Ecuador was never on our travel list. It wasn’t a place we had researched or dreamed about visiting, until we met a friend who casually told us, “You should go to Ecuador!” A few months later, we found ourselves booking a ticket, not knowing that this single decision would turn into one of our longest and most memorable stays.
We ended up spending six months in Ecuador, traveling slowly and intentionally across the country. From the laid-back beaches along the coast to the dramatic landscapes of the Andes, Ecuador kept surprising us. We lived in cities and small towns taking the time to settle in, explore, and experience daily life rather than rushing from one highlight to the next.
What truly impressed us was how much variety Ecuador offers in such a compact country. In a single trip, you can move from warm coastal towns to high-altitude cities like Cuenca and Quito, and then into lush cloud forests like Mindo filled with mist, waterfalls, and wildlife. Ecuador showed us that adventure, culture, and nature can exist side by side, and it quickly became a place we didn’t just visit, but genuinely lived in.
