The idea to visit Ecuador came to me the very last minute whilst planning trip to Columbia. I saw an opportunity to see a bit of this country as it is neighbouring with Columbia and in the past they were actually one country.
Why Ecuador? If you enjoy less touristy, developed countries with beautiful mountainous scenery and volcanic hikes, Ecuador will be for you.
Top things to see - Cotopaxi Volcano, Quito, El Cajas National Park, Galapagos Islands and Amazon rainforest.
Best time to visit - July is the high season in Galapagos Islands. June - September is the best time for trekking in the Andes.
Safety - I felt very safe in the country and I would say it is female solo travel friendly country.
Costs - Overall I found country to be very cheap, except organised tours.
We arrived late at night and took an Uber to the city centre which cost around $20-25. The journey is approximately 40 min, so the price is very fair. Most places to stay in the capital city Quito are boutique hostels. They offer private rooms with private bathroom so do not have that to put you off, if you are not a hostel person. The only downside was no heating and running short of hot water in the shower. From talking to other travellers they had the same issue in their hostels so I assume that could be a thing in Quito. We also visited Quito in their low season (March) and it was mostly cold and rainy, however it comes with its pros - lower prices and less tourists. I found Ecuador very affordable - you can have a nice meal for $3-5. On a Day 1 we explored Quito - the historical centre and walked up to El Panecillo (Virgin of Quito statue). It is also the world's tallest aluminium statue. I feel like a city in South America just isn't a city in South America without a religious statue up the hill.
Quito is very colourful and had the vibe of Valparaiso which I had visited only a month ago. There are a lot of historical buildings and a lot of street art. City itself is surrounded by mountains and it is high in the altitude so you often feel like walking in between the clouds.
On our second day we took a tour to hike Cotopaxi Volcano. It is one of the worlds highest active Volcanoes reaching 5,911 meters. Due to its activity we could not hike to the crater, however we were able to reach Jose Rivas Refuge point at 4864 meters. The hike was not particularly hard, however the altitude made my breathing difficult. I found it fascinating hiking up and being surrounded once again with the clouds and watching them pass by.
As we arrived at the top we experienced all four seasons in a short period of time. It started snowing heavily with hailstones and thunderstorms. After having a local hot chocolate to warm up, we headed down to the parking lot. The hike down was much easier despite getting wet from the snow and being challenged by the wind. Unfortunately, it seems like buses also do not have heating in Ecuador so our journey back was in a freezing cold bus trying to dry and warm up after the hike. I recommend taking an extra pair of dry, warm socks!
As we made it back to Quito, I developed a heavy headache that I have never felt before - still not sure whether it was due to altitude or something else, so my evening ended up being in bed. And that was also the end of our short 2 day visit to Ecuador and time to head to Colombia. I definitely enjoyed this short visit and walking through the clouds as the country is very high in elevation.
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