The Llama Travel Blog

Ecuador Awaits You

Written by Hannah

Ecuador is often overlooked by its South American neighbours, and even the mainland of Ecuador is often skipped on a trip to the Galapagos Islands. This is part of its charm – the undiscovered feeling you get when you come across Inca ruins with hardly any tourists, or the indigenous tribes you meet in remote parts of the Amazon Rainforest, accessed only by a canoe. It’s one of the continent’s best kept secrets, and probably doesn’t even come in the top three of most people’s South American bucket lists.

Ecuador is a microcosm of South America. Despite being just 1.2 times bigger than the UK, it is home to some of the world’s highest volcanoes, snow-capped mountains dotted with remote Andean communities, the dense Amazon Jungle where astonishing numbers of monkeys, birds and sloths reside, charming colonial cities and the sleepy coastline where you can relax under coconut palms by day and learn salsa with the locals by night. The small size of the country means that travelling time is significantly lower than many of its neighbours. If you wanted to you could have breakfast on the coast, lunch in the mountains and dinner in the jungle – not on a Llama Travel holiday of course – we make sure you have time to relax and explore each region properly. The Galapagos Islands steal the limelight – there’s nowhere else in the world where you can experience this unique range of wildlife at such close proximity – from snorkelling with sea lions and turtles to kayaking alongside dolphins and penguins, with blue-footed boobies showing off their amusing stomping and whistling mating rituals nearby.

This collection of photos from the #EcuadorAwaitsYou campaign does a pretty good job at capturing some of Ecuador’s charm. The campaign was created to share the country’s beauty through images and videos. Have a scroll through and keep dreaming about your next adventure!

Hummingbird, Cloud forest

River excursion, Amazon Jungle

Face painting, Amazon Jungle

Waterfall excursion, Amazon Jungle

Meditation, Andes Mountains

Iguana, Galapagos Islands

Squirrel monkeys, Amazon Jungle

Hiking, Andes Mountains

Red Howler monkeys, Amazon Jungle

Sea lion, Galapagos Islands

Blue-footed booby, Galapagos Islands

Panecillo, Quito

Giant tortoise, Galapagos Islands

Toad, Amazon Jungle

Middle of the World, Quito

River turtle, Amazon Jungle

Although we are all going through difficult times at the moment, Ecuador included, the stunning landscapes and culture of this fascinating country aren’t going anywhere, and while we wait patiently for a time when we can travel again, the friendly Ecuadorians will be waiting patiently for us to discover their diverse country.

We are pleased to announce that we have just launched our 2021 holiday prices for Ecuador and the Galapagos. Find out more here. Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 020 7263 3000 to discuss your trip.

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