Travels in Ecuador

Written By james milligan

The lure of travel to a far away land to see volcanos and exotic wildlife has always been irresistible. I was fortunate enough to make a short trip in December 2024 despite concerns of civil unrest and high rates of crime in the country.

Some say that preparation is key to success and i tend to agree in maximising benefits and opportunities in short trips. But, over-preparing can also be the death of real adventure and neutralise some of the excitement in the unknown. On this occasion, i maybe underestimated a few things in terms of the political and social situation in Ecuador. Prompted by an alarming news headline after having booked flights, i quickly caught up on the situation and tailored my plans accordingly by deciding not to hire a car from the airport and to steer clear of the coast entirely. I even thought about cancellation- so glad i didn’t…..

I found useful advice here- typically it can be rather conservative but a good place to start for high level issues- such as an ongoing state of emergency!

Getting around- Flying into Quito at an altitude of approx 3000M can make the jetlag and fatigue even worse. The ride to the historic centre of town takes 40-60 mins by Taxi and costs around $35. The airport is modern, clean and mostly quite efficient. Given my assessment of local risks and issues i opted for a pre-booked taxi ride to my chosen hotel and all went smoothly. I also opted against a hire car directly on arrival as i wanted to gather local intel and advice on where to go and places to avoid- its always tough to do this from afar in fast-moving situations.

Travel out of Quito was again by pre-booked taxi although i did use Uber within the city and had no issues- prices are v low given the long journey times ones should expect from traffic-laden streets. Be prepared for heavy and polluted journeys. The hilly locale combined with over-filled and ancient diesel buses makes for lung-busting experiences. You will see many people still sporting face masks to combat the pollution.

Equipment- as a photography trip, the main challenge, as usual, was about balancing the tendency to take too much kit with not missing the opportunity to capture the perfect shot. It was also sensible to think practically about weather conditions (the need to keep kit dry and have rapid access to dry bags/storage) and safety- carrying large cameras and lenses normally attracts attention- doing so in potentially high crime areas is tantamount to putting a target on your back. Thankfully, many locals who appreciate nature and tourism were helpful and supportive in offering advice.

Photography Kit list (in order of most frequently used):

  • R5 Mk ii

  • RF 100-500

  • RF 600

  • RF24-240

  • 3-legged Thing Alan carbon monopod

  • Sirui Tilt head

  • RucPac medium rain sleeve-(see kit test clips below)

  • Canon R50 + 18-45

  • RF 70-200

RucPac goes to high alitude on Cotopaxi.

More detailed location information coming soon…. Ruminhauhui, Mindo, Cotopaxi, Antisana, El Chaco, Papallacata,

Look out for more gallery and album updates on here and on Flickr soon…..

james milligan