Desperate to get out of the USA, Brenda and I booked a trip to Ecuador, which included several days in the middle of the country, a cruise around Galapagos, and a river cruise on the Napo River, a tributary of the Amazon. No new countries on this one, but we did make it to some places (Galapagos, Amazon) that had been on our bucket list.
The trip was booked through AdventureSmith Explorations, which did a great job of handling arrangements and keeping us informed, especially in regard to Covid testing. The trip consisted of 3 parts:
- A land tour of Ecuador, going from Quito to Cuenca, to Guayaquil
- A 4-day cruise to the eastern Galapagos islands, on the MV Galapagos Legend
- A 4 day cruise on the Napo River on the Manatee Amazon Explorer
We flew to and from Quito (via Miami) on American Airlines, and to Galapagos and back to Quito on Avianca, and between Quito and Coca (on the Napo river) on AeroRegional, an Ecuadorian airline with a total of 3 aircraft.
Here's the itinerary:
- 30JAN -- Fly from RDU to Quito, via Miami
- 31JAN -- Quito
- 01FEB -- Quito
- 02FEB -- Otavalo
- 03FEB -- Ibarra
- 04FEB -- Banos and Riobamba
- 05FEB -- Riobamba to Cuenca
- 06FEB -- Cuenca to Guayaquil
- 07FEB -- Fly from Guayaquil to Galapagos, board Galapagos Legend
- 08FEB -- Cruising Galapagos
- 09FEB -- Cruising Galapagos
- 10FEB -- Fly from Galapagos to Quito
- 11FEB -- Fly from Quito to Coca, board Manatee Amazon Explorer
- 12FEB -- Cruise Napo River
- 13FEB -- Cruise Napo River
- 14FEB -- Fly from Coca to Quito
- 15FEB -- Fly from Quito to RDU, via Miami
For those of you who will undoubtedly ask about Covid--Ecuador was much stricter about Covid than the United States. We needed proof of vaccination and a test to enter the country, and also needed tests before we could enter Galapagos and the Amazon area (both of which were part of Ecuador). In addition, masks were required both indoors and outdoors, and we saw almost nobody who did not comply. Finally, before entering any store or restaurant, someone would spray your hands with disinfectant.
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| A disinfecting machine in the middle of nowhere |
OK, Let's go!
Next: Days 1-3--Quito
