Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands

I used this guide on a 6 week trip to Ecuador, and there were very few disappointments. The information on bus terminals in Quito could have been much better. It was misleading. We asked the cab driver where to get the bus to our destination. We traveled the entire breath of the country and that was the only failing worth mentioning. Hotel information was accurate.

this book is not only informative but gives insight into the ecuadorian people.one feels as though you had already travelled there and were reading some memories. the pics are fantastic...although i would have prefered more. the descriptions are excellent and the suggestions are being hi-lited for our trip. makes for great reading.

Con gusto he revisado esta guía de Ecuador y las Islas Galápagos. Habiendo vivido allí por 15 años, conozco la gran mayoría de los lugares que se mencionan en la guía, y efectivamente su revisión es muy buena y precisa. Aún así, es necesario mencionar que hay varios lugares de interés turístico a los cuales se llega si has tenido la suerte de que algún otro turista te cuente como hacerlo, y que durante los últimos años se han convertido en lugares cada vez más visitados. En resumen, una buena guía para conocer los lugares típicos de turismo. Sin embargo, si quieres conocer otros lugares de igual o mayor interés que los reseñados, que han aparecido en los últimos años, sugiero consultar en el lugar de hospedaje y pedir consejo a otros turistas.

I went on a one-week long trip in Quito and its surroundings. It was my first trip to South America, also to a country where I do not speak the language fluently. This one had accurate descriptions of places I wanted to see, and it also gave precise directions on how to get to the places that are outside Quito. I have visited extensively the capital and other near areas, and from little-known corner eateries to magical trees, everything is noted in this book. Lonely Planet never failed to amaze me again in this one.

If you have used some of the more popular travel guides like Frommers or Fodors, you will be pleasantly surprised by the depth and coverage of Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet guides are marketed for backpackers, but my wife and I spent two weeks traveling throughout Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and this book served us well. We stayed in Quito in both a hotel and hostel, ate in some of the classiest restaurants and some of the best value restaurants, and traveled to several towns and cities. We had a fantastic time, due in large part to the planning we were able to conduct from this book.For example, while on a four-day cruise of the Galapagos, we were able to use the book's Galapagos wildlife section to identify many of the birds and other animals we spotted. With full color photos and short descriptions of each species, we could catalog all of our sightings on the handy checklist provided. Given that my wife is an avid bird watcher, the book did not have the same level of detail as a standard birding guide. However, considering that this is a travel guide, we were glad that we didn't need to carry several books to identify animals, as well as find our way around some of the more obscure places in Ecuador.Because of the tips included in the book, we enjoyed many of the nuances of the country. For instance, the author recommended that it was cheaper to rent a taxi for a day to travel to surrounding markets, then to rent a car and drive. Driving risks accidents, getting lost, and incurring costs for fuel and insurance. As a result of the author's suggestion, we split the taxi fee for the day with a couple from Venezuela and traveled to the market in Otavalo, San Antonio de Ibarra (famous for wood carvings), and another small village that sold leather. My wife and I were able to get great quality leather jackets, a woodcarving, and some tapestries as part of a wonderful day of touring the country north of Quito. We would not have had as good of an understanding for what to do and see without this book.If traveling to Ecuador or the famous Galapagos Islands, I highly recommend Lonely Planet. The book is specifically geared toward hikers and mountain climbers, but we found it extremely useful due to its depth and richness of ideas. Well worth the money.