Ecuador

Money in Ecuador

Currencie(s): United States dollar

• 1 United States dollar = 0.85 €
• 1 United States dollar = 0.76 £

Should I exchange money before I travel? Although this depends on many factors, including which currencies you want to convert and which country you are travelling from, generally speaking exchanging your money AFTER you travel will provide you with a more favourable exchange rate.

The rule is simple: the more common the currency is, the cheaper it will be. So, for example, if you are travelling from the UK to Ecuador and want to buy some United States dollar here, you will pay less for it in Ecuador, as this is the currency that you will find everywhere. At the same time your GBP will become rare and valuable, which means that you will get more money for them.

Looking for advice about exchanging United States dollar? Discover our tips in our article about currency exchange.

Corruption: Ecuador has a corruption score of 66/100.
If your itinerary runs through Ecuador, watch out for muggers and beware of corrupt police officers. According to Transparency International, Ecuador scores average on the list of corrupt nations around the world.

Ecuador is not concidered to be a dangerous country, with a Global Peace Index of 1.98 out of 4.
This report is the only one of its kind that measures how dangerous or safe a nation is based on 23 different indicators, including political terror, deaths from internal conflict, murder rate, and ease of access to small arms and light weapons.

Language in Ecuador

Language(s): Spanish
You may find that there are some English speaking residents at your place of stay; especially if you are going to a highly populated tourist area. This doesn’t mean that you should speak English however; It's always appreciated when tourists know a few words or sentences in Spanish. It just shows that you’re interested in the culture, that you’re willing to put effort into it and it will guarantee you a smile from the waiter/waitress when ordering food.

Here are a few basic lines to get you started:

• Yes = Si
• No = No
• Thank You = Gracias
• Hello = Hola
• Do you speak English? = ¿Habla Inglés?
• Please = Por favor
• Bye = Adiós
• Excuse Me = Perdóneme
• Where is the Bathroom? = ¿Dónde está el baño?
• What is your Name? (My Name Is) = ¿Cuál es tu nombre? (Mi nombre es)

TIP: You can use wordhippo.com to learn how to pronounce a sentence in Spanish. Are you Interested to learn more phrases that might help you during your travel? Learn about them in our article with the most used phrases used while travelling.

Food & Drinks in Ecuador

Experiencing the local culture is a huge part of travelling and trying traditional food is largely connected with that cultural experience. Visitors to the UK always want to eat fish and chips, Vietnamese pho is the big pull for travellers in Vietnam, and here in Belgium it’s all about fries. Supporting the local community is a really important aspect of travel. So please make sure you taste at least 1 of the 4 National dishes: Encebollado, Fritada, Guatitas & Ceviche

Drinking age: The minimum age for drinking in Ecuador is 18.

Religion in Ecuador

Ecuador is a religious country. According to the Gallup Poll in 2009 research, 82% of the population thinks religion is important in their daily life. More info about this study can be found here. The religous adherents are Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

From beautiful cathedrals in Italy to majestic temples in India, the world is filled with holy places that are important to the religions of the world. Maybe you are not religious yourself, or maybe you are visiting places where people celebrate different religions. Learning to look without gawking, see without ogling can be the difference between being accepted as a visitor, and being resented as an intruder. That's why we've written an article about the impact of religion on your travel plans.

This article also mentions how tattoo's, some style of clothing and other religous simbols can be extremely taboo.

Sex & Relationships in Ecuador

Age of Consent: 14 years.
At the age of 14, an individual is considered mature enough in Ecuador to consent to sex. Sexual relations with someone under the Age of Consent are considered statutory rape.

Same-sex marriage (also known as gay marriage) is legalized in Ecuador since 2019.

Ecuador scores a 3/10 on the 'Gay Travel Index'.
Please note: Certain cities, tourist areas and resorts can sometimes be ANTI-LGBTQ+ even when the laws in Ecuador are LGBTQ+ friendly. In all cases, do your research, check official government data for up-to-date news and if you feel apprehensive consider travelling to a more LGBTQ+ friendly country.

Other practical tips for Ecuador

Timezone: UTC-06:00 to UTC-05:00
TIP: Think about the time difference before planning your trip. Imagine you’re finally in Ecuador – but all you want to do is sleep! Travelling into a different time zone can be a real burden. The only way to truly adjust in 24 hours or less is to prepare before you go, so check out our tips that outline how to quickly adjust to a new time zone.

Driving: Right-hand traffic.

Remember: this country uses the metric system. Depending where you're from - distances, speed, and liquid quantities might be differend from the system you're used to. Find out how you should convert this unit system.

Power adapters and converters: 120 V (60 Hz), Plug A / B
When travelling to Ecuador, electronic devices might be necessary to document the incredible sights or to stay in contact with friends and family members back home. Most electronics like Phones, laptop computers and hair tools do not come cheap, so it's incredibly important to make sure your device is compatible with this type of outlets - 120 V (60 Hz), Plug A / B. You can read our guide about travel adapters and converters to determine which types you need for your next trip!

Weather: Currently broken clouds, with a temperature between 12 and 12°C (53.6 and 53.6°F)

Pollution (PM2.5 fine dust particles): 14.89 µg/m3
PM2.5 Fine dust particulates can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of the condition of people with heart and lung diseases. The smaller the particles the deeper they travel into the lungs, with more potential for harm. Note that the World Health Organisation's guideline value is 20 µg/m3. So you have nothing to worry about when travelling to Ecuador.

Fly to Ecuador

Planning a trip to Ecuador? We have a list of 30 airports you can fly to. You can find the closest one to your destination by clicking on a city below!

List of cities in Ecuador

We currently haven't added any content for Ecuador yet. Have you found a beautiful, unique and instagrammable place that we didn't discover yet? You're more than welcome to let us know about it.