Send Postcards of Thanks to Everyone Who Helped us in Ecuador

Airport Tax From Ecuador To United States

$40 per person payable before you checkin to leave

Flight from Loja to Quito

La Toma airport is about 40 minutes west of Loja and has daily flights to Quito with TAME.


Address: 24 de Mayo and E. Ortega.
Tel. 07/2585-224 in Loja


Airport code: LOH
US$50 (one way)

Rumi Wilco - Vilcabamba

Very near the centre of Vilcabamba, the Ecolodge provides a human habitat within the only remaining semi-natural protected setting in the valley. 

It shares the reserve's name and serves as a symbiotic support to its conservation goals. Approximately a third of your payment is destined to the various management programs of Rumi Wilco: natural reforestation, riverbank repair from floods, nature trails, scientific research, community services and general maintenance. 

Argentinean co-owners and founders, Orlando (naturalized Ecuadorian) and Alicia Falco, are botanists and former Galápagos naturalist guides who have been here since 1991. 

They live on the property and were able to obtain protected, reserve status from the government in 2000, piecing together their property with adjacent ones owned by a few other people. 

The lodgings on the reserve are made from sustainable materials, including wood, adobe and tiles. For these reasons, we encourage travellers who visit VILCA-BAMBA (plain of the sacred tree -the Wilco- to ancient Incas) to consider this as a place to stay. 

The Pole House: It is a wooden house on stilts hand-built in 1992, on the narrow strip of flood plain formed at the base of Rumi Wilco steepest lands. It is immersed in natural seclusion, by an andean stream, yet very close to the village centre. 

Electricity. 

Furnished kitchen. 

Drinking water provided directly from the water table below. 

Outdoor fire pit. 

Hot shower. 

Balcony to river. 

Nature trails at doorstep. 

2 persons, $13 each

Hostal Macondo

Hostal Macondo
Tarqui 11-64 y Mariscal Lamar
PO Box 597 Cuenca
+593-7-840-697

Booked on Travellerspoint 8/8/2009
https://www.travellerspoint.com
+593-7-840-697
Booking Rate: $15.00 per person


Hostal Macondo is a hidden paradise situated in the beautiful colonial heart of Cuenca, Ecuador, a UNESCO World Heritage city. 

Macondo offers a peaceful and charming atmosphere in a secure, central location that provides easy access to museums, restaurants and other tourist facilities. Amenities include a cosy garden courtyard, complimentary continental breakfast, guest use of the kitchen and a laundry service. 

All rooms are private (some ensuite) and there is plenty of hot water. Our friendly staff can assist in arranging Spanish classes at the nearby CEDEI language school or daytrips within Ecuador. 

Facilities: Breakfast Included, Luggage Storage, Telephone/Fax Facilities, 24 hour reception, Travel Desk/Travel Info, Internet Access, Towels, Wheelchair Friendly, Linen Included, Guest Kitchen 

Directions: Hostal Macondo is a short taxi ride from Cuenca's bus terminal and airport. We are located in downtown Cuenca on Calle Tarqui between Mariscal Lamar and Gaspar Sangurima Streets.

La Casa Verde - Baños

La Casa Verde
El camino real, 

Baños De Agua Santa, 

Ecuador

staygreen@lacasaverde.com.ec
086 594 189 within ecuador
+593 86 594 189 outside of ecuador

Booked on HostelBookers
http://www.hostelbookers.com
Booking Rate: 15.00

La Casa Verde, an eco-hostel, where the mind, body and soul will find peace, harmony and relaxation to renew, revive, rejuvenate. 

It is owned and run by a kiwi/aussie couple and is set on a small farming property in a scenic and tranquil setting, in one of the best areas in Baños. 

A beautiful, comfortable and ecological place to relax and enjoy everything Baños has to offer. some of our facilities include: 

- full organic continental buffet breakfast 

- free micro filtered, reverse osmosis and ozone purified (phew) water refills 

- unlimited tea, herbal tea, coffee and chocolate 

- fully equipped communal kitchen – complete with basic cooking ingredients - organic produce available to pick from the garden (incl. carrots, cabbage, corn, tomatoes, mandarin, avocado etc...) 

- home-made snacks (including bagels, choc brownies and cookies) and meals (for those times you are too chilled out to cook or visit a restaurant) 

- beer and wine 

- camping area 

- 24 hr hot, high pressured showers and hot water in sinks 

- laundry service 

- WiFi internet 

- extensive DVD library (over 170 new and classic movies); board games and cards 

- yoga/meditation/chill out room 

- hammocks 

- local information and close to town centre (1.5km) and all activities –
300m from international quality day spa, massage facilities and municipal thermal springs 

- birds, flowers, native trees, river, hills, valleys…tranquility


The 8 bedrooms are: 

2 double (one king and one queen bed) 

1 single (double bed) 

1 twin (one double and one single) 

2 triple (3 single beds) 

2 dorm/quad rooms (2 bunk beds) 

Information:

We believe comfort can co-exist with eco-friendly. Our bedrooms have: - beds with brand new orthopedic mattresses with 100% pure Ecuadorian woven cotton sheets (which fit properly) and 100% pure alpaca wool blankets - good sized private bathrooms where you can put your toilet paper in (yes it’s unbelievable) – although we don’t encourage using rolls and rolls of it as it will fill our septic tank quicker than we’d like - neutral décor with plenty of natural light and views of the valley, hills and river; local crafts made from Ecuadorian woven cotton and native, locally grown plants - plenty of storage (draws and shelves) in each room for guests Location 

La casa verde is your eco-friendly haven in beautiful and tranquil Baños, “the star of Ecuador’”. set in a peaceful and scenic valley on the Rio Pastaza, la casa verde is surrounded by a magnitude of flora and fauna, including hummingbirds and fire flies, complete with spectacular views of the Llanganates and Sangay National parks. activities in and around Baños include: hot thermal springs, mountain biking, rafting, canyoning, hiking, volcano tours, spa treatments, waterfalls, jungle tours and many more adventure or relaxing activities. at la casa verde, we can help you organise any of these activities.

Happy Gringo Travel

Happy Gringo Travel 

Foch E6 - 12 y Reina Victoria 

La Mariscal

Quito

Tel: 593-2-2220031 

Email: angel@happygringo.com 

Skype: angel_happygringo www.happygringo.com 

Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm • Saturday & Sunday 10am to 4pm 

Pick up: from a 24 hours Coffee Shop called ( Coffee Toffee) a few blocks away from our office. 

Address: Jose Calama between Diego de Almagro & 6 De Diciembre. 

Picked up at 8:00 am for the tours that leave the city ( Mindo & Otavalo), for the 1st tour which takes place in the city (Quito Full Day), you will be picked up at 9:00 am. In the case you can make it to the office the day before the 12th I would provided you with some coupons for a free coffee which you can take meanwhile you wait to be picked up. 

Costs: 

1) The Quito Reality + Equator Tour = $45 Lunch Not Included 

2) The Mindo Day Tour = $50 Nature Tour / Includes Lunch 

3) The Otavalo Day Tour = $45 Includes Lunch

Cotopaxi Tours - Quito By Night

Quito tour by night 

Price: USD $35 per passenger 

Details: The tour will start at 7:30pm with pick up from Hotel. 

The first stop is the Guapulo Mirador were you are going to see the beautiful valley of Cumbaya and Tumbaco. We will continue through the Colonial part of the city where you are going to walk with the guide watching all the old churches illuminated with colours. The Panecillo will be the last stop with a panoramic night time view of Quito. 

Duration: 3 hours 

Includes: Transfer in-out

Guide: Miguel Aguirre Z., Manager 

Outside Ecuador: +593 98363050 

Inside Ecuador: 098363050

The Secret Garden Hostel

The Secret Garden
Calle Antepara E4-60 y Los Rios, San Blas
(593) 02 2956 704 or (593) 02 3160 949

The Secret Garden Quito is a small Australian/Ecuadorian run hostal located in an historic colonial district overlooking the famous Quito Old Town. 

The building is UNESCO World Heritage listed, located on a cobblestone street. The neighbours are Ecuadorian families - not souvenir shops and travel agencies (although these are only a 20 minute walk or 5 minute bus journey away). 

There is a roof terrace with a great view and herbs grown by the volunteer staff. Moreover there is a jaw dropping and wonderful view of the older section of Quito. 

The Secret Garden is so clean, safe, secure, friendly, conveniently located, good value, has great hot showers, super comfy mattresses etc etc - these things make a hostal good, but not great. So what's the difference? 

The decision to not have a TV room in the hostal? our guests would rather relax watching the hummingbirds feed from the flowers on our terrace garden. It`s the music, mosaics and murals (many created by previous guests from all around the world). It`s the hundreds of plants, including many herbs, fruits, veges and edible flowers which are used in the kitchen. 

It`s the environmental initiatives such as urban organic gardening, composting, recycling, energy conservation etc etc.

It`s the good food and good times - everyone shares breakfast and dinner together at one big table. 

It`s the Aussie BBQ nights, Live Indigenous Music, Salsa Club nights (anyone for pool & karaoke?). And finally the most breathtaking view of any hostal terrace in South America!! 

There are fires nightly and the staff cooks three course meals every night, the hostel also offers breakfast for $2. Prices do not include the 12% government tax, but you do get.... Minimum 6 hooks per person in every room - you can never have too many!! Aussie (French?) style doonahs (duvets) on every bed!! New super comfy mattresses on every bed, Bedside lamps - with dimmers - even in the dorms!! Lockers in the dorms, plus free safe storage for all, An open fire on the terrace, under the stars, every evening!! 24 hour high pressure hot water; airport transfers and a whole lot more!! 

Private room prices are per room, not per person. Dorm beds in 4 or 6 bed mixed dorm: $8.00 per person. Twin room with shared bathroom - 2 big single beds: $20 per room, Double room with shared bathroom - one double bed: $20 per room 

A great in-house travel agency Carpedm Adventures (http://www.carpedm.ca ) to help sort out Galapagos, Amazon and more.

iPhone Settings while Travelling

Turn off all unnecessary services: 
Data Roaming “OFF”
3G "Off"
Fetch New Data: "Off"

Utilize Wi-Fi instead of 3G/GPRS/EDGE: 

Wi-Fi is available in many international airports, hotels and restaurants to browse the Web or check email.

Turn Data Roaming "OFF": By default, this setting for international data roaming will be in the "OFF" position. 

To turn data roaming "ON/OFF", tap on Settings>General>Network>Data Roaming – Turning "OFF" data roaming blocks email, browsing, and downloads, but it will not block text or picture/video messages.

When abroad, international roaming rates apply when you send text or picture/video messages.

Turn Fetch New Data “OFF”: Check email and sync contacts and calendars manually instead of having the data pushed to your iPhone automatically. This way you can control the flow of data coming to your iPhone. 

To turn off the Auto-Check functionality: tap on Settings>Mail, Contacts, Calendars>Fetch New Data, Change Push to “OFF” and Select to Fetch Manually

Reset the usage tracker to zero: When you arrive overseas access the usage tracker in the general settings menu and select reset statistics. This will enable you to track your estimated data usage. To reset Usage Tracker to Zero tap on Settings>General>Usage>Reset Statistics

Turn on call forwarding on my iPhone so that all calls go to voicemail: Settings-> Phone-> Call Forwarding-> On-> 321-> Click the "call Forwarding" button, and your done

To check your voicemail, simply call your phone, then interrupt the greeting by pressing * — the default password is your 7 digit mobile number (i.e. your number without area code), and you should set up a unique passcode for it as soon as possible. Call AT&T to have the password reset: 1-800-331-0500.

Also as a last resort: go into Settings -> Phone -> SIM PIN and turn it on. Restart your phone (power completely off and back on), and no data will go through the cell connection without you entering your SIM PIN

Getting Ready to leave for Ecuador

One Week Before:
Schedule Taxi to Airport
Repack Suitcase: Take out all non necessary things
Call Credit Card Companies : Tell them what cities card will be used
Pay Bills Due While Away
Make A List Of Electrical Plugs To Unplug


Two Days Before:
Confirm with Taxi Company - Date and Time
Alert Landlord about Trip
Change Money
Check Flight Details


One Day Before:

Pack a Snack for the Flight no liquids 

Suggestions:  granola bar, sandwich, fruit (grapes), nuts,  

Cream Cheese & Veggie Sandwich: Cream Cheese, Arugula, Red Onion Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper, Cucumber

Vegetarian's Cubano: Cucumber, Parmesan, Red Pepper, Pickles, Swiss Arugula, Red Onion, Mayo, Veggie Bacon and Cheddar 

Sabra Hummus + chips