Ecuador - Quito / Galápagos / Panama

I have a trip report here about our 2019 trip that included Quito and the Galápagos, in case you might find it helpful: https://www.safaritalk.net/topic/20536-the-galapagos-may-2019

I'd say our top experiences in Quito and vicinity included: Basílica del Voto Nacional in Quito, the Teleferico (cable car), the Centro Historico in Quito, and the Mitad del Mundo (the equator).

Our top experiences in the Galápagos Islands included Los Tuneles (Isla Isabela), Las Tintoreras (Isla Isabela), and El Chato Ranch Ecological Reserve (Isla Santa Cruz), and North Seymour Island.

Happy planning!

We have done four trips to South America and love it.

One was a cruise through the Panama Canal, which was wonderful. If you aren't doing a cruise through the canal, see if you can find a boat tour that takes you through the canal. Also, be sure and read the book, Path Between the Seas by David McCullough.

We did Ecuador (Quito and the Galapagos) about three months ago, going on a 7 day cruise with Celebrity, that went all over the Northern part of the islands. We visited several islands and it was great.
The cruises are a bit expensive but fantastic.

Here is my review of our Ecuador/Galapagos/Quito trip:
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=686633&et_cid=3500453&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

Other trips to S. American, we did cruises with land trips before.

One was to Peru, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, that I highly recommend. We used PeruAgency.com for a tour and it was only $799 pp for four days. It was a private tour in nice hotels with many meals included.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=654963&et_cid=3214772&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

Another trip was to Buenos Aires then a cruise around the Horn of South America to Chile, then a few days in Chile.

That one is special.
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=248878
 
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=94024

We spent 5 days in Quito back in 2008 and loved it. There are a number of pretty churches in the historic center. We also enjoyed the teleférico ride up the mountain. Outside of town we visited La Mitad Del Mundo (the actual equator and the previously thought one), the town of Ibarra, and the indigenous market in Otavalo. We also visited Quicentro mall and at the time it was very nice. No idea what it’s like now. For the places we visited outside the city we hired a driver through the hotel.

My experience in Panama was somewhat different as I was there before the U.S. invaded the country. I transited the canal three times on a navy ship, but also drove to see the locks close up. We (my wife came to visit while we were in port) had a rental car for a few days. No tour was needed. Although at the time I was there corruption among the police was rampant, I enjoyed the city and found the people to be very friendly. I probably spent one month in Panama City. One place I avoided was Colón. At the time, crime was terrible and it was dangerous just entering the city if you weren’t Panamanian.

I haven’t been to Panama yet. I have been to Quito and the Galapagos.

The boats around the Galapagos are expensive. You have a choice of taking a bigger boat that is limited to how close it can get to some of the islands, but it gets there quicker. It can take an hour to get everybody off the bigger boat into tenders and onto the islands. You can only go onto the islands with a guide and you have a limited amount of time on each island, so those last off maybe disappointed. The smaller boats in some instances take all night to get to the next island, but you can get into all the ports and you maximise the time on land.

I had 10 nights on the Reina Silva, which was excellent. The food and crew were faultless. With this time, you get to see a large selection of islands and therefore flora and fauna. It was booked months before I went. The boats you are often offered at the port are usually cheaper and only for 3 days duration, so limited with their range.

Last year my family and I did a 15-day trip to South America trip. As far as my experience goes you really need to plan your South America trip well because its really vast.We actually got a travel advisor Voyagers Travel to customise our trip around hiking and nature.We had clearly mentioned them our budget and they totally worked around it.Andre is the owner a really accomodating guy.
https://www.voyagers.travel/galapagos/galapagos-deals

It's been 10 years since I've seen Quito, but I loved it, especially the colonial center. One place in the old town I liked, and which doesn't always get mentioned, is a street named Juan de Dios Morales -- but don't all it that in Quito, for everyone knows it as La Ronda. By day it's a quaint, quiet colonial street worth strolling down, but on Friday and Saturday nights (maybe Thursdays too) it becomes a lively night-life scene. Not a club district (for that you go to the Mariscal Sucre area, in "new" Quito); rather, and much more to my liking, La Ronda is a more of a bohemian music-cafe scene. The idea is to stroll down the long street, listening to the music coming our of the cafes, and when you hear something you like, just slip in. On the two week-end nights I was there, the crowd was large but congenial; it actually reminded me a bit of the tapas-bar "marchas" in night-time Spain.
I hope that hasn't changed in the past ten years. If it hasn't, you may want to check it out. (Some places on La Ronda were open on the week-day nights I visited, Sun. - Wed., but it was much quieter then.)

We spent 5 days in Quito in 2019 on our way back from Cuenca. Typically we don't use the Hop On - Hop Off Bus but for Quito, we took advantage of the Senior Discount and doing so gave us a great overview of the city.

We especially enjoyed visits to the National Museum of Equator, The Old Town, the Compañía de Jesús, and the Botanical Gardens.

We used Cabify (like Uber) to get around the city and stayed in the La Carolina neighborhood at Hotel Le Parc.

Two more recommendations for Quito:

Casa Museo Guaysamin (https://www.passporttheworld.com/life-art-famous-ecuadorian-painter-oswaldo-guayasamin/). You can tour his house and studio and visit the stunning Fundación which he designed as a museum to house his artworks.

Museo Etnohistorico de Artesanias del Ecuador Mindalae (https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294308-d3183498-r465885829-Museo_Etnohistorico_de_Artesanias_del_Ecuador_Mindalae-Quito_Pichincha_Province.html)