Ecuador Travel Forum

Hello,
My sister and I are thinking of taking a last minute trip to Ecuador this July. I've been researching it, but have quickly become overwhelmed with the decision to book a travel package versus doing things independently. The costs seems to be adding up on top of a pricey travel package. First, concerned about two women traveling alone. Second, if we don't choose a package, is too much to try to book book tours in advance (can we have a general idea and solidify a few things prior to departure and decide the rest there)?

Any suggestions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
S

Not quite sure what the previous poster is talking about (Ecuador is not an island, nor can you "rent a car and drive across" the Galapagos!)

Anyway, what I would suggest is that you do a tour for the Galapagos--there is really no way to do this well as an independent traveler--and plan the mainland part on your own. Ecuador is not a hard place to get around, and once you hit Quito, there are a lot of services for low-budget travelers. If you are really not up to the task of planning your own trip--which can be tough to do in a last-minute situation--then you might want to just get yourself to Quito and take it from there.

Re: going alone as 2 girls - I think you'll be fine. I travelled last year to Ecuador on my own, and met people along the way and I never felt in danger. I went to a language school in Canoa for my first few weeks, so once I had talked to a few other people I planned the rest of my trip from there. Although, yes Galapagos islands needs to be planned and as a point to note, it is also much more exapensive than anything else you will do in Ecuador! the cheapest way to do it is to organize it once your there. But then of course you have to be quite flexible with dates. An alternative is Isla de Plata near Puerto Lopez - a kind of cheap man's Galapogos but still quite cool!

Jenny