2 Week Ecuador Itinerary

Afternoon Activity

We explored Mitad del Mundo, another fantastic hostel-organized tour. ‘Mitad de Mundo,’ meaning ‘Middle of the World,’ is a popular activity in Ecuador. We highly recommend this tour; it’s not just transportation but a full-fledged experience with engaging activities and fun-filled information. While you could easily grab a taxi for Equator line photos, note that the popular spot isn’t precisely the equator line.

The hostel tour unleashes your inner child with gravity-defying experiments, insights into Ecuadorian chocolate, indigenous cultures, and local fauna. It features an egg challenge – so tough that only one person in our group earned a certificate! You can even get a special stamp in your passport as a memento, though I wouldn’t recommend it as it can invalidate your passport. Instead, take a notepad for these South American stamps; we wished we had a dedicated place for them all!

Day 3 of this 2 week Ecuador Itinerary

Continue your exploration of Quito with a morning adventure that will leave you in awe. Hop on the Telefériqo, where you’ll be treated to breathtaking aerial vistas of the city. Simply take a taxi to the entrance and ascend to the city’s high point in a gondola. Do bear in mind that it can get quite chilly up there, so be sure to pack your warm attire! The cost is very cheap $9 return, and the panoramic views you’ll encounter are well worth the time.

Once you reach the summit, you’ll discover a couple of swings- which we had seen many times on Instagram and there’s also a hiking option available. However, we read that it’s essential to have a guide and commence the hike before 11 am- so we didn’t end up doing it. Although we didn’t do that particular hike, we’ve seen some remarkable photos from those who did.

In the afternoon, make your way to the striking Basilica of the National Vow church in Quito, a recommendation we received during the free walking tour, and it’s indeed worth your while. For an extra fee, you can even ascend to the top of the church from the outside and relish incredible city views. I admit I’m a little hesitant about climbing ladders on the exterior of buildings, but the views you’ll witness are absolutely worth conquering any fear.

Days 4-6: Adventure in the Andes Tour & Nearing the end of Week 1

Days 7-10: Jungle Vibes in the Amazon Rainforest

In the final week of this 2-week Ecuador itinerary, you’ll have the incredible opportunity to visit one of the most special places on earth—the Amazon Rainforest. Having been there in 2011 on an expedition, returning was a truly special experience for me. This time, I joined a 4-day tour from the Secret Garden Hostel in Quito to the Cueybeno part of the rainforest. The tour offers various accommodation options, and we chose the newest lodge, ‘Tucan Lodge.’ With an English-speaking, knowledgeable guide, the experience was warm, friendly, and felt like a family adventure. We were delighted with our time here.

Activities on the Tour:

While in the Amazon Rainforest, we immersed ourselves in various nature-focused activities, including night walks, kayaking on the Amazon River, spotting Pink Dolphins, and leisurely forest walks to observe different animals. We were incredibly fortunate to encounter a giant anteater, caiman, monkeys, and numerous insects. Additionally, we had the chance to visit an indigenous village and witness the fascinating processes of coffee and chocolate production.

Accommodation:

We also stayed in really nice wooden cabins surrounded by the Amazon jungle. I won’t lie to you though, if you aren’t a fan of spiders you may not enjoy this experience. Before going into the jungle, I was very scared of spiders and the first day we arrived there was a tarantula by the coffee mugs! There was also a tarantula in our bedroom hiding behind a light socket and at first it freaked me out. Then over time, I got used to them and have come out of that jungle less fearful somehow! So my advice is still go into the jungle because the things you will experience/see are once in a life time experiences and if you can, go. In addition, there is limited electricity at the lodge, so if you have a portable charger make sure its full of juice before you go.

Days 11-13: The Exciting Town of Banos

Day 11 Rest Day

After experiencing the Andes and then the Amazon rainforest, you might feel a little tired and needing a rest! However, this 2 week Ecuador itinerary is jam packed and we don’t slow down, we speed up. Banos is a tiny town in which you can do adventure sports in. If white water rafting, biking, canyoneering aren’t your thing, then I would say skip Banos. At this point we did feel a little exhausted and we didn’t end up doing the canyoneering that Daniel wanted to do. However, we did do white water rafting, a natural thermal spa and this famous bike ride to multiple waterfalls-that we messed up! So, if you are interested in the above activities, then keep on reading.

Transportation:

First off, the easiest way to get to Banos is actually from Quito by bus which takes around 4 to 5 hours. After the Amazon we returned to Quito and took a bus to get to Banos. We stayed at the Great Hostel, which we hired bikes from to do the waterfalls and we booked the rafting through them as well. Plus, the thermal springs are super close to the hostel and its a quick 5 minute walk if you want to experience those as well. They are pretty unique because they are located under a waterfall that lights up at night.

So, day 11 just get yourself to Banos and explore the town. Have a rest!

Day 12

On day 12, we had booked to go white water rafting through the hostel. This experience was pretty terrifying to be honest with you. We had an instructor that shouted at our group most of the time and Daniel fell into the rapids. This was my first time rafting and it was Grade 4 and pretty technical. The rapids were fast and covered in boulders, although the adrenaline rush was high and it was a lot of fun- it was also kind of terrifying for the first time. Now I have done white water rafting in New Zealand, my experiences are polar opposite. So, go white water rafting and have fun, but just be aware it can be very intense! Maybe, it was just our experience as well!

Day 13

On day 13 we decided to do the very popular bike ride to the many waterfalls of Banos. This route is also known as ‘ Ruta de las Cascadas.’ This is a self guided bike route where you can stop off at different waterfalls around the town. Unfortunately, we ended up going with a few people from the hostel and the young man that we followed, didn’t really know where he was going! So, we missed many waterfalls and ran out of time to do it properly. If you would like to avoid our mistake, look at this informative blog post all about it. We did end up seeing a couple of waterfalls though and wished we had seen more!

After this tour, we booked ourself onto a long bus ride to reach Cuenca, a very historical city in Ecuador. Hostels are always very helpful with how to find the bus stations and how to buy tickets. So, we just went through the hostel to find this information out. We weren’t actually meant to go to Cuenca, but a flight from there to Peru was relatively cheap and we thought it was closer to Banos than it actually was! So, you actually might not want to visit Cuenca and maybe you will decide to go back to Quito to get a flight out.

Day 14: The Historical Town of Cuenca & Your Flight Out

You have made it to the final day of this 2 week Ecuador itinerary. For us we ended up exploring the historical city of Cuenca. Initially, we loved the site of Cuenca, the historical buildings there are beautiful and I had taken some really beautiful photos of the iconic blue domes there. Plus, there is a really stunning square with restaurants in and its known as the ‘safest’ city in Ecuador. You will also want to see the domes up close, which you can pay $4 to go up these spiral stairs to see. Definitely worth it!

However, later that day, away from the main attractions I unfortunately got pick pocketed and my phone was stolen. I lost all my lovely photos and was gutted to have had my iPhone taken. My biggest regret is that I didn’t wear my bumbag that day. I had put my phone in my zipped pocket in my jacket and as I was crossing a street, the thief had got in my pocket and taken it. So, although it says it’s the safest city, don’t drop your guard like I did. It does also warn people of pick pockets via the signs hanging up around the main square. I had read this sign out loud before getting pick pocketed! Although this experience was not nice and an expensive loss- I did really love Cuenca and this could have happened in any city these days!

2 Week Ecuador Itinerary Conclusion

Overall, this 2 week Ecuador itinerary is fast paced, covering some of the highlights of Ecuador. We had an amazing time exploring the mountains, rainforests and cities of Ecuador. The currency there is USD which also made dealing with currency easier. Its a great place to explore, tours help to keep you safe and the experiences you will have are unmatched with places around the world. I hope you liked reading this itinerary and have taken some ideas from it. If you want to read more about other places in South America we visited, then follow this link.