Ecuador is the 9th country on our overland trip down the Pan-American highway. This country is complete with lots of sandy coastline, endless swaths of thick amazonian jungle, and 47 volcanoes capped with ice and snow. It's no wonder the Ecuadorian ministry of tourism campaigned the saying "All you need is Ecuador".
In this video we would travel with our 4x4 in a loop through the country, visiting and spending time in all of its mainland regions, camping along the way and exploring the unbeaten path, before leaving for a short time for Christmas.
Days before our return to the country, the president would announce a state of emergency that caused global concern for the previously safe country. Unfortunately, while Ecuador used to remain relatively untouched by the drug trade, recent years have seen deep routed corruption that has given a rise in crime of over 500% in some regions.
However, traveling always comes with some form of risk, and while we took as many precautions as possible, we were weary of the how serious the media made things out to be. Upon our return to the country, things would be different, but they wouldn't be as different as you may think. The van life in some places can be a challenge, even more when it's in a roof top tent. But in the end, there's almost nothing else we'd rather be doing.
So join us to discover the reality of this beautiful and diverse country. This is Ecuador, the land of volcanoes.
00:00 Intro
00:44 Entering Ecuador
01:54 Otavalo Market
03:43 Biscoches
05:50 Cotopaxi
12:10 To Banos
13:00 Chimborazo - Snow drive
15:03 Back to Banos
17:30 To the coast
25:00 Back to the mountains
27:12 To the Amazon
31:40 State of Emergency
37:37 New Member
38:45 Thank you