Ecuador
Guide to Tipping in Ecuador and Galapagos
How Much to Tip in Ecuador and Galapagos Andean Trails’ Ecuador and Galapagos tipping guide. Want to know how much to tip in Ecuador and Galapagos? This guide helps you understand why people tip when visiting and how much to leave. Do I Need to Tip in Ecuador and Galapagos? Tipping may seem alien …
Galapagos Cruise Ship Categories: How to Choose
The Galapagos Islands— and Galapagos cruise ships—offer visitors the chance to get close to incredible and tame wildlife, on land and in the sea, among a backdrop of dramatic volcanic landscapes. The islands are a living laboratory, marrying preservation and conservation to create life-changing holidays. This year-round destination’s ever-changing seasons ensure every visit is spectacular, …
Travelling To and Around the Galapagos Islands
Travelling to and around the Galapagos Islands You’ve booked your cruise or land-based trip to the amazing Galapagos Islands. But you still have a few questions about how to fly there and what you need to do at the airport before you check in for your Galapagos flight. This guide to travelling around the Galapagos …
Galapagos Islands Travel Update
Galapagos Islands Travel Update, May 2024 The increasing popularity of the Galapagos Islands keeps it at the top of many people’s must-visit lists. The Galapagos Park Authorities is responding to the boom, particularly hotel-based trips, by doubling the park entry to $200 per person from 1 August 2024. The entry fees have increased for the first …
Ecuador’s best lodge-to-lodge hiking tour
Our lodge-to-lodge hiking tour offers the best trekking in Ecuador in comfort. Ecuador is one of the best Andean countries for trekking and day walks. On this lodge-to-lodge hiking tour, you experience fabulous expansive mountain vistas and volcanoes wherever you look. Enjoy views over deeply carved valleys, vast plains and a picturesque patchwork of fields. …
Amazon Rainforest Know Before You Go Travel Guide
Amazon rainforest know before you go travel guide: enjoy a life-enhancing adventure. Our Amazon rainforest travel guide takes the pressure out of planning your Amazon visit. You’ll find what you need to know before you go with these travel tips. We cover everything from the big questions like when to go to the details like …
What Do I Need To Know Before Going on a Galapagos Cruise?
A Galapagos Cruise is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Follow Charles Darwin’s footsteps through a wildlife-rich and dramatic volcanic landscape. So take the pressure out of planning your Galapagos cruise with these travel tips. You’ll find everything you need to know before you go to this paradise. We’ll cover everything from the big questions like when to …
Cotopaxi Lodge to Lodge Trek: a Traveller’s Review
Trekking in the foothills of Cotopaxi Return customers Patti McCarthy and her family recently travelled with Andean Trails around Ecuador and shared their experiences of trekking the Lodge to Lodge trek in Cotopaxi National Park with us. Up close to the mighty Cotopaxi Mountain weather is notoriously unsettled and unpredictable, but the volcano Cotopaxi is …
Meet Gill Christie, South America Travel Expert
Meet Gill Christie… Gill is the latest travel expert to join the Andean Trails team. Find out more about Gill, her passion for travel, and seeing the bright side of early morning hoof soup. How did you catch the travel bug? I fell in love with travelling as a teenager, starting with Interrailing around …
Amazon Rainforest Travel Guide
The Amazon rainforest is the world’s most famous wildlife habitat. This iconic forest covers 6.7 million square kilometres, making it twice the size of India, and spans eight countries. Some 10% of all species on planet earth live in the Amazon, and more than two million indigenous people call this rainforest their home. Join them, canoeing …
Galapagos Animals: Wildlife Spotting Tips and Checklist
Galapagos animals help make the Galapagos Islands unique. Tame wildlife on land and sea makes it the perfect destination for nature enthusiasts, photographers, and families. Fascinating animals share their dramatic volcanic landscapes with visitors, often pulling photogenic poses while they check out their human guests. Every Galapagos island has flora and fauna distinct from their …
Galaxy Galapagos Cruise Review
Choosing the right cruise for your Galapagos holiday is always tricky, so we do our best to see the boats we sell. Kat decided she was up for writing a Galaxy Galapagos cruise review. It was a sacrifice, but Kat was lucky enough to recently cruise the Galapagos Islands on the lovely Galaxy. Here’s her …
Travel Review of Mindo Cloud Forest Lodge, Ecuador
Where is Mindo Cloud Forest? The town of Mindo lies in the cloud forest north of Quito. It is a small, relaxed place that boasts a range of cafes and restaurants. More importantly, it lies in one of Ecuador’s most beautiful cloud forest areas. Kat’s Mindo Cloud Forest Adventure We asked Andean Trails’ Kat …
Buyer’s Guide to Otavalo Market: From Souvenirs to Jewellery
The picture-postcard and colourful indigenous artisan Otavalo market is surrounded by dramatic Andean peaks in the heart of Ecuador. Handmade crafts and textiles of incredible quality have helped make Otavalo a traveller’s favourite and the largest market of its kind in all of South America. The Otavalo Market is authentic and dates back to …
Coral Galapagos Cruise: A Traveller’s Review
Andean Trails’ traveller Jana Meerman has just returned from the diversity and magic — her words — of the Galapagos Islands. Jana and her folks chose the Galapagos to celebrate her dad’s 60th birthday. They weren’t disappointed. Jana, a travel blogger and photographer, describes their August trip, what to expect, and the wildlife she encountered. …
Plan the Perfect 4-week Trip Around South America
South America is a vast destination with so many attractions. Often, the question is ” How can I fit in as much as possible — in my 4 weeks in South America?” We have a quarter of a century of experience putting together the logistics for top tours and making dream trip ideas a reality. …
Our Guide to the Top 5 Ecuador Volcano Hikes and Climbs
Ecuador’s volcanoes offer some of the most exciting mountaineering routes in the Andes mountains. There are walking acclimatisation peaks, technical summits, and everything in between in what is known as Ecuador’s Avenue of Volcanoes. Some of Ecuador’s volcanoes require fully-supported expeditions; others are day trips from Quito or nearby. The variety is astounding, but the …
Behind the Scenes: Planning a Trip to South America with Andean Trails.
There’s nothing we love more at Andean Trails than helping people when they’re planning a trip to South America. We hope our passion for this incredibly diverse continent shines through and inspires people to travel. Our connection with the destinations we offer comes from personal experiences spanning decades. You’ll find we ask lots of questions …
What Inspired Charles Darwin’s Evolution Theory in Galapagos Islands.
Charles Darwin and the Galapagos Islands are linked forever thanks to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. The Galapagos Islands helped the English naturalist, geologist, and biologist formulate his groundbreaking work on evolution. Today, some 186 years after Darwin first stepped foot on the Galapagos Islands, their connection is as strong as ever. Let’s see how the …
Galapagos Islands: Guide to the Best Beaches.
Galapagos Islands beaches are a traveller’s dream. There are white sand beaches (and other colours!), warm weather, and very few other people to be found on most Galapagos beaches. Jump into the crystalline waters, and you could be snorkelling with sea lions, sea turtles, manta rays, and more. Or watch the wildlife from the shore, …
