5 not to miss bucket list items in Ecuador
Heading to Ecuador?
Make sure you try out these 5 awesome bucket list items in this magnificent and extremely varied country:
1. SWIMMING WITH SEA LIONS AND TURTLES
This is the place that captivated Charles Darwin when he first set foot here in 1835 and will certainly do the same to you.
The Galapagos are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, around 1,000km (600 miles) from Ecuador’s coast. This is one of the few places in the world where you can get very close to wildlife.
Morning yoga with the Galapagos sea lions on Española Island
During our Galapagos luxury cruise, we saw giant tortoises in the wild, iguanas basking in the sun, blue footed booby birds wooing each other with their iconic dance and so much more. In the sea, reef sharks swim around you, turtles and rays elegantly glide by and curious sea lion pups come right up to you to play.
What makes it so incredible, with so few predators, they have no fear of humans. They will simply ignore you as they go about their daily business.
2. SWING OUT INTO AN ACTIVE VOLCANO
Located at the foot of an active volcano, Baños is one of our favourite places in Ecuador with plenty of activities ranging from zip lining, white water rafting, trekking, canyoning and of course, the swings!
Casa del Arbol (which literally means tree house) is the most famous place people come to get the money shot of them on a swing with the backdrop of the Andes. It is in fact not as scary as it sounds: you’re safely tucked in and you never go beyond the cliff edge.
The volcano part? Remember Baños is a city next to the active Tungurahua Volcano, which last erupted in February 2014. Factoring this in as you swing out certainly takes the adrenaline rush to a whole new level!
Stefan swinging out at the Casa del Arbol swing in Baños
3. LUXURY TRAIN JOURNEY THROUGH THE CLOUDS
If you enjoy train travel as much as we do, then you’ll love being on board the Tren Crucero, Ecuador’s luxury 4 days train ride. The train starts in Otavalo and makes its way to the coast, an adventure which will give you a real flavour of Andean mountain life and some pretty sweet shots to fill your Instagram gallery.
This is an impressive journey, reaching altitudes of 3,609m (11,840ft), powering through cloud forests, passing 20 different volcanoes as well as numerous villages where locals stop to wave.
The luxury Tren Crucero in Ecuador
The Tren Crucero is pure luxury. It has its own bar, grand seating area, lounges with sofas and no fewer than two viewing lounges: indoor and outdoor. The staff are super friendly and all guides speak fluent Spanish and English.
This is the way to experience the Andes in style and the reason why it ranks as one of our favourite 5 bucket list activities not to miss in Ecuador.
The Nomadic Boys enjoying the views of the Andes from the comfort of the luxurious Tren Crucero in Ecuador
4. KAYAKING IN A VOLCANIC LAKE AT QUILOTOA
The Quilotoa Lake is a volcanic crater bed of emerald green water, some 3,500 metres (11,483ft) above sea level. For us, it ranks as one of the most awesome things you’ll see in Ecuador, the kind of image you’ll want as your screensaver.
You can reach Quilotoa volcano by bus from either Latacunga or Zumbahua as a day trip, or as part of the 3-4 days Quilotoa Loop trek, stopping over at various mountain villages along the way.
The bus to Quilotoa drops you off at the nearby village, which is also the gateway to the summit. To reach the actual lake itself, its a 1 hour trek down from the summit. Once there, you can rent a kayak and traverse the entire length of the lake.
This will then give you full bragging rights to say you went kayaking in a volcanic lake!
Sebastien kayaking in Quilotoa volcanic lake
5. SWIMMING WITH PIRANHAS IN THE JUNGLE
Whether on a river cruise or staying in a lodge, you cannot visit Ecuador and miss out on the huge jungle biodiversity. The Amazon is home to 427 mammals, 1,300 species of birds, 378 reptiles, more than 400 amphibians and around 3,000 freshwater fish, including Sebastien’s best friends: the piranhas!
If like Sebastien you suffer from Piranha-phobia, jumping into the Amazon’s Napo River may not be quite so high up on your bucket list. However, contrary to popular belief, swimming in the jungle rivers is safe. Piranhas are not aggressive or territorial, they are scavengers. They will not go anywhere near you.
Despite this, Sebastien lasted a whole 7 seconds in the jungle waters before he jumped straight back into our boat!
This was based on the Nomadic Boys’ article about 6 Awesome Things To Do in Ecuador, which you read in full on their blog.