Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands

by Lonely Planet

#1 best-selling guide to Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands*

Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Join the festivities on La Ronda Street, spot an iguana in the Galapagos Islands, or hunt for a bargain at the Otavalo market; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Ecuador & the Galapagos Island and begin your journey now!

Inside Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands Travel Guide:

Full-color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - including customs, history, music, politics, landscapes, and wildlife Over 61 local maps Covers Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Otavalo, Banos, Montanita, Vilcabamba, Mindo, Canoa, Isla de la Plata, the Quilatoa Loop, Papallacta, Isla Santa Cruz, Isla San Salvador, and more

eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones)

Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalize your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands, our most comprehensive guide to Colombia, is perfect for those planning to both explore the top sights and take the road less travelled.

Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's South America on a Shoestring guide for a comprehensive look at all Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands has to offer.

Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet.

About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveler community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.

*Bestselling guide to Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands Source: Nielsen Bookscan. Australia, UK and USA, May 2011 to April 2012.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Essays

1122 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of my armchair travel series, inspired this time by “The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina.”

Ecuador sounds like a diverse and magical country, which was how it was presented in “Divina” so I wasn’t surprised. Rich in history and culture, it sounds like a delightful place to visit. I knew about Quito and its elevation, but I was surprised to learn about other places like the seaside town of Guayaquil, or that the Galápagos Islands were part of the country. As with the other countries I’ve discovered in my little armchair travels, I would love to visit this one some day.

[Bryan Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally, you have to know what you can rely on in LP guides (tourist sites, general in-country travel info) and what you can't (restaurant/bar listings, hotels). But this book in late 2023-early 2024 is already just missing too much. Quito has a metro, Cuenca has a tramvia, the Teleferico only works very intermittently, and the trains in Ecuador haven't run since before the pandemic (and this book was published in 2022, so should have known better).

[Julia Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful guide to plan a trip to Ecuador and also small enough to carry it during the trip. I did not read it full, rather, I scanned, and read the parts I was more interested in (e.g. aligned with my travel preferences) in detail. If you like nature-related activities, the guide has plenty of suggestions of places to go and practicalities.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

All you wanted to know about travel to Ecuador… and more. The usual stuff you’d find in a travel guide with a large section specifically on the Galápagos Islands, including photographs of the local flora and fauna. Glad to read the most current information available from my public library.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frustrating inaccuracies throughout, despite the assurance at the beginning that "We have re-checked every business in this book before publication!" We used this book, published in April 2022, for a four-week trip to Ecuador/Galapagos in January 2023. At least a quarter of the listings were inaccurate in some way: opening times, admission prices, locations, whether or not the place still exists, etc. Quito's Metro system is not, in fact, operating yet. I had been excited to try a couple of the recommended train trips; we discovered that the entire national train system has been shut down for years. Supposedly "Ecuador's postal service is reliable" when the country's national postal system ceased operations in 2020. The advice on tipping was just plain wrong: LP said tipping isn't much of a thing in Ecuador, but we discovered that pretty much everyone in every industry expected tips, and way more than suggested in the book. We took their advice on a few "highly-recommended" activities and destinations with disappointing results (the town of Guano was a complete dump; cycling the Ruta des Cascadas was terrifying and not particularly fun). Much of the book felt phoned in. I got the sense that the Lonely Planet folks are losing interest in their guidebook business; perhaps this has something to do with their obvious mixed feelings about the appropriateness of foreign travel in the first place. The book is peppered with self-flagellating caveats about how to offset your guilty conscience for your travel carbon footprint (or whatever).

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Planning a trip to Ecuador I needed some basic information even though I am going on with a group tour-language, money, electricity, vaccinations to name a few. This guide was very helpful. US dollars are accepted. US electricity format is used. Spanish is main language. Vaccinations dependent on what part of the country you are touring. Some helpful maps are included in the guide. Near the back part of the book is survival guide which I found interesting. Their coins are equivalent to US coins but have Ecuadorian images. Time zone is EST. Toilets-Toilet paper is thrown in trash can not toilets! If you use a public bathroom you tip the attendant to get your ration of TP (unless you bring your own). There are also some basic Spanish words so you can brush up on them before your travel. Safe travels
(It does have information on the Galapagos Islands as well-not part of my trip)

[Verity · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty disappointing. Lonely Planets seem to be getting thinner and thinner these days, coverage is scanter, details are missing, and the writing is... well, let's just say frothy. And their latest Ecuador is no exception. Each edition gets slimmer -- I'm wondering if it's picked up some debilitating equatorial parasite which eats away at its facts! So where to turn instead? Footprints ain't bad, but for my money I'd go for the Rough Guide; it's about 130 pages longer and about 130 million times more thorough. The writing is much livelier too...

[Joseph Buro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how these books are set up. Easy to find what you're looking for and maps you can rip out and shove into your pocket when you're wandering around some strange town. They also include some entertaining bits if you happen to be on a bus in between here and there to "get you in the mood" so-to-speak. I particularly enjoyed the bit about shrunken heads in this one. I always recommend Lonely Planet above all other travel guides and this is no exception. Worthwhile, even for travelers who think they're above travel guides.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always hard to tell if a guidebook is going to be spot on until you travel to the destination. This one covers Cuenca, the Andes and Quito pretty well, and using the guidebook (which is 10 years old at this point), blogs and other online resources, we've planned an extensive 3-week itinerary beginning in Cuenca, going north through the Andes (Ingapirca, Alausi, Riobamba, Latacunga, Cotopaxi, Otovalo, and finally Quito). It sounds exciting. We decided to postpone the Galapagos for some future date.

[Kim Lanza · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Lonely Planet provided enough information to help me think through potential travel plans.

As enticing as the Galapagos Islands are, the cost is just too steep to explore on my own. The information and extensive list of tour operators the authors provided helped me make a honest assessment of the trip's expenses. I will get there eventually...just not this summer.

The research was not futile though. I plan on exploring Quito, Otavalo, and hiking the Quilotoa Loop in August.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of useful information! I actually took advantage of a few suggestions in this guidebook, including their recommendation for a free walking tour and some of the restaurant suggestions (Bandido Brewing in Quito!). These books do a good job of giving you a decent primer for where you're going, but then I find that internet research (blogs, etc.) are best for giving tailored suggestions for the unique type of interests you may have that could bring you off the beaten path.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find Lonely Planet books to be reliable, and while South American guides don't cover food in a way that is all that helpful, the things about what to see and why are. I used this the whole time I was in the Galapagos recently because I had zero internet access (this is a place where a phone app version of StarLink would be awesome) and the ability to read about places and not have to carry the guidebook was great. I would recommend, and this is available on Kindle Unlimited.

[Susan K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent guide to start to plan your trip and get ideas of what you want to see/do. Like in all places, the best information (and the most up-to-date) comes from talking to locals and people who have been there. I certainly did refer to it several times while on my trip. I also appreciated the inclusion of Ecuadorian history and anecdotes about certain customs.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2010.08.31] Used 2009 8th edition to plan the Ecuador portion (approx 1 week) of our Fall 2010 South America trip. Mainly used: Quito, Otavalo. Information decent. Animal market placed incorrectly in Otavalo map.

[Grumpylibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

My interest is now VERY HIGH for Ecuador, but unfortunately the Galapagos portion of the trip is the most intriguing and also way out of our budget ($2400 to get from Quito including hotel and an 8 day tour - plus tax, plus airfare). I'll save this one for when we have a bigger travel budget.

[Ritu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read this book prior to going to Ecuador and Galapagos, and took the book with me while traveling there. Note that I did not read the entire book, just the parts with the locations I was visiting.

[Gary Ganong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good guide book for Ecuador, but not my favorite.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my next trip. YES!

[Bcoghill Coghill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lonely Planet are just about the best. Of course, I don't need or want to know everything in this book. We ordered the most current edition to take with us after buying two earlier editions.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the Lonely Planet's Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands! This had great information, photos, and recent and up to date insider details!

[Michal Szarka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best travel guide (for me). Minimalist and at the same time loaded with information. Could have images.

[Allyn Van Dusen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for our recent 10 day trip to Ecuador. It paved the way for a great trip!

[Bee Buhler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guide book for information and activities. The stay information is slightly outdated at this point, still worth it to gain knowledge.

[Erisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough information to be helpful. Would've liked more guidance on lodging and tours in the Ecuadorian rain forest. Didn't read the Galapagos sections.

[Lamadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was super helpful when planning my trip!