Countrywise
Flag of Ecuador

Ecuador

The Galapagos, a lofty colonial capital and the Equator line.

01Free

The 30-second card

LanguageSpanish, Northern Quichua, ShuarSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
CurrencyUS Dollar · $ · USDSource: Unicode CLDR · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
TimeUTC−5The capital’s time. The country has 2 time zones.Source: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
DrivingOn the rightSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Visa · United States passport
No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Visa · United Kingdom passport
No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
TippingA service charge is normally already included in the bill.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
SIM and eSIM
Claro, Movistar or CNT prepaid SIMs need a passport; pharmacies, supermarkets and shops beat airport prices.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Apps locals use
Call for emergency help and store medical details on your phone.Local prepaid bundles can include data set aside for WhatsApp.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 2 of 5: Cash and cards are both used, so keep some cash on hand.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Money in Ecuador
US Dollar · $ · USD
Carry plenty of small notes, as many businesses will not take $50 or $100 bills.
Bring crisp, new notes; worn-looking ones are often refused.
Banco Austro ATMs let you withdraw without a fee.
Order the set lunch or dinner: soup, a meat dish and dessert for about $1-2.
Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ Collect US Dollar in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen
Public holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day Día de Navidad
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Año Nuevo
Mon, 8 Feb 2027 · Carnival Carnaval
Tue, 9 Feb 2027 · Carnival Carnaval
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday
Sat, 1 May 2027 · International Workers' Day
Mon, 24 May 2027 · The Battle of Pichincha Batalla de Pichincha
Tue, 10 Aug 2027 · Declaration of Independence of Quito Primer Grito de Independencia
Sat, 9 Oct 2027 · Independence of Guayaquil Independencia de Guayaquil
Tue, 2 Nov 2027 · All Souls' Day Día de los Difuntos, Día de Muertos
Wed, 3 Nov 2027 · Independence of Cuenca Independencia de Cuenca
Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Ecuador say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise increased caution
Calm
Caution ●
Serious
Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 17 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
UK Foreign Office says
Advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country

Some regions differ, see the official page.

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 2 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Scams to know

Fake bus inspectors

Keep luggage with you; nobody can make you put it on the overhead rack.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Touts offering cheap hotels or tours

Book only with licensed operators and ignore middlemen who approach you.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Drugged freebies from strangers

Refuse food, drinks, flyers or perfume samples from people you do not know.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Distraction tricks

If sprayed, asked for help or near a scuffle, hold on to your bags and move away.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots, hepatitis A and B, maybe typhoid; yellow fever east of the Andes. Some malaria; Quito is high.
Vaccinations

Be up to date on routine vaccines; hepatitis A and B are recommended, typhoid is worth considering, and yellow fever is advised for low-lying areas east of the Andes.

Malaria
In some regions
Altitude

Quito lies at 9,400 feet above sea level, and plans should allow for high altitude.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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Must-see · 1Quito

Well-kept colonial old town in one of the highest capitals.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Strange & surprising · #1

Speed bumps are so tall that locals nickname them 'walls'.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
National anthem: Salve, Oh Patria. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
5 World Heritage sites in Ecuador, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List
05Free

Deep facts

Population
Population18.3 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age28.2 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy74.9 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
ReligionsRoman Catholic 68.2%, Protestant 19% (Evangelical 18.3%, Adventist 0.6%, other Protestant 0.2%), Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, other 2.3%, none 8.2% don't know/no response 1% (2023 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2023 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Geography
Area283,561 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climatetropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlandsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terraincoastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).

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