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Is Ecuador a safe place to visit?
Would you like to travel to South America but don't feel sure about which country you should visit? Do you want to visit Ecuador but have lately heard news about the country's instability? are you wondering if is Ecuador a place safe to visit?
South America is a diverse continent with a variety of destinations, each with its own safety profile. Sadly, most South American countries face political instability and economic problems that consequently result in insecurity, protests, and high levels of economic inequality. We would like to be able to say that Ecuador is the safest country to visit but unfortunately this is not something that nowadays cannot be guaranteed in many countries in the world.
How Safe Is Ecuador for tourist?
My name is Gabriela Estrella, I am a Spanish teacher and I have been working in tourism with travel agencies and hotels for more than 15 years. I was born in Ecuador but I lived for some years in Switzerland, and I would like to tell you from my personal experience regarding if is Ecuador a safe place to visit? and the recommendations we issue to our clients during their visit to Ecuador.
To give a broader and more impartial vision, in addition to my opinion in this blog you will find the research of Safe Travel Abroad, and the testimonies of a French resident in Ecuador and an American tourist. If you are thinking of traveling to Ecuador and have doubts regarding its safety, I invite you to continue reading!
As I mentioned before, I lived in Switzerland for 5 years and it was honestly the country where I felt safest in the world, not only because of its organization but also because of its people. However, there were also news of rapes and minor crimes that shook a society so calm.
Maybe we cannot guarantee the same security as Switzerland, but we can guarantee that if you would like to visit the country with the greatest diversity of nature in the world per square kilometer, Ecuador will not disappoint you.
Please consider that determining the safety of a country to travel within, it can depend on various factors, including political stability, crime rates, healthcare quality, and natural disaster risks. Keep in mind that safety conditions can change, and Ecuadorians, we are very positive and resilient, we hope that things will always improve, and most of us, we will try to do our best to help you to feel comfortable.
It is important to clarify that there is a big difference between cities and small towns in Ecuador, I lived almost all my life in Quito and I am very used to the feeling of a big city with 3 million people, a similar feeling of cities like Barcelona, New York, Buenos Aires but for several years I have lived in a small town on the coast of Ecuador, Montañita – Olon. One of the main reasons why I moved to this little town, besides the wonderful beach, is because of the feeling of security that small towns provide, it is very easy to meet all the locals, and feel comfortable, the simplicity of the people, their smiles and kindness. There is no other place in Ecuador where I would live, after living in Switzerland. Of course I am a person who prefers the beach and the sun because in the mountains there are other options.
It is obvious that we are fans of our country, but today we want to answer honestly the question: How Safe Is Ecuador for Travel? and for this we will use the research carried out by Travel Safe Abroad (this page ranks the countries according to statistics and own research) More information: Travel Safe Abroad
We are going to summarize this report and add the suggestions for you, that might help you to make a better idea of how we deal with these situations.
1) Is Ecuador a safe place to visit using Public Transport and Taxis?
RISK : MEDIUM
According to Travel Safety Abroad, transportation is not 100% very safe or reliable. They stated that there have been robberies in public transport operating specially in night schedules and interstate. Unlicensed taxis on big cities are not safe.
OUR RECOMMENDATION HOW TO DEAL WITH IT:
We always recommend tourist to not travel alone at night, put their important belongs on their laps and keep an eye on them.
Please in big cities use taxis recommended by the hotel or official companies.
We provide taxi services, to pick up and drop off our clients from the airport in Guayaquil but in small towns like Montañita and Olon till now most of the taxis are local people that have proven very reliable.
2) Pickpocket Risk, is safe Ecuador for walking around?
RISK : MEDIUM
We agree with the author of the research that pickpocketing is a recurring concern on the streets of Ecuador and maybe in all the cities where is lots of tourism, like Rome or Paris.
OUR RECOMMENDATION HOW TO DEAL WITH IT:
In the big cities, we recommend to be careful and hold your bags tightly by your side, do not carry big cameras or phones on big crowds or lonely streets when you are alone. If you are using public transportation do not place your phone in the back pockets of your pants.
Similar to many places in the world do not leave important belongings on the beach without unattended while swimming or surfing.
In many places like South America, tourists are usually not attacked in robberies, Ecuador is mostly safe, and it is always a sad experience that with all our hearts, we do not wish on anyone.
3) Terrorism Risk in Ecuador?
RISK: LOW
To this day, Ecuador does not experience terrorism problems.
4) Mugging Risk
RISK: HIGH
The research mentioned "Although other South American countries are known for getting stabbed, mugged or kidnapped on the streets, the most common form of crime in big cities of Ecuador is petty theft and the weapons criminals use are mostly only there to scare people".
OUR RECOMMENDATION HOW TO DEAL WITH IT:
When visiting big cities we always recommend using safe transportation, if you go out at night do not go alone, tourist places are normally watched by the police but they are also places where thieves look for victims, so it is very important to be attentive and go out with known people.
In Montañita and Olón the risk is much lower, however never walk alone at night on the beach, avoid large crowds and when going to the ATM make sure that there are no suspicious people near you.
5) Are there many Scams in Ecuador?
RISK : MEDIUM
As in almost any countries, there is a great risk of getting scammed. People get cheat from prices or quality of products easily.
OUR RECOMMENDATION HOW TO DEAL WITH IT:
If you buy something please always check everything twice and negotiate everything in advance.
5) Is it Ecuador safe for Women Travelers?
RISK : LOW
Stated by the research: many women have traveled to Ecuador and haven't had any problems at all. However, the author of this post mentioned that Ecuador isn't the safest in terms of females traveling solo, especially at night and you should exercise precaution measures at all times and avoid dark and empty streets and locations.
OUR RECOMMENDATION HOW TO DEAL WITH IT:
We in our hotel and spanish school have regularly female students traveling solo, thankfully, none of them have faced big problems. Our main advise is always to learn a bit the language so you can clarify your questions and have a better feeling of people, but please do not associate with people involve in drugs or heavy alcohol, avoid to hang out alone with strangers and of course, we agreed with the author to advise woman not walk or exercise on abandoned places or lonely streets specially by night.
Would you like to hear some of our clients opinions about safety? You can check our instagram account for more info..
Would you like to know more about us?
We are spanish school based in Montanita, a small local business part of services of the Hotel Balsa Surf Camp, We will be very glad to advise you about anything on your travels, recommend you safest place to visit, booking taxis or tours for you, please check our information below.
Learning spanish is also an important key of safety while traveling. It will make it way more easy to communicate.
In conclusion, we agreed with the author that Ecuador is somewhat safe to visit, the overall risk is medium, and the most common form of crime is petty theft, people is interested on cell phones, laptops, camaras or cash but if you careful with those, there would not be most danger.
Keep in mind that most of the danger is in the big cities, but you need to be always careful regarding transportation. But other than we live in relatively peace, little children wander the streets here in the late evening. Zero violent crime and very little petty crime as well. There are some unsafe areas, but it is normal to check a bit where you want to go (normal for many European cities as well). If you like hiking, Ecuador it is a paradise, best waves for surfing, sun and warm weather most of the year around and nicest and humble people that will welcome you with a smile.
So, is Ecuador safe for traveling? is Ecuador a safe place to visit?
Yes. Ecuador is generally a safe place to visit – especially in the regions that most visitors go and that local experts recommend. Like any country, there are areas that travelers should avoid, but reputable guides, your spanish teachers, responsible hotel owners would never send you to an area with a questionable reputation. Keep in mind that large cities always have some element of crime, but that’s no different from what you’d expect in London or New York City.
In addition, tourism in Ecuador already represents 4.4% of the country's economy in 2023, contributes 5 billion dollars and generates 410 thousand jobs in the country, we are many people who feed their families with your visit and we always thank you for this!
At this very moment there are thousands of tourists visiting Ecuador and we would be very happy to receive and welcome you! You just need confidence, a positive mind and being attentive.
Another points of view:
Is Ecuador a safe place to visit from an european perspective?
We would like to provide more than one vision on the subject and that is why we have asked to July Daumas, Owner of Balsa Surf Camp on how she perceives the security in Ecuador? She was born in France, but living in Ecuador since 2004, she lived one year in Guayaquil working as French teacher and nowadays lives in Montañita with her partner César Moreira and her newborn son Naël.
Working as a French teacher in Guayaquil, July was warned about the dangers of the city 19 years ago, but she never felt afraid to move around, walk at night or use taxis, she thinks they were also the risks of youth that she wouldn't do any of these things in the city today.
Fortunately, she never had a dangerous experience, only once she had her wallet stolen in a popular market without her realizing it. Nowadays, she acts with more prudence and awareness that she cannot go anywhere at any time but in her normal life she has no fears.
For her the big difference between France and Ecuador is that there are more acts of terrorism or violence and sometimes people do not react positively to the aid and in Ecuador she feels quite the opposite, since people are always willing to help.
She also feels that in Ecuador, if you are in abandoned places, areas already known as dangerous, involved with strange people, walking late at night; those are situations where you are more exposed to danger and if you avoid them, she and her family feel completely safe.
Contrary to the feeling of the city, in Montañita, July feels super comfortable, even sometimes when there are real problems with security, she can't believe it. However, she did find that there are differences between before and now, for example now she wouldn't walk on the beach at night, something she did in the past very calmly.
In the neighborhood where her hotel is located, it is very quiet and although she hears that there have been crimes in the region, her personal feeling is safe and secure, even more so than in her country. She admits that there are many more police there, but at the time the unexpected acts of terrorism occurred, for example, there is no comparison.
For a tourist perspective:
Is Ecuador a safe place to visit?
Jimmy Manuele (Los Angeles, USA) 38 years old
This is the 6th time that Jimmy has visited Ecuador and from the first time 15 years ago till today, he still feels very safe. Although he feels like things have changed in a positive way, by instance during his first visit, the beach had not lights around which has improved now, he was warned from the beginning to do not walk on the beach, but he feels like is better now.
For Jimmy, coming to Ecuador is like coming home, he visits Montañita for months and months at a time and while other travelers move around a lot, for him it is more comfortable to stay in a place like Montañita. He uses American dollars, it's getting easier to meet people, and he's never experienced anything dangerous. In his experience, he often feels more uncomfortable walking at night in cities, but in general he doesn't feel like there is anywhere he can't go, just those areas where his intuition tells him he should not go, go in another direction or take a taxi.
In the cities he doesn't use public transportation because he feels there can be a lot of people and it's an easy way for pickpockets, but in Montañita he hasn't really heard anything specific that makes him feel unsafe, knowing that it's a party town. where crimes have a chance, he just avoid this situations. Also from his personal experience in Latin American countries during the big holidays that can be more shady characters, people looking that have not the best intentions but by being attentive to the environment and following his intuition, he definitely has no problems.
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