Ecuador doesn't have any
tourist offices abroad,
but you should be able
to get glossy tourist
bumf and answers to
specific questions from
the Ecuadorian embassy
in your country
. Alternatively, some of
the tour companies who
specialize in the region,
like South American
Experience or Exodus
, prepare factsheets,
and their brochures will
at least give you an
idea of what the main
tourist attractions look
like.
In Ecuador, there's a
Ministry of Tourism
tourist information
office (formerly
known as CETUR) in every
provincial capital and
in other tourist areas.
The quality of service
varies widely from
office to office - some
are downright unfriendly,
while others pull out
all the stops to help.
The majority of offices
won't have an English-speaker
on hand, but almost all
will have rudimentary
maps, lists of hotels
and restaurants,
leaflets, and probably
basic information on any
sites of interest in the
area. The head office in
Quito
is friendly and helpful,
though it isn't always
well stocked with
leaflets and maps.
Another good source
of information is
South American Explorers
( SAE ), a
non-profit organization
which provides the
latest information on
travel, research and
adventure sports in
Central and South
America. Their Ecuador
Information Packet and
Galápagos Information
Packet cost US$6.50 for
non-members and can be
ordered in the US on tel
1-800/274-0568, by fax
on 607/277-6122, and
online at
www.samexplo.org .
Membership is $40 per
year ($70 for two
people), which entitles
you to use the clubhouse
in Quito (plus two
others in Peru at Lima
and Cusco) where you can
gain access to a range
of maps, a lending
library, bag storage,
book exchange, phone,
fax and email services,
detailed country
information and trip
reports on everything
from a Galápagos cruise
to climbing Cotopaxi.
You can join at any
clubhouse or by
contacting their US
headquarters at 126
Indian Creek Rd, Ithaca,
NY 14850, USA (tel
607/277 0488, fax 277
6122,
explorer@samexplo.org
). In the UK, The
Latin America
Information Centre ,
St Margaret's Chambers,
5 Newton St, Manchester
M1 1HL (tel 0161/236
5906, fax 236 5907,
laic@globalnet.co.uk
) is a non-profit
organization that seeks
to raise awareness of
Latin America. They have
a free walk-in research
facility, stocked with
books, journals and
reports, and send out
weekly news updates on
countries or regions as
desired (around £35 for
a year's subscription).
One of the best ways
of getting pre-trip
information is via the
Internet
. The Latin American
Travel Advisor (
www.amerispan.com/lata/
) has recently
transformed into an
electronic publication,
giving detailed reports
on the public safety,
political situation,
recent weather
phenomena, travel costs,
economy and health risks
for the whole of South
and Central America from
its base in Ecuador.
LATA also offers a
private expedition
service for
custom-tailored travel
with a private guide in
the country.
Maps
The widest selection of
maps covering
Ecuador is published by
the Instituto Geográfico
Militar
; outside of Ecuador
these are available by
mail order from South
American Explorers and
Latin American Travel
Advisor
. The best general map
of Ecuador is the
1:1,000,000
International Travel
Maps Ecuador map (345 W
Broadway, Vancouver, BC
V5Y 1P8, Canada). They
also produce a map of
the Galápagos Islands,
which you may be able to
pick up in Quito's best
bookshops
, where you should also
find a series of blue
pocket-guides to
Ecuador by Nelson Gómez
E. published by Ediguías,
which have reasonable
fold-out colour maps of
the country and major
cities. He has also
produced guides
containing snippets of
history, general tourist
information, and street
plans for Quito,
Guayaquil (Spanish only),
Cuenca (Spanish only)
and Otavalo, a similar
guide for the Galápagos,
anda road map of the
country.
Road maps
are, however,
notoriously unreliable
in their representation
of unpaved roads -
cross-reference between
different maps to avoid
difficulties.
The Instituto
Geográfico Militar (IGM)
in Quito, at Venezuela
573 and Sucre, next door
to the Casa Museo de
Sucre in the old town,
and up on the hill
overlooking the Parque
El Ejido at Senierges
and Paz y Miño (for this
office you'll need to
bring a passport or ID
along), have maps on a
variety of scales,
including Hojas de
Ruta , a selection
of the most popular
specific driving routes
(for example,
Quito-Esmeraldas and
Quito-Tena-Puyo) with
tourist information
marked on them. The most
useful maps for
trekking are their
1:50,000 series, which
show accurate contour
markings and geographic
features and cover most
of the country except
for remote corners of
the Oriente.
Unfortunately, popular
maps are often sold out,
in which case you'll be
supplied with a
difficult-to-read black-and-white
photocopy. Maps are also
available in a 1:250,000
series for the whole
country, and a 1:25,000
series for approximately
half of it. You may need
a supporting letter from
a government agency if
you require maps of
sensitive border areas
and the Oriente.
Ecuador on the Net
British Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
www.fco.gov.uk/
Constantly updated
advice for travellers on
safety.
British Embassy in
Quito
www.britembquito.org.ec
Latest information and
travel advice for
Ecuador.
Ecuador Explorer
www.ecuadorexplorer.com
Web sites for most of
the country's better
hotels and tour
operators, plus a lot of
useful travel
information.
El Niño
www.pmel.noa.gov/toga-tao/el-nino/nino-home.html
The definitive El Niño
page, maintained by the
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric
Administration.
Embassy of Ecuador
in Washington
www.ecuador.org
Packed with nitty-gritty
facts about visiting
Ecuador.
The Galápagos
Islands
www.darwinfoundation.org
Web site of the Charles
Darwin Research Station
on Santa Cruz island,
including Galápagos
conservation news and
links.
Latin American
Travel Advisor
www.amerispan.com/lata/
.
Ministerio de
Relaciones Exteriores
www.mmrree.gov.ec
Introductory site to
Ecuadorean history,
culture and current
affairs in Spanish and
English.
Newspapers El
Comercio (
www.elcomercio.com
), El Universo (
www.eluniverso.com
), and Hoy (
www.hoy.com.ec ).
The day's news and
articles from Ecuador's
most important papers,
in Spanish only.
Travel Ecuador
www.travelecuador.com
Good on-line tourist
guide in English and
Spanish.
US Department of
State
travel.state.gov/travelwarnings.html
Up-to-date information
on the current safety
situation in the
country.
Volcanoes
volcano.und.nodak.edu
Lists volcanoes from
around the world,
including a
comprehensive section on
Ecuador's, with photos,
info and the latest
updates.
