From the Streets to the Wilderness, Ecuador
It is funny how we slip into patterns, usually without noticing. Similar to how we traveled the US, we found ourselves in a city or town, then in the wilderness. Walking the line between two distinct worlds. Civilization to what feels the most civilized. Street noise to the lullful calls of wildlife. Cappuccinos to mountain water, shrills to silence. What more could we be wanting for, dividing our life as we need. Humanely managing the need for humanity and the lust for the wild. If there is a way to properly join the two, we are ever the pupils. Two halves, one whole, one heart, balance.
What We Did
Cotopaxi National Park, Cotopaxi
Coming off of our two week Galapagos cruise we were pretty wiped. We spent two nights at Colibri Hostel, $10 per night, since it is where we stored the van ($1 per day) while we were exploring the islands. It's close to the Quito airport, a decent bit out of town, so after our initial recuperation we attempted to move to the Circulo Militar parking lot but were refused...ending up at Parque Carolina for $2 a night. Our plan was to resupply and buy me a couple new pairs of pants (another trip to Tatoo), I almost removed a cargo pocket from one of my current pair when boarding our zodiac in the Galapagos. Steffi & Daniel were resupplying as well and we happily ran back into Chris & Nicole.
Being Semana Santa, we decided to head back to Cotopaxi to dodge any festivities and to continue reacquainting ourselves with van life, meaning getting used to cooking and cleaning for ourselves. We spent one night at the Rondador Hostel, $6 per night, to get showers before spending 3 free nights in the park. The weather wasn't the best but it is a beautiful place we were more than happy to visit again. We could tell more snow was on the mountain since our previous visit, spending most of our time hiding from the rain in the van deep within books during our second visit.
Quilotoa Lake, Cotopaxi
We weren't exactly sure we were going to drive around Quilotoa Lake but Chris & Nicole insisted we visit the Llu Llu LLama hostel. At $12 each per night to camp, $24 total, it seemed expensive but that price included breakfast and a 3 course dinner. It is probably the fanciest hostel we have ever stayed at. The food was fabulous and everyone exceptional. We were adopted, a lone Israeli too, by a German group on vacation, taking a really fun half-day hike together. We also met a great American couple, Mike & Hillary, in whom we might have planted the seed to take a long driving trip one day (do it). After 5 nights we finally left and continued to the lake, $2 per person, hitting snow on our way to Chimborazo!
Chimborazo National Park, Chimborazo - Salinas, Bolivar
Our arrival time wasn't well planned, we originally thought we'd spend one night on Quilotoa Lake but scrapped the idea after visiting it, so we ended up parking for free at a playground in a neighboring town near the base of Chimborazo. The following morning we drove up to 4,833 meters (15,855 feet) and parked the van in the lot next to a refugio. We were supposed to hike to a second refugio at 5,100 meters but it was snowing, instead we had breakfast, wandered around in the snow, and waited an hour to leave since a huge bike race happened to be finishing where we had parked. For perspective, the lot we parked in is higher than all but 6 mountains in the United States, every one of those 6 residing in Alaska. That means we drove to a point higher than any in the contiguous US, we aren't feats people but that is pretty neat.
Being weenies, we opted to drive to a town famous for cheese for the night, Salinas. The cheese is good but the chocolate from the cooperative was fantastic. Still no Ixcacao, but definitely a close second. There wasn't a campground in town so we free camped behind the cheese factory for a night, driving back around Chimborazo the next day on our way to Baños. The cute four legged creatures below are vicuñas.
Sangay National Park, Morona Santiago
Baños was a bust, at least for us. It's like the Ecuadorian equivalent of Gatlinburg. We spent one night in town at Hotel Cedro, $10 per night, then two outside town at Camping Paraiso, $12 per night. Ironically, it was quieter in town but the WiFi was blazing at Camping Paraiso and there was a great hot shower. Neither was ideal, if it wasn't for the dogs fighting and barking all night Camping Paraiso would be OK. Once we completed all of our administrative chores we left for Sangay National Park. While free, the industrious locals charge $2 to park, or to visit Lake Ozogoche when presented with the fact the park is supposed to be free. We knew that before we visited so we didn't mind. We wandered aimlessly until we finally reached one of the lakes and spent a night next to a fantastic noisy creek. It is very beautiful and was wonderful to be among indigenous people again.
Ingapirca, Cañar
On our way to Cuenca we took a slight detour to a small set of Inca Ruins, Ingapirca, $2 per person. The site isn't spectacular but it was nice to wander the grounds of an archeological site again. We expect to visit many ruins in Peru but couldn't resist starting in Ecuador. The day ran later than planned, one of the roads was washed out, so we ended up spending the night near the ruins at Cuna Del Sol for $20. It was really pricey but the couple that own the place are exceptionally friendly and the WiFi was fast enough for us to binge on a YouTube series.
Cuenca, Azuay
We had reached out to Joe & Josee previously, Joe telling us to stay at Cabañas Yanuncay, $15 per night, when we reached Cuenca. Our list of administrative chores was growing and the van needed a little attending to so we figured 4-5 days to sort everything out. Ultimately we spent a collective 15 nights at Yanuncay over two visits. It is the closest thing to a real campground we have stayed at in a long long time. It is a very comfortable spot and Humberto is more than eager to assist in any way possible. During our time there we had our new sway bar link ends installed, our rear differential fluid changed, a diesel leak near our fuel pump fixed, and a complete suspension lubrication all for $100. We also managed to cull our 7,000+ photos from the Galapagos, get caught up on the blog, have my torn pants repaired ($2), and scrub the inside of the van while halfassing the exterior. The only other major accomplishment was to have the foam replaced in our jackknife sofa, after two years it was completely shot, by a furniture maker for $60.
Our time there wasn't all work. Chris & Nicole came through as did Steffi & Daniel. Chris & Nicole were kind enough to take Mandi on her very first climb at Cojitambo, Daniel seized the opportunity too, and one entire day was spent celebrating Steffi's birthday. Other days we did our own things, wandered into town together, or shared a big meal. It was all great fun, even the cuy we all finally tried for Steffi's birthday lunch, the fondue dinner was much better!
Cajas National Park, Azuay
The break between our Cuenca visits was an overnight trip to Cajas. Park entry was free, camping was $4 per person per night. Humberto recommended we hike and stay near Llaviuco Lake, which was perfect. Steffi & Daniel decided to do the same, us all getting to hang with an Andean Toucan (Gray-Breasted Mountain-Toucan) that evening before hiding from the rain in our respective rigs. The following morning we drove through the main section of the park, stopping at another lake, before running back to Cuenca from the rain. Steffi & Daniel continued south, we hope to cross paths with them again in Peru.
Podocarpus National Park, Zamora Chinchipe
Our last National Park in Ecuador and one that has two points of entry, over two hours from each other. We had been living at or above 9,000 feet for a while so we decided to visit the higher section of the park first, not expecting to see many orchids the free national park is famed for. We arrived late in the day so we parked in front of the administrative building, scoped the facilities, and settled into the van. Our WiFi extender grabbed the network mentioned in iOverlander so we had a leisurely evening watching random YouTube documentaries, we've started to use our extender a lot in South America, before an unimaginably quiet night...at least until the wind started blowing.
The following morning was foggy so we chose the easier mirador hike, hitting the two small loops on the way back down. It was a slog, much needed exercise, and we were done before anyone else was in the park. We probably should have spent another night, instead choosing to move to the lower section of the park that contains several waterfalls. The drive was wonderful with many waterfalls visible and next to the highway. After parking in a mostly level spot, we walked 30 minutes to the administrative office (where the facilities are), received an overview of the available hikes, then set off to a really beautiful waterfall. During our return we hiked to another small waterfall and to the river before walking back to the van. We were surprised that we saw more orchids in the higher section of the park, even though the lower section was much more humid. We visited just before the usual blooming season so we expect that to be the reason. Both parts of the park are beautiful, and free, but we prefer camping at the higher section since it is close to the facilities and there's WiFi...priorities. We left early the next morning and stopped at a free pull off opposing a waterfall to give the van a rest and to have coffee.
Vilcabamba, Loja
Marcus & Julie recommended we visit Vilcabamba, a town overrun with expats claiming to be hippies. The town is small, most overlanders choosing to stay on the outskirts, we picked Hotel Valle Sagrado ($10 per night) since it is a stone's throw away from everything. We love small towns and the convenience of wandering to and from the van as the day progresses. Villa de Leyva, Colombia, is still our favorite but we could easily get stuck in Vilcabamba for a while. Life is slow, deliberate, and easy...what else is there to want. We may return someday to whittle the days away in front of cafes, munching on organic food, and just basking in the near perfect weather. We can see why westerners have flocked there. Five days was ample for our first taste.
Honorable Mentions
While we don't list every place and thing we do there are some that stick in our minds. Weeks later we catch ourselves mentioning them to others or just savoring the memory of the exquisite cuisine we consumed. Here are a few standouts.
Sunrise Cafe, Cuenca
Good ole American style breakfast complete with free coffee refills. The chili omelette, hash browns (you read that right), and biscuit breakfast will not disappoint, roughly $7 per person.
UFO, Vilcabamba
Falafel and hummus plate, $6.50, plenty for one and delicious.
Beverly Hills Coffee, Vilcabamba
Great effing organic coffee. Americano - $1.50, Cappuccino - $2, 1 pound of coffee - $8.
Midas Touch, Vilcabamba
Bacon Omelette, country potatoes, toast and a cup of coffee for $5, we were stuffed.
We will always remember you, Sandy from San Diego 😉. Great question, and one we ask ourselves often. First, we are extremely pleased with our van and how capable it is. We talk about different floor plans and other upgrades, it is a solid platform for where we have been so far and we are 100% that it was the right choice. Other travelers that have owned both smaller and larger rigs tell us it is the perfect size. We personally don’t want to be any bigger but, from time to time, wish we were a little smaller. Realistically, we can’t give up any space at this time so it’s just a pipe dream.
That all being said, we have talked about one day owning a Land Cruiser Troopy...like the one our friends have pictured above. It’s about 1/3 shorter than our van and narrower too, since it’s not a commercial vehicle. It is the rig of choice for most solo travelers we’ve met. Great for one, a little tight for two, but extremely capable in almost any situation. One could argue it has a larger parts network but most order in OEM instead of the cheap knockoffs available, so that’s a wash.
Ultimately it comes down to where you want to go and how you wish to live. For the US, a small class B or C with a little lift is probably the best...the infrastructure makes it so easy. For the Pan-Am, we’ve seen everything from Mini Coopers to huge Unimogs, even a classic Mercedes sedan pulling a tent trailer. We personally couldn’t do this without inside space so a van fits what we need, our stuff won’t fit in a Troopy or a 4-door Jeep with an Ursa Minor poptop...another very capable combo.
We know you’ve owned several vans, so you are use to having an inside space and pass-thru. If that is still your preference, a rig with those qualities is essential. If you still have your Chevy, it would work fine. We have met several couples in home built Chevrolet vans. Maybe add some lift, some recovery gear, and a pora potti. If you want more headroom, consider a high top or a pop top...both are available for your van.
We hope this helps. If you have a specific scenario we’ll gladly answer as best we can. Take care and it’s great to hear from you!
Where are we now
Look Rock, TN
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