Two international airports handle most of the inbound traffic. Quito's Mariscal Sucre International (UIO) lies about 30 kilometers east of the city in the Tababela parish - a long drive from downtown, so travelers with very early departures or late arrivals often stay at hotels in Tababela or Puembo rather than commute. Guayaquil (GYE), the coastal gateway, is a modern airport north of downtown with duty-free shopping and decent restaurants. The Galapagos have two airports - one on Baltra, one on San Cristobal - and every flight there comes through the mainland. LATAM and Avianca are the main carriers. No international flights land on the islands directly. Departure tax is baked into ticket prices: US$40.80 from Quito, US$26 from Guayaquil.

Quito itself sits at 2,850 meters - the second-highest capital city in the world after La Paz - with spring-like weather year-round and a colonial center that UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site in 1978. Cuenca, a smaller colonial city farther south, is also on the UNESCO list. Guayaquil is the country's largest city and main port, the commercial engine. Then the landscape breaks into its four regions. The Sierra holds Cotopaxi, Chimborazo (Ecuador's tallest peak at 6,268 meters, whose summit is the farthest point from the center of the Earth thanks to equatorial bulge), and the cloud forests around Mindo where over a hundred species of hummingbirds hover at feeders. The Oriente offers the Cuyabeno Reserve and the Yasuni National Park. The Costa offers beaches at Montanita, Canoa, Bahia de Caraquez, Manta, Salinas. The Galapagos need no introduction.

Intercity buses connect almost everywhere for US$1-2 per hour of travel. Terminal Terrestres in major cities aggregate every route under one roof. Reservations rarely matter outside holiday peaks. Buses stop frequently to pick up passengers and cargo, and vendors board selling snacks - expect the ride to take longer than the schedule suggests. First-class Ejecutivo buses cost a little more and are safer. Quito has meter-ed taxis with yellow livery. Elsewhere, agree on a fare before getting in. Rental cars are available in Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca, but get something with high ground clearance - Ecuadorians call speed bumps muros (walls) rather than topes (bumps), and that tells you what your undercarriage is in for. Driving laws are loosely enforced except for speeding 30 km/h over the limit and driving without a license, which will put you in jail for three nights. All train services were suspended in 2022. Domestic flights run US$50-100 one-way between major cities.

Ecuador uses the US dollar - it has since 2000 - which simplifies budgeting but sometimes surprises visitors expecting a different currency. Coastal ceviche is traditionally made with shrimp (camarones) and served with popcorn and chifles (plantain chips) on the side. Cuy - guinea pig, roasted on a spit - is a highland Andean specialty that has been eaten in the region for four thousand years. Encebollado, the national hangover cure, is a fish soup with pickled red onions and yuca. Chocolate here is some of the best on Earth - Ecuador grows about 60 percent of the world's cacao nacional, the fine-flavor variety. Colada morada, a thick purple drink of blackberries, corn flour, and spices, appears around the Day of the Dead and is usually served with guaguas de pan, bread shaped like swaddled babies.

Most nationalities can enter without a visa for 90 days per calendar year. Citizens of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela can enter with national ID cards. Your passport must be valid at least six months beyond travel dates, and you will need a return or onward ticket. Spanish is the official language; Kichwa and 12 other indigenous languages have official recognition. English is widely spoken in hotels and tourist businesses. Altitude is the practical issue visitors most often underestimate - coming straight off a plane to Quito at 2,850 meters can leave you breathless on the first day. Drink water, walk slowly, skip alcohol the first night. The reward for that patience is a country where you can wake at cloud level and have lunch in the rainforest the same afternoon.