Trip To Equador Feb/March 2007

stressedoutmum

My OH is planning a trip to Equador in Feb/Mar 2007. Does anyone know who is the best prices for flights/accomdation and he's interested in doing the 5-day bicycle trip. Any pointers would be great.

Winifred

You'll probably have to fly with KLM via Amsterdam - and hope your luggage flies with you!

stressedoutmum

Anymore advice - there must be some regular travellers out there PLEASE

mickeypops

My stepdaughter travelled to Quito last year from Glasgow. Best price was with Continental via Newark.

The return flight was around £650.

I recall the other alteratives on offer were with with KLM via Amsterdam, or -closer in price to Continental - Iberia via Madrid.

martindow

A few years ago I flew most cheaply with Avianca via Bogata. I suggest that you get a few specialist travel agents (not high street ones) to suggest routes and prices and then see if you can do better booking directly. Wonderful country - enjoy yourself there.

xueta

https://www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk and https://www.southamericanexperience.co.uk are the two largest specialist tour operators to South America. You may want to request a brochure from them for ideas.

I flew with Iberia via Madrid, arranged through Journey Latin America. Stayed in Quito, visited Otavalo and then onto the Galapagos. Regional tours and Galapagos cruises are easily booked in Quito.

If you want ideas on accommodation then take a look at the Footprint South American Handbook. The Lonely Planet guide is worth a look, too.

HTH

P.S. It's customary for passengers in South America to clap when the pilot lands the plane safely ... we clapped and cheered when our Avianca domestic flight to Guayaquil landed and then collided with another parked plane, ripping a sizeable hole in the underside of our wing!! :eek:

stressedoutmum

thanks everyone above my thanks button has disappeared :T :T:T:T:T

melancholly

continental worked out cheapest when i went - the only thing to watch is the changeover in the US. i flew back via houston and a 3 hour gap between connections wasn't enough and I missed my flight home . I think Newark is a lot better though.

as far as places to go, cuenco is a beautiful city, with some interesting inca ruins nearby (not epecially great compared to many sites in peru, but they're the best in ecuador). if there's time to go to vilcabamba, that's pretty nice. banos is lovely too, and day trips up cotopaxi are fun - i didn't climb to the summit but still drove around on the roof of a landrover in the national park which was great. if you want any more specific advice, i spend quite a few months there in 2003 and went to see a lot of places - feel free to PM me. book a trip to the galapogas once you get there - you can save a lot of money that way, feb/march is low season for them and you can find lots of agencies in the centre of quito that can organise things. whenever i think of the blue footed boobies doing their mating ritual, it always makes me smile