Welcome to the Travel Archives of Connected Horizons! Read our articles, guides and experiences from the time we spent in Ecuador!
Trying to live off a tight budget in Ecuador might not be an easy task for the casual backpacker but with a bit of research and careful spending, travelling around the country can be cheap. Even though Ecuador is mostly known for the Galapagos Islands (budget at least 100€+/day per person there) and have embraced…
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Even though many people come to visit the famous Galapagos Islands, just few take the time to visit the amazing beauty that the Ecuador mainland holds. From gorgeous colorful architecture, unique wildlife to amazing landscapes: having the chance to snap around this country was a great experience full of opportunities to train more than one…
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Right in the heart of the Valley of Longevity there’s the small town Vilcabamba, an usual stop for all those on the way out of Ecuador from the little known border crossing on La Balsa. Nice mural near the central plaza After coming back from out trip on the Pacific Coast (Puerto Lopez and Silver…
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Nowadays, the most travelled border to cross into Peru from Ecuador is known as Macarà and it’s very well-connected to the city of Loja with buses heading all the way to the city of Piura in Peru. Even though, only the most avid adventurers have been using the lesser known border of La Balsa things…
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Everybody knows about the famous Galapagos Islands but not everybody can afford spending 100$+ per day, especially all of those who fit into the backpacker category like us. Luckily, Silver Island (the name derives from a legend of pirate Drake, very much like Amapala) is a great and much cheaper alternative to see some of…
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Back in Tierradientro, when a fellow Austrian traveller told us about Puerto Lopez and surroundings, he completely bought us (thankfully he was not a travel agent!). Initially, we were not sure whether the 8-hour side journey from Cuenca was worth the time but how can you say no to… whales! Town and Fish Market Now,…
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Spending a relaxing day out exploring the Playa Los Frailes in the Machalilla National Park is a great budget-friendly activity to see more of the surroundings around the “left-behind” village of Puerto Lopez. Even though the beach is located just at a short 10min bus ride from the village, getting to it by walking the…
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Ecuador might not be like Europe but after spending a while in Cuenca this could change your mind. The city’s modern vibe features a great night life backdrop, a great variety of activities for any liking and nothing but an architecturally gorgeous historical centre listed in as a UNESCO heritage site. Not a bad place…
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Even though the small town of Baños de Agua Santa is quite pleasant, the surrounding area around the once-active volcano Tungurahua and the Pastaza river offer plenty of activities for all those adventure junkies looking for some adrenaline. A swing on the top of the world, plenty of zip lining, hiking, canyoning, rafting, rock climbing…
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One of the best activities to do on your own in the small city of Baños is cycling on the Waterfalls Route a.k.a Ruta de Las Cascadas, a stretch of mostly downhill paved road that starts from town and follows the Rio Pastaza until Rio Verde. Even though this route can be done as a…
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#1 Load up with snacks As mentioned in the Short Guide for Quilotoa Loop, all of the hostels will include breakfast and dinner in the nightly rate therefore you only need to get enough snacks to munch over at lunch every day. Even though small local shops can be found at each small village, stacking…
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Even though hiking the Quilotoa Loop has become one of Ecuador’s best highlights, you could say that its still a relatively cheap activity that would fit the average backpacker budget. This is a short summary of what we spent during our 5 days / 4 nights hiking in the area. Riding in the back of…
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Hiking the Quilotoa Loop sits comfortably among the best things to do while wandering around Ecuador. Encompassing the villages of Sigchos, Isilnivi, Chugchilan and Quilotoa (and its beautiful Lagoon), this multi-day hike is the perfect activity for those looking to discover a relatively tourist-free heart of the country. And believe it or not, the costs…
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Organising Transport, Accomodation & Food on the Quilotoa loop can be quite hard as information about how and when are still difficult to find on the web. Here’s the most complete up-to-date information on bus schedules, hostel prices and food options we gathered from our beautiful 5 days hiking adventure. Let us know if there’s…
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After spending a while exploring Colombia, we decided to move on to the next country and hit Ecuador. Like many other people before us, our plan was to do cross over from Ipiales, a small town very close to the border, which host what has been described as “the most beautiful” church in Colombia (the…
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