garden ($40). We would also recommend this as there isn’t much to do in Otavalo after one day.

Places Not Included Here

There are a ton of amazing places in Ecuador to see. Unfortunately with Ecuador in 2024 the question is always … “but is it safe?”

🇵🇭 The Perfect 2 Weeks in The Philippines Itinerary

The Amazon – Cuyabeno

A very common trip for travelers to Ecuador is an Amazon Rainforest Experience. Usually this is a 4 day / 3 night excursion that begins with an 11 hour night bus through the mountains to arrive at Cuyabeno, where you will then hop on a boat for another 2 hours until you arrive at a ‘Rainforest Lodge’. The Tucan Lodge Cuyabeno is a very popular tour, but there are others as well.

These tours will include all food and lodging, and you will undoubtedly see a ton of wildlife including monkeys/birds/pink dolphins/etc. You will also get to visit an Indigenous community.

We chose not to do one of these for two reasons. First off, the tours are expensive at about $300 per person, and second, we did not want to do the 11 hour night bus followed by the 2 hour canoe ride.

🌴 Book Your Amazon Rainforest Experience

Lake Quilotoa

Since this article is titled ‘Ecuador Backpacking’, we are assuming that you will not have a rental car for your trip to Ecuador, which makes visiting Lake Quilotoa a bit more challenging, but definitely still doable. There are also plenty of tours that go to Lake Quilotoa. If you do rent a car, we recommend renting with Discover Cars. We always rent with them on our travels, and they have never failed us (yet).

Quilotoa is in between Cotopaxi and Banos, and can definitely be added on your way from one to the other. The thing to do here is hike around the whole lake, which takes about 3 days. There are hotels to stay at in the surrounding towns along the way, not to worry. We did not do this as we did not have the time, but this is one thing I wish we did. We have heard that the surrounding villages are great cultural experiences, and not too touristy. Plus, the lake is truly stunning. (kind of like Crater Lake in the US)

👉 Book Your Tour to Lake Quilotoa from Quito Here 🐟

Otavalo

Otavalo is home to a ton of Indigenous Ecuadorians and is very famous for its market where a lot of artisanal goods are sold. This town is 2 hours North East of Quito, and could easily be added to your itinerary, or swapped for Mindo.

👉 Book Your Day Trip to Otavalo

Summary – Backpacking Ecuador

In summary, we would recommend you head to the Galapagos if you are planning a trip to Ecuador. It is only worth it to travel the rest of the country (Cotopaxi, Quito, Banos, Quilotoa, Amazon, etc.) if you are already flying into Quito to head to the Galapagos.

Otherwise, we recommend Colombia, Peru, or Argentina. These are safer, more cost-effective, and just better overall destinations than Ecuador in 2024.

We definitely regret traveling to Ecuador in March of 2024, and wish we would have picked a different destination. We hope you got something from this post! We are happy to help you plan your trip to Ecuador, feel free to comment your questions below!