One of the greatest joys of traveling is learning about and experiencing different cultures and customs. Stepping outside of my comfort zone and experiencing beyond what I consider ”normal” is thrilling. From food, to transportation, to weather, I found a few specific things most fascinating during my travels in Ecuador. These Ecuadorian customs and norms are things you’ll likely experience during your travels too!
Quito Old Town (Kate Arntz)
Toilet Paper: While some people may find this subject slightly uncomfortable to discuss, it’s an important one! Be prepared to throw your toilet paper in the trash, not the actual toilet. This will apply for hotels, cruises, restaurants, and anywhere else you may venture. The plumbing in Ecuador is simply not equipped to handle the flushing of toilet paper. This practice is customary in nearly all of Latin America as well. In an effort to be extra prepared, some travelers even pack a roll of toilet paper to bring along with them.
Driving: The rules of the road in Ecuador are nearly impossible to figure out. At most, the lines & lanes are general guidelines. While traveling in Ecuador, you’ll encounter an interesting system of headlight flashing and honking that serve as the rules. Despite multiple cars in one lane, no use of blinkers, and crammed roadways, the phenomenon of “road rage” was virtually non-existent. This was especially easy to see in the larger cities, such as Quito. While I wouldn’t dare attempt to drive myself, it was impressive to see how effective their system of controlled chaos was. In an effort to help control the chaos and traffic in large cities, Ecuador has even resulted to instated a law in which certain cars are not allowed to enter the highways on certain days, during certain hours. For instance, any car with a license plate that ends in the number "1" or "2" would be ticketed if found on the road during rush hour traffic.
Weather: Visiting Ecuador in April, I must admit I was a bit nervous about the weather. However, even in the height of the wet season, the weather was beautiful. During my travels, the weather channels predicted storms every single day. This had me a bit concerned originally, but thankfully, we only encountered little rain and a great deal of sunshine. All of the guides and locals agreed that if there is one thing you can count on, it’s that the weather predictions are never accurate! It’s safe to assume you may encounter a brief rain shower here and there, but it shouldn’t put any damper on your trip.
Currency: Credit cards were widely accepted, which was quite convenient and ensured that I never had to carry too much cash. However, with cash purchases, be sure to have small bills handy. Ten dollar denominations and under are great. With larger bills, $20s, it was very difficult to get change back. Majority of restaurants and merchants have a limited supply of cash on-hand and are not prepared for these larger denominations.
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
