Budget Travel in Ecuador: How much do you need

This country is located on the equator, and you guessed it right. Ecuador is known for its Astonishing landscapes, vast biological diversity, and incredible sky-high experiences. The reason why tourist choose to visit this country because of its preservation efforts, and its the place to understand how to live as simple as how we’ve lived in the past.

Most foreigners from Western countries are the one’s who visit Ecuador. But people from all over the world are welcome to come and stay and enjoy the country. In this post, we will tackle about budget travel in Ecuador and how much do you need for your stay in the country. Enjoy and hope this post may be a big help to you!

Read here Ecuadorian food, Ecuadorian drinks, best restaurants in Quito, Ecuador travel tips, what to wear in Ecuador, how to get from Quito airport to city center and budget travel in Honduras!

Is it safe/difficult to travel in Ecuador

The capital city of Ecuador is Quito. This place has a high rate of petty theft such as pickpocketing and snatching. Mugging is also happening in this country.  But I would recommend since most crimes happen during the night, always be vigilant.

You should go around with many people beside you, because it is safer that way. Don’t flaunt anything that can attract theft. In my experience backpacking in Ecuador, I didn’t experience any of this. Just stay safe and be cautious and you’ll enjoy everything. So yes! It is safe to stay and enjoy Ecuador.

BOOK YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE

You can read Heymondo Vs Safetwing cheapest travel Insurance. You can get for $135 USD your Heymondo Travel Insurance with Heymondo discount code valid for 90 days. Read our full Heymondo Travel Insurance Review

You can get Safetywing Travel Insurance for Digital Nomads valid for 28 days Safetywing for $50 USD per month with kids until 10 years old included

Best time to visit in Ecuador

The country has a subtropical highland climate, which means they experience cool summers. It means it is colder on higher places and warmer in the coast. And the temperature varies in each region because of the geographical diversity of the country.

There are two season and these is named wet and dry. Months of December to April this is the month where it gets the most rain. So this means May is the best time to visit Ecuador. And also the weather in the country doesn’t change that much so it is very much fine to visit other months too. In some places it will be warm during the day and very called at night.

Check here to know more about the weather in Ecuador.

Visa in Ecuador

There are a lot of country that can enter the country visa free. And good news there are only 13 countries that require a visa to enter that country. If your country belongs to the one that can enter the country visa free you can stay up to 90 days and there are also countries that are allowed to stay a maximum of 180 day.

Click here to check the visa policy in Ecuador.

Cash and ATM’s in Ecuador

The currency of Ecuador before is named Sucre but now they use U.S Dollar. This was decided in the increasing inflation in Ecuador back in 1997-2000. Being changed to Dollar, this decision helped pull the country economy back. You can use dollars all over the country and this is good news for everyone.

ATM’s can be founded very easy in the cities and small towns in Ecuador.

Internet in Ecuador

WiFi is not that hard to find in Ecuador. Most hotels and hostels free WiFi for its residents and visitors you just have to ask or research about details of the hotel.

There are 3 major network operators named Claro, Movistar and CNT. You can buy a starter packs for $4.48. For data you can buy a 1GB of data for $5 for 15 days.

Read here Ecuador sim card for tourist and  best Ecuador eSim

You can find the cheapest Ecuador eSim with Airalo Ecuador eSim prepaid for $8 USD with 1 GB data valid for 7 days and for $15 USD with 2 GB valid for 15 days. ( For $21 USD with 3 GB data and for $32 USD with 5 GB data valid for 30 days. (USING DISCOUNT CODE GAMINTRAVELER 10%).

Food budget travel in Ecuador

Street food are common all over the world. You can buy street food and it is very cheap it will only cost you $1. A fried potatoes and patacones for $1. And for beers are also common in Ecuador and it will only cost you $1-2. There are many local restaurants where you can get meals for $2-5. One of the most popular meals in Ecuador is guinea pig and it costs around $7-10 in restaurants per person.

Accommodation budget travel in Ecuador

There are many types of accommodation you can choose from in Ecuador. You can find hostels offering fair comfort for a cheap price. You can get a dorm for $8-10. There are rooms available for $15-25 And you can also pitch your tent and it will cost you for only $1-3.

In my experience backpacking in Ecuador in 2012, I was able to pitch my tent in Montañita for $1. If you want to save money you can always ask hotels if you can pitch your tent and it will cost you for a smaller fee than a room.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION IN ECUADOR BEFORE YOUR TRIP WITH BOOKING.

Tour/Entrance Fees in Ecuador

There are a lot of things to do in Ecuador. You can climb Volcano Cotopaxi and you have to hire a tour or a guide and expect to pay $150 for this amazing activity. Cotopaxi is an active volcano and you can trek, and it would take you up to 6-7 hours to reach to reach to the top and a few hours ore to go down.

Quilotoa is a former stunning crater that presents wonderful views. The lake is turquoise colored and it is surrounded by mountains. It can costs $50 if you visit on a day tour.

There are places like Otavalo market that they are free to explore around in Ecuador. You will have an amazing experience visiting this small town in the mountains.

Local transportation in Ecuador

You can choose from many local transportation in Ecuador. Cost of travel in Ecuador is the lowest in all Latin America. Buses in the country is very cheap and it is abundant in any part of the country mostly in major countries. A bus ride from Quitos Southern Terminal to Banos that cost $3.70 and it will take you about 4 hours.

You can choose a more comfortable an express bus that will cost $6. In some major city in the country the cost of taxi is $1.50. A taxi journey for 1 km can cost you $1. Also you can hitchhike in Ecuador they allowed it for a short-distance trip.

Budget Travel in Ecuador per day

The estimated daily cost in Ecuador is $20-30, entrance fee in tourist spots does not include in this. If you go for a cheaper budget daily you can choose to hitchhike and couch-surfing to save money. A minimum budget of $5-10 is for your food. Apart from food and accommodation, you have to add for local transportation, tours and more expenses like nightlife, souvenirs or data to connect online and make local calls.

If you want to continue traveling around Southeast Asia without breaking the bank, read our budget travel guide to the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Bolivia and Thailand.