Ecuador is a country of intense biodiversity, hosting the Amazon, the Andes, and the Cloud Forest.
This section will share our full guide to combining self-guided Amazonian travel with the extreme luxury of places like Mashpi Lodge (and why it was worth the splurge). We will also include tips on self-guided birding in the Cloud Forest and our best advice for independent exploration of the mainland’s ecology.
For pages on The Galapagos islands, click here, these Ecuadorian Islands deserve their own page!
Anyway, for now, check out my blog posts:
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Arriving in Quito
I was so excited for my trip to Ecuador! I had booked the trip initially more than 2 years ago for April 2020, and was finally able to rebook for this year April 2022. A holiday was long overdue! However, one big benefit to having my trip cancelled and rebooking, was that I was able…
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Magical Mashpi – The Cloud Forests of Ecuador
The first time I booked my trip to Ecuador was back in 2020 before the covid pandemic. At that time, I hadn’t even heard of Mashpi. I actually found out about the reserve and hotel when I was searching through BBC iplayer looking for videos on Ecuador. I had just finished watching the David Attenborough…
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Experiencing the Amazon – Cuyabeno River Cruising
I was so sad to be leaving Mashpi, and honestly, it already felt like I’d been on holiday for 2 weeks, but actually, I’d only been in Ecuador for 5 nights so far! The next adventure was going to be just as good though… after being dropped back in Quito, I checked into a cheap…
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Beautiful Baños
After an amazing few days in the Amazon, I still had a couple of days before my flights to the Galapagos Islands. For a long time before my trip, I wasn’t sure where to spend these… Either in a different cloud forest area, perhaps Mindo or around the Sumaco region, perhaps the Quilotoa loop, or…
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DIY Galapagos Backpacking
Visiting the Galpagos has always been a dream of mine, as a biologist, everyone is aware of the impact these tiny islands has on Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Plus, after binge-watching nature documentaries my whole life, the Galapagos seems like a relatively untouched nature-paradise, where animals and humans live in harmony, with as little…
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Day Trip to Bartolome Island (Galapagos)
One of the most iconic images of the Galapagos islands are the double bay beaches of Bartolome island, and overlooking Santiago island. In order to get to visit these uninhabited islands you need to get a day ferry from Santa Cruz island which takes about 3 hours each way. I booked my trip from home…
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Cycling Around Santa Cruz (Galapagos)
The next day in Pueto Ayora, I wanted to visit Tortuga bay and do a little self-tour of the island, so I started by hiring a bike from across the road from my accommodation. I nipped into town to Acai bar, which serves vegan coffees (oat latte) and vegan acai bowls, it was delicious, then…
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Island Life on Isabela (Galapagos)
I left Santa Cruz early in the morning to get the public ferry over to Isabela island. The journey was amazing, and I saw SOOO MANY Giant Mantas from the boat, especially since I was sat on the top deck with the driver and just 3 other tourists. Arriving in Isabela, I instantly felt the…
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In search of Hammerheads on San Cristobal (Galapagos)
With my time on the Galapagos almost at the end, and indeed my whole Ecuador trip nearly ended, I had one destination left, the inhabited island of San Cristobal. I took a short 8-seater flight from Isabela island to San Cristobal, which was insanely cool, mostly just for the views. The Galapagos is famous for…
