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Why Ecuador is Heaven for Active Travelers
Visiting the Galapagos Islands in January
January 4, 2020
The Galapagos Red Footed Booby
February 12, 2020Ecuador offers tremendous opportunities for those that enjoy the outdoors and who consider themselves active travelers. Here we will look at the range of different activities available in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and why Ecuador is heaven for active travelers. We’ll consider some specific trips that will give you food for thought when planning your active Ecuador or Galapagos trip. Trips can be arranged that provide travelers the chance to be as active as they like, through customizing choices. Some travelers prefer to be active some days and to do some sightseeing or enjoy the local culture on other days. The important point to note here is that whatever your needs in terms of levels of activity, a trip can be arranged that will suit what you are looking for.
Why Ecuador?
Ecuador offers a multitude of activities for the more active traveler. These include hiking, climbing, rafting, kayaking, surfing, caving, rappelling, horseback riding and more. One of the best parts of choosing Ecuador for an active travel vacation is that it is a small country, so distances between different active options are often not great – when compared to active travel in other countries in South America, for example. The Andean region of the country is relatively compact, and there are possibilities of doing a range of different hikes or climbs (or both) within a relatively short distance, while gaining a good perspective of the country. Meanwhile distances between whitewater rivers where kayaking and rafting opportunities are possible are not that great either, leading to great potential for a fantastic watersports trip. There are various towns along the coast for surfing that can be enjoyed.
Importantly, Ecuador has a good climate for outdoor activities. The Andean region offers mild to warm spring like weather year-around, which is not too hot for taking part in active pursuits. In addition, the geographical features also support multiple types of activities. There are wild, remote mountainous and volcanic areas for superb hiking and climbing, as well as horseback riding, and there are fast-flowing rivers supporting rafting and kayaking. The Pacific Coast offers big exciting waves for surfing. All-in-all, the fact that activities may be geographically close together, the weather is often good, and the topography supports a multitude of different sports makes Ecuador a heaven for active travel. Let us look at the opportunities for active travel on the mainland and in the Galapagos Islands.
Ecuador Mainland Active Travel
Multisport trips are an excellent choice for the active traveler to Ecuador. One trip that we offer that meets these needs is our Ecuador Multisport Tour. The trip runs for six days and includes hiking, rafting, trekking and horse riding. In fact, on this trip there are three hikes, two bike rides, a horseback riding experience and the chance to do some rafting in the jungle. For those that like a variety of different activities, this type of trip is ideal, and the trip includes visits to Quito, Otavalo, Banos, Cotopaxi, and the edge of the Amazon jungle in Ecuador.
Some active travelers have a favorite outdoor pursuit that they prefer to focus on. Trips can be organized in Ecuador that focus specifically on these. One example is the popular Ideal Ecuador Andes trip which runs for five days and is for those that love hiking. Based in the Northern Andean region of the country it provides avid hikers the chance to trek around some of the lesser visited lakes and mountains of the region, such as Fuya Fuya, the Imbabura Volcano, and Cayambe. This is a chance to get off the beaten track and enjoy the best of remote mountainous Ecuador. However, if those specific hikes do not appeal there are countless opportunities to customize other hiking trips in this country.
Those that are passionate about biking will be delighted to know that there are also trips specific to this activity to enjoy. For example, the Ecuador Biking Adventure Tour Ecuador Biking Adventure Tour runs for five days and also takes in the northern Andean region of the country, affording a chance to bike in/around Tumbaco, Quitoloma, Otavalo, Chota Valley, El Angel Reserve and the Mojanda Lakes. Again, customized trips can be arranged for active travelers with different biking preferences.
Galapagos Active Travel
When thinking about travel in the Galapagos, most travelers tend to make the assumption that this type of trip is not particularly active. This is not an accurate perspective as most cruises include trail walks, snorkeling and swimming. However, it is also possible to take a trip that is specifically based around being active, rather than a regular cruise. For example, we offer a Galapagos Multisport adventure which is specifically focused on those that enjoy active travel. The trip runs for eight days and allows active travelers to explore three different islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isabela), enjoying a chance to observe and enjoy the amazing Galapagos wildlife while also taking part in a wide range of activities. The trip includes hiking, snorkeling, biking and kayaking, allowing the opportunity to see the islands in a whole different way.
This aside, we can also organize Galapagos trips for those that love liveaboard diving. This is also a fascinating and more active way to enjoy the Galapagos Islands, as is surfing, which is also increasingly popular there. We can also customize your Galapagos trip specific to meet your needs as an active traveler, so if you prefer to focus on a specific activity or activities, this can be arranged too.
Combined Options
Other trips provide a chance to get active in both the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon region of Ecuador. Galapagos Islands and Amazon Kayaking is a great example of this. A 10 day trip, it includes kayaking, snorkeling and trekking. This type of trip exciting adventure trip really represents why Ecuador is heaven for active travelers!
One thing is clear – Ecuador is heaven or active travelers and at Ecuador and Galapagos Insiders we can offer customized trips that meet your specific needs. Why not get in touch today to find out how we can help plan your ideal Ecuador or Galapagos active vacation?
