Ecuador & Galapagos: Where and How to Travel Now

Ecuador & Galapagos: Where and How to Travel Now

Ecuador was one of the first and hardest hit countries in South America by Coronavirus at the beginning of the pandemic. The terrible months of March and April resulted in some of the most severe lockdown measures of any country on earth, the results of which have continued to trend positive until today, the curve flattened in May and has stayed that way.  The US Department of State dropped the travel warning for Ecuador to Level 3: “Reconsider Travel” - one of only 5 countries in South America.

Reality Check:  Just to put statistics in perspective, since the majority of readers of this blog will be US based travel industry professionals referencing destinations to pitch to their clients: The entire country of Ecuador with a population of 18 million has recorded 141k total cases of Coronavirus since March 17th - while Los Angeles County, with 11 million inhabitants, has recorded 275k case in the same period. (Ecuador shows a 0.007% infection rate vs LA County at .025%)

Since May, Ecuador has cautiously opened their economy, bit by bit, and by July 1st the hotels which we represent on mainland Ecuador (Casa Gangotena, Mashpi Lodge, Hacienda Zuleta) reopened, but in a limited capacity and only to local Ecuadorian guests as the international borders remained closed.  This move however, of allowing the hotels to welcome Ecuadorian guests proved to be great, allowing the hoteliers a limited stream of income, but more importantly, the ability to retain key staff and refine their operations and sanitary protocols over time, in preparation for welcoming international visitors back.  They have not gone from zero to sixty overnight, they have been looking after guests safely for three months now, they are running solid operations and their staff are accustomed to the new reality of travel. 

On July 1st, Ecuador reopened its borders to international visitors and the frequency of commercial flight routes and frequencies has continued to grow.  Currently, as of October 7th, the following list of major airline carriers have multiple direct flights weekly to both Quito (UIO) and Guayaquil (GYE), the principal international gateways.

United from Houston to Quito

American Airlines from Miami to Quito and Guayaquil

JetBlue from New York to Quito and Guayaquil

JetBlue from Fort Lauderdale to Quito

Copa Airlines from Panama City to Quito

AeroMexico from Mexico City to Quito

KLM from Amsterdam to Quito and Guayaquil

AirEuropa from Madrid to Quito

Iberia from Madrid to Quito

So what are the entry requirements?  Visitors from any nation are allowed into mainland Ecuador by showing a negative PCR Covid test taken within 10 days of flight arrival (not needed for children under 18).  A basic heath questionnaire needs to be filled out and temperature checks are given upon arrival.  Once you have satisfied these requirements, you are free to circulate around the 23 provinces of mainland Ecuador.  With the variance in how quickly test results are being returned (in the United States) this 10 day window makes it very easy to prepare for departure, and the flights to/from Ecuador have been operating normally. 

You notice that I keep referring to “mainland Ecuador”?  That is because the #1 tourist attraction in Ecuador is the Galapagos Islands, which are just one of the 24 Provinces of Ecuador, but sit 800 miles off the Pacific Coast - and they have their own separate entry requirements.  In order to visit the Galapagos Island, visitors must show a negative PCR test taken within 4 days (96 hours) of arrival in the islands (not needed for children under 12), show proof of travel insurance which includes medical coverage, and a safe-conduct permit from your cruise or tour company.  

So all in all, Ecuador and the Galapagos is open.  But with mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos being two very different travel experiences, with different requirements, how best to go about organizing a trip there?  Below, I’ll break it down for you and provide some ideas, suggestions and things to consider in planning trips there at the moment.

Time to contemplate. Deep in the Mashpi Reserve in the Cloud forest of Ecuador

1) Mainland Ecuador is good to go. The requirements for entry are easy, flights are abundant and stable, and there is so much to see and offer on mainland Ecuador that it is deserving of its own trip, without the Galapagos.  Most visitors to Ecuador don’t even spend much time on mainland Ecuador in their rush to the Galapagos and back; but the country has Amazon Rainforest, High Andes, Cloud Forests, Tropical Coast paired with an  incredible Cultural and Historical diversity, all easily reached in this small compact country.  The visitor experiences that mainland Ecuador offer are naturally socially distanced - this isn’t a destination for museums or group touring, it is about nature, wildlife and open space - enjoyed on private customized itineraries.   To give you an example, below is a fantastic 10 day, door to door itinerary, that may interest your clients which includes Casa Gangotena in Quito, Mashpi Lodge in the Cloud Forest and Hacienda Zuleta in the Andes. 

*Feel free to save and share this itinerary with your clients, you can replace the logo and contact details with your own in the header and footer. You can have this itinerary quoted by your DMC or Tour Operator of choice, or work with the properties direct. f you need help with this document or how to book, please email me.

2) If you have a couple or family looking to go somewhere to work or school remote for an extended period, there couldn’t be a more ideal place for this than Hacienda Zuleta.  The historic Hacienda building dates back to 1619 covers a whopping 150,000 square feet of space, with the most delightful areas to work from tucked throughout the charming hacienda - and rock solid wifi. When work or school is done, you have a 4,000 acre private farm and wildlife conservation area to explore by foot, bike or horseback - and you don’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning!  Weekends can be spent exploring other parts of Ecuador.  Zuleta has been a home away from home for my family and children for many years, it’s the place they always want to go back to, always feeling at home and well looked after by Fernando and the local Zuleta community.  Zuleta is offering up to 35% discounts on stays of a week or more with additional discounts for children.  If you have clients interested in this, please email Gabriela at Zuleta, who handles international reservations.

Two women from the community, enjoying some sunshine in the courtyard of Hacienda Zuleta, doing embroidery and catching up on news.

3) Now on to the Galapagos….which is primarily known as a cruising destination.  It’s should be easy enough to get clients from your home to the Galapagos within the 96 hour testing window.   But make sure you can count on the PCR test turnaround times, calculate the flight connection times from their home to Guayaquil or Quito, calculate an overnight in Quito or Guayaquil prior to the Galapagos flight the next day, and of course factor in some buffer time should there be a flight delay or missed connection.  The alternative to this is to have clients enter mainland Ecuador on the 10 day test, arrange another test for them upon arrival and then go stay somewhere for a few nights while they await test results and then fly to the Galapagos. The reality is that there are fewer people coming to the Galapagos right now than to mainland Ecuador due to these more stringent measures and the added logistical complexities of getting to the Galapagos.  Add to this the inherent public concern about being on a cruise ship for multiple days in close contact with other passengers and crew, and a greatly reduced number of available flights between Mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos - plus the reality that some (not all) cruise ships, due to lack of demand, are forming pools with other vessels where travelers may end up on a different vessel and itinerary than what they booked, if the occupancy for the ship and itinerary your clients booked is very low.  All of these factors understandably combine to make travelers uneasy about booking a Galapagos trip at the moment, the Galapagos is one of those once in a lifetime bucket list trips, and consumers are anxious to shell out for such an expensive trip under such uncertainty.  But for the intrepid who want to go now, I couldn’t imagine a better time to be in the Galapagos with so few visitors, and how incredible the wildlife viewing must be since they have been left alone by tourists for six solid months.  The experience would be akin to those advisors traveling to Africa at the moment witnessing the great migration all to themselves.  My real concern is that since operating in the Galapagos is such an expensive business, and the industry has been decimated since March, there are some tour operators that are willing to do whatever it takes to make bookings right now - they desperately need the income (well, we all do).  So combine the inherent group travel nature of the Galapagos, a lack of healthcare capacity in these remote islands, and a small number of reckless players in the industry - the situation is ripe for an outbreak, which if happens now, is only going to damage the Galapagos tourism industry even more (and Ecuador as a whole) through viral press coverage.  So be sure to work with established, well run and responsible operators - I sincerely want to encourage people to travel to Ecuador and the Galapagos now, but sensibly.   

The Galapagos Safari Camp, remote and private in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island

3) What about the Galapagos Safari Camp which you represent?  The Galapagos Safari Camp has always served as an amazing alternative option in the Galapagos for those looking for more a more private and customized Galapagos experience, ideal for those travelers that are not keen on joining a group tour on a cruise ship. The small size of the property, located in a remote portion of the highlands with the luxury tented accommodation and private villa were virtually made with social distancing in mind, before it became part of our global lexicon in 2020.  The owners, Michael and Stephanie, are in no rush to open due to the concerns I’ve outlined above - but are offering completely private takeovers of the 3 bedroom family villa on property or the 9 luxury tents.  Those groups would have their own private guide and private chartered day yacht vessels to explore the outer islands just with their own group, no mixing with other visitors.  During normal times at Galapagos Safari Camp, as an example pre-COVID, we may have 6 different bookings at a time, each doing their own customized itinerary but potentially mixing together for the day yacht excursions to outer islands - as well as having guests that are staying with us post cruise. They are not willing to offer these sort of semi-shared excursions at the moment nor are they accepting guests that are disembarking from cruise ships.  So if you have a group or family from 4 up to 16 people in total, we have completely private programs to offer them beginning in November - and on top of that, we have key holiday season dates available.  Please email the owner, Stephanie Bonham-Carter directly to receive the details of these programs. 

Sundowners at Galapagos Safari Camp, in Private

Please remember that I am here to assist and guide you should you have any inquiries for Ecuador & the Galapagos, just email me. And this website has great tools full of marketing materials, PDFs, Videos, Images and Sample Itineraries.

I will personally be traveling to Ecuador in the next few weeks, and will be producing a daily video blog of the experience to share with you and your clients, of the current reality of traveling there. I’ll send more details on that when my dates are set.

Sending you positive energy-

Clark

Ecuador with the Kids - Pint Size Pilot

Ecuador With The Kids

Earlier this year, I helped Tara Cannon arrange a trip to Ecuador with her husband and two children, ages 9 and 12. Tara is the founder of the leading family-travel blog 'Pint Size Pilot'. Through documenting her own experiences of traveling as a family, she seeks to show other parents that having children does not mean an end to exotic, interesting or adventurous journeys.

Views of the main square from the rooftop terrace at Casa Gangotena, Quito

While Pint Size Pilot is geared towards globe-trotting parents, Tara's website is a great resource for travel industry professionals too. She peppers her destination and hotel blogs with first-hand recommendations on flying with children, gear reviews, restaurant advice and directories for babysitting services and baby equipment rentals throughout North America, Mexico and the Caribbean. If you are ever stumped by a family-travel related question from a client, there's a chance that the answer can be found on Pint Size Pilot.

Exploring the Andean Highlands on horseback at Hacienda Zuleta

In Ecuador Tara's family was hosted at each of the Ecuador mainland properties in the Clark Kotula Collection; Casa Gangotena in Quito, Mashpi Ecolodge in the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest and Hacienda Zuleta in the Andean Mountains of Northern Ecuador.  The following links take you directly to her blog posts, good fodder to send to travelers who are considering a mainland Ecuador extension before or after a Galapagos Islands trip. 

Top Things to do in Quito, Ecuador with Kids: Highlights a few less-obvious attractions that appeal to children and a great resource for family travelers with a free day in Quito. 

View fullsize

Discovering the Cloud Forest, Mashpi Lodge

Review of Mashpi Lodge: Candid review of the property as an optional trip from Quito with great anecdotes about the wonderful, kid-friendly guides and additional amenities that the lodge provides to help younger visitors really engage with the surrounding Cloud Forest environment. Tara also provides good information on weather and packing suggestions. 

Paradise Found: Hacienda Zuleta:  I've said it before, but it is always nice to have another voice echoing my sentiment; Zuleta is made for families.  Tara spent a few nights here at the start of her Ecuador trip to relax after a long flight but Hacienda Zuleta is ideal at the beginning or the end of any larger Ecuador adventure.  Knowing that the kids can safely roam the property under the supervision of farm dogs is a treat for mom and dad. 

Canine companion "Mambo" - perfect guide for exploring the grounds at Hacienda Zuleta

How Young is Too Young for the Galapagos?

How Young is Too Young for the Galapagos?

The Galapagos Islands are justifiably regarded as one of the best family travel destinations on the planet, and for good reason. The unique wildlife treats human visitors with curiosity as opposed to fear, an unusual trait that captivates travelers of all ages and leads to eye-level encounters with blue-footed boobies and beach-bumming fur seals. Excellent naturalist guides help visitors explore the archipelago on hiking, snorkeling, kayaking and even mountain biking excursions, much to the delight of active children and teenagers.  Tropical diseases such as malaria and yellow fever are not a concern on the Galapagos Islands, in Quito or in the Andean Highlands. The international flight between North America and Quito is relatively short, taking as few as four hours from Miami. And the weather, being Equatorial, is reliably sunny and warm for most of the year. Add in the fact that Ecuador operates on the USD, avoiding any exchange rate confusion, and the Galapagos Islands seem like a no-brainer as a great international destination to explore as a family. 

A quick search of online forums discussing family travel to the Galapagos Islands reveals an often-repeated question of concerned parents, "Are my children too young for the Galapagos?" While opinions vary, I'm here to share that personally, I think the Galapagos Islands are an excellent destination for children of all ages, even little ones as young as two or three.  The trick is in selecting the type of experience that is correct for your family and will maximize the enjoyment and amazement of all members. 

There are two main ways to experience the Galapagos Islands, either by boat or by land, both of which offer age-related discounts for children or price reductions based on shared accommodations. Most boat-based explorations follow an itinerary of island-hopping and shore excursions over the course of one week.  These itineraries are set in advance by the National Park and alternate (with some variation) between the northwest or southeast clusters of islands, plus a mandatory exploration of Santa Cruz Island and the Charles Darwin Research Station. Guests dine, sleep and relax on board and join guides on daily zodiac excursions to various islands that likely involve hiking, natural history, wildlife viewing and beach explorations. Snorkeling is almost always an option and some boats carry kayaks that can accommodate two adults or an adult and a child. Excursions, meals and onboard activities are all enjoyed as part of a group.

For families considering the boat option, make sure to check age restrictions imposed by the vessel. Many sailings have an age restriction of twelve or older. Family-specific sailings, scheduled to coincide with spring and winter school breaks as well as summer holidays, often have a much lower age-limit of seven or even younger, but it varies from boat to boat. Other considerations to keep in mind concern comfort with water and sensitivity to motion. Can your child swim and are they comfortable wading through knee-waist deep water? PFDs are provided onboard, for snorkeling and during zodiac travel, but comfort with water and some swimming experience would be essential for a child to fully enjoy a boat trip. Day trips to the islands often involve 'wet landings' which means that you must disembark the zodiac in the waves and wade to the beach. Parents can certainly carry younger children during this transition, but it is something to keep in mind when evaluating your vacation choices. Motion sickness is also something to consider; in general, the seas around the Galapagos Islands are fairly calm, especially from December-June, but boats anchored in calm seas can still bob and rock at night. Will this induce nausea or peaceful nighttime slumber? A parent knows best.

A land-based trip to the Galapagos Islands offers more flexibility than a boat and generally doesn't come with any age restrictions. While it is true that a land-based journey will take you to fewer individual islands than a boat-based journey, the diversity and quality of the wildlife viewing and excursions remains the same for all but the most avid birders. (And as this post is about traveling to the Galapagos with younger children, viewing the Waved Albatross on Hood Island is probably not high on the list of priorities.) 

On a land or lodge-based experience in the Galapagos Islands, families can choose between active days of wildlife viewing and snorkeling and also enjoy down time at the lodge or on a beach, providing quiet moments for calm play or reflection after a stimulating day.  Some lodges, such as the Galapagos Safari Camp in the highlands of Santa Cruz, even cater to families with specially designed itineraries that include a private guide who adapts the pace and activity level to suit the abilities and interests of your children.  Day trips by small boat to explore surrounding uninhabited islands are included, but these are interspersed with time spent hiking around Santa Cruz, marveling at the gigantic, free-roaming inhabitants of the adjacent National Tortoise Reserve, spending a day with a local fisherman and snorkeling or kayaking in secluded bays around Santa Cruz.  During school holidays, Galapagos Safari Camp also runs a special kids club that grants parents some afternoon alone time while children engage in a variety of creative activities led by lodge staff and guides. 

For parents with young children, there is one important, key difference between a lodge-based and boat-based trip to the Galapagos which must be emphasized; on a boat, you are constantly among a group of other, unknown travelers. You eat together, explore together and outside of your stateroom, relax onboard together.  Some travelers may view this as a great benefit but for parents with young children, constantly being among strangers without a place to escape to when a "time-out" is necessary can be a great source of anxiety. On a lodge-based trip, particularly when your family is being escorted by a private guide, parents can rest assured that they have the flexibility to accommodate sudden meltdowns and insert impromptu nap times and snack sessions whenever necessary. 

I'm a parent to two young and very active boys, both of whom have been traveling internationally since their first year of life, given that their mother's family lives in Scotland.  So both my wife and I know firsthand that traveling with young children can be challenging and sometimes stressful. I also concede that some destinations, like Patagonia, are best saved for when children are older and can tolerate longer drives and appreciate a 7+ mile hike.  But I don't think that age should be a reason to NOT take children on an overseas trip to a destination that is really well suited to the young and curious. In fact, I think that international travel from a young age provides a great education and helps lay a foundation that allows youth to grow into better citizens of the world on the local and global level.  Spending time with my young family in South America and elsewhere in the world has been one of the best experiences of my life.  So don't buy into the idea that there is a certain requirement for exploring a place like the Galapagos Islands with young children.  Be honest about the abilities and interests of your child and work with a knowledgable travel agent who knows the boat and land-based lodging options well and can design the perfect trip for your family at any age. 

Enjoy the following video that I created from our family trip to the Galapagos Safari Camp.