Colombia or Ecuador?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 83 20
UNESCO listings among them 12 4
Cost level Budget Budget
Busiest month in our write-ups January June
Currency Colombian peso (COP) US dollar (USD)
Plugs and voltage A, B - 110 V A, B - 120 V
Everyday languages Spanish Spanish
Driving side right hand side right hand side
Region South America South America
Capital Bogotá Quito
Colombia
Effusive courtesy and dance in the bloodstream; regions differ like countries.
What we have written up
- Amacayacu National Park national park
- Barichara old town
- Bazurto Market market
- Bioparque Los Ocarros zoo
- Bioparque Ukumari zoo
- Bogota and La Candelaria old town
Worth knowing before you go
- Tipping: a voluntary 10% servicio is asked at the bill - saying yes is normal
- Cards spread fast; cash still rules markets
- Domestic flights are cheap and often beat mountain buses
Ecuador
Four worlds in one small country - Andes, Amazon, coast and Galapagos - on US dollars.
What we have written up
- Banos waterfall
- Cajas National Park national park
- Chimborazo mountain
- Cotopaxi Volcano mountain
- Cuenca old town
- Cuicocha Lagoon lake
Worth knowing before you go
- The US dollar is the currency
- Tipping 10% in better restaurants; small change elsewhere
- Buses are cheap and go everywhere, slowly
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.