Everything people ask us, answered without hedging

For the standard circuit — Quito, the Andes, the Amazon lodges and Galápagos — yes, with ordinary city precautions. Ecuador’s violence is concentrated in specific coastal provinces and urban districts that a well-planned itinerary does not enter. We publish a full province-by-province briefing with the current US and UK advisory wording rather than a one-line reassurance.

Ten to fourteen days lets you combine the Andes with either the Amazon or the Galápagos without rushing. Under seven days, pick one region. Ecuador’s regions are close by South American standards, but "close" still means a five-hour drive or a two-hour flight.

Galápagos in high season — mid-June to early September, mid-December to mid-January — needs four to six months, because the boats and the island flights sell out first. Mainland Ecuador can usually be arranged with six to eight weeks’ notice.

No. We run private trips for two people and we run small groups. There is no supplement structure designed to push you into a group you did not want.

The US dollar, since 2000. US notes circulate alongside locally minted coins. There is no exchange to do and nothing to convert if you are coming from the United States. Bring small notes — breaking a $50 outside a city is genuinely difficult.

US$220 per adult in mandatory charges: the US$200 National Park entrance fee paid in cash on arrival, and the US$20 transit control card bought online before your flight. Plus the mainland–islands return flight, typically US$400–600. No operator can bundle the park fee; it is collected from you in person.

Mainland Ecuador is among the better-value destinations in South America. Galápagos is expensive by any measure, and the mandatory fees are the same whether you travel on a budget or on a luxury yacht.

It is customary and it matters to guides and crew. Restaurants often add 10 % service. For guides and drivers, tipping is discretionary and appreciated; on Galápagos cruises there is usually a suggested crew tip pool. We put actual figures in your pre-departure pack rather than leaving you guessing.

Not if you hold a US, Canadian, UK, Australian, New Zealand or EU passport. You get 90 visa-free days within any rolling 12-month period — note that it is per year, not per entry. Border runs do not reset it.

Six months beyond your arrival date, plus a blank page. Airlines enforce this more strictly than immigration officers do, because they carry the liability.

An online customs registration form Ecuador introduced on 29 July 2025. You complete it up to three days before travel and receive a QR code that is checked at entry and exit. Sources disagree on whether it applies to every traveller or only to those carrying taxable goods or US$10,000 or more — it is free and takes five minutes, so complete it either way.

For the mainland it is strongly recommended. For the Galápagos, the UK FCDO lists travel health insurance as mandatory for foreign tourists, though operators report it is not always checked. Carry it regardless, and make sure it covers medical evacuation — the islands have limited medical infrastructure.

Quito is at 2,850 m and the highland circuit reaches 3,900 m at Quilotoa and 4,864 m at the Cotopaxi refuge. Most people feel breathless with a mild headache for 24–48 hours. Most of that is preventable by itinerary design: easy first day, no alcohol on night one, and the highest day placed in the middle of the trip rather than at the start.

None are required for entry from most countries. Yellow fever is recommended for the Amazon lowlands and may be required depending on your routing. Take your specific itinerary to a travel clinic — we will tell you exactly where you are going and at what altitude.

Quito and Cuenca treat their municipal water and residents drink it, but visitors’ stomachs often object. Assume bottled or filtered elsewhere, and always in the Amazon and on the coast.

Tell us before you book, not after. It changes the recommendation entirely: land-based island hopping instead of a cruise, or a larger vessel, or the calmer December–May window. We would rather book the lower-value trip you enjoy.

We are the ground operator. Zielo Adventures is the inbound brand of AEQUATORIAN TOURING CÍA. LTDA., registered with Ecuador's Ministry of Tourism under registry 0190389316001.001.4000386 and operating from Cuenca since 2013.

Our RUC is 0190389316001 and our Ministry of Tourism registry is 0190389316001.001.4000386, classified as Dual Travel Agency (tour operator + travel agency). Both are checkable in Ecuador's public registers. We publish them in the footer of every page.

Within one business day, from Cuenca, in English. If a quote arrives in ninety seconds, a robot wrote it — ours will not.

No. Proposals are free and you can revise them as many times as you like. Nothing is booked until you say so.