During my time in Ecuador the country was in a state of emergency. Between that and a friend visiting for a trip to Galapagos by sea, the locations in this post are a mix of paid camps and hotels that were able to accomodate parking for my truck.
Finca Sommerwind
First up, just a couple hours from the Colombia, Ecuador border is Finca Sommerwind. Here you will find a German man named Hans, he is the owner and to say he is helpful with anything and everything is an understatement.
Hans is extremely active in all the overlanding groups. He also offers vehicle storage on his property. To learn more about vehicle storage, click to read.
For The Bird Lovers
Set your GPS to the cloud forest because Ecuador is a dream come true for bird watching.
Refugio Paz de Las Aves
Small to Medium size rigs can camp in the parking lot. Wifi, bathrooms, water tap.
Every morning around 6 am they host a tour. If you would like to join Angel be prepared for an early start and about 6 hours of birding. Tour includes breakfast.
Between the trail and parking lot can see 3-4 different antpittas endemic to Ecuador, perhaps get lucky enough to see The famous Andean cock-of-the–rock that are native to Andean cloud forests.
As well as Rufous-breasted Antthrush, Olivaceous Piha and Golden-winged Manakin, several types of hummingbirds, tanagers, toucans, barbets. Over 300 species.
Save for later: All camp spots in Ecuador in this post can be found here on Google maps.
Mashpi Amagusa Reserve
Camp in the parking lot. Small to Medium size rigs, there is a separate parking that big rigs could park and turn around.
Rooms for rent. Wifi in the main areas, bathrooms and warm showers.
Here you can see over 250 species, 24 endemic and glass frogs !!
If you thought Costa Rica had a lot of biodiversity, you’ll be over the moon to learn that Ecuador and Colombia have more than double the biodiversity of Costa Rica. And for later down the road, Brazil has triple the biodiversity.
Hostel or Hotel in Quito
Rosario Hotel
This hotel was one of the few I was able to find that had parking to fit my truck.
Max height is 2.5m. Would guess max length to enter would be 7-8m.
Basic rooms. Garage Parking. Free Breakfast. WiFi. Hot Water.
Why I booked here? Besides the parking, this hotel offers a free walking tour of Quito in partnership with another hostel that is 3 blocks away. Highly Recommend.
The walking tour was one of the best I’ve ever had. My friend and I were so impressed by how much we saw, ate and learned in just one morning. Once the walking tour is over you have to option to pay $10 to go to The Middle of The World !!
That $10 was money well spent, so fun and full of adventure. The staff at the middle of the world are so fun, full of information and you’ll even be able to play a few fun games.
Cotopaxi
Wild camping around Cotopaxi can be a bit of a challenge. My friend and I stayed at The Secret Garden Cotopaxi. In the spirit of full transparency, I would not recommend this. It is very expensive, rooms are small, temperature drops and there is no heat in the rooms. Furthermore, they include meals with the $150-200/night which is great but it was literally rice and beans.
If you have a heater and a kitchen in your camper would recommend to wild camp here.
A stone’s throw away from that camp you can find the Cotopaxi wild camp you will find Cotopaxi Horse Tours, highly recommend. Connect on Whatsapp for a possible camp and ride.
Baños
Hostal Monte Carmelo
One of the few places in Banos with parking to fit a truck.
Max height is 3m. Max width to enter would be 2.5m.
Basic rooms. Secure Parking. Free Breakfast. WiFi. Hot Water. $25/night
Banos overall is quite touristy. However, there are a lot of great places to explore.
places to visit
- El Pailón del Diablo
- Cascada Manto de la Novia
- Agoyan Waterfall
- Tarabita Manto de la Novia
- Zipline at Canopy Doble Adan & Eva
- La Casa del Arbol
Save for later: All spots in this post can be found here on Google maps.
For less than $5 you can be a daredevil and zipline here or you can opt to cross in a cable car.
After Baños my friend Rachel and I drove to Guayaquil for a once in a lifetime trip. On the way there is a camp with epic views of Chimborazo.
Galapagos by Sea 🦎
If you’re a scuba diver, highly recommend taking the once in a lifetime trip with a liveaboard. My recommendation would be to book with: Apex Ocean Travel. YouTube video of Galapagos highlights coming soon.
If you’ve been following me for the last 5+ years you know that before overlanding I was scuba diving all over the world. That being said, I can confidently say this was by far the most luxurious and incredible liveaboard I have ever experienced. From the diving of course, to the food, service, rooms, land excursions and more. Everything was excellent.
Galapagos by Land
If you’re not a scuba diver, I still recommend going to the islands. The cost is remarkably cheaper than I thought it would be. The top 3 islands have thousands of rentals that are under $50/night. Paid day tours can range from $40 – $150.
Post with all the land recommendations for Galapagos coming soon.
Guayaquil to Peru
Before you leave Guayaquil, stock up on everything possible.
During my time in Central America, shipping and 6 months in Colombia I was constantly trying to hide from rain for an entire year. That being said, I set my GPS straight for the coast of Peru to lay on a beach and seize to exist for a few weeks.
Near the border of Peru, my last stay was here at this hotel.
There are so many other amazing places to visit in Ecuador that I did not explore. Please note that the country is constantly in and out of a state of emergency in several states. Mainly Guayaquil, the coast and the amazon.
Recommendations by Ecuadorians: Loja, Vilcabamba, Parque Nacional Cajas, Cuenca, La Nariz del Diablo, Playa Montañita, Puerto Lopez, and Mompiche.
Heading North to Colombia
Please beware that to this day, (October 2025) there are several challenges in the southwest region of Colombia. As you might guess, this area is farming things that are usually illegal in other countries. In addition to the crops there are illegal mining operations of oil and gold. Summer into fall of 2025 there have been a few instances of military entering these areas resulted in soldiers held hostage.
None of this is to scare you, but it is important to be aware that each route in the southwest region of Colombia presents different obstacles to navigate. The main route from Cali: bombs in the street, bombs on bridges and cars being blown up. Route from Bogota: protests that block the road for hours to days as well as the trampoline of death road.
Please stay up to date on current events and check the warnings on maps.
Vehicle Storage in Ipiales, Colombia
Once you reach Ipiales and plan of store a vehicle, you should know that it is simple and straightforward. But, is it legal? No. Here in this post I share all the details from start to finish.
Hey there! My name is Ashley and I am the adventurer behind the wheel of Macho Taco
This once-in-a-lifetime adventure is not only fulfilling my dreams, but also paying homage to my late father. His free spirit of exploration continues to guide me every mile of the way.
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