Is Ecuador Safe for Solo Female Travelers?
Is Ecuador safe for solo female travelers?
This is a question I’ve heard a lot, and I’m here to answer it for you today! I spent three weeks in Ecuador as a solo female traveler and I had an amazing experience there. Ecuador was the first country I visited to kick off a multi-month trip around South America and it left a great impression on me.
But I met many other travelers in South America who said they had skipped Ecuador because they heard it was dangerous. It seems Ecuador has a pretty bad reputation among travelers.
So is it actually safe, especially for solo female travelers? Here’s what you need to know.
Is Ecuador Safe to Visit?
First, let’s get one thing out of the way. Ecuador is not among the safest countries in Latin America, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid it or that you can’t travel there safely.
And while Ecuador doesn’t rate highly for safety overall, the truth is that most of the popular tourist destinations within the country are perfectly safe. The most dangerous parts of the country aren’t commonly visited by tourists. For example, the border zones between Ecuador and Colombia are notorious for drug trade-related crimes, while there’s a lot of gang violence in the coastal city of Guayaquil.
But the main tourist destinations in Ecuador are perfectly safe. This includes places like the adventure capital of Baños, the beautiful city of Cuenca, the outdoorsy destinations of Quilotoa and Cotopaxi, and especially the Galapagos Islands. Even the slightly sketchy Quito can be perfectly safe.
As long as you use common sense and follow basic safety precautions (like not walking alone at night, not walking around with your phone out in Quito, and being extra vigilant with your belongings while traveling by bus) you can travel to Ecuador and have a very safe experience without any issues.
Crime in Ecuador
The biggest threat you’ll face in Ecuador is theft. This is the type of crime that is most likely to affect tourists in Ecuador, and it’s usually opportunistic thieves snatching your phone from you on the street or stealing your bag from you while you’re not paying attention while traveling by bus.
As I mentioned, there are other types of crime in Ecuador too, particularly related to the drug trade and gangs. But chances are high that you won’t encounter this type of crime on your trip.
Really theft is the only thing to look out for (and again, just being cautious and taking standard precautions can help you avoid this.) If you do have the misfortune of getting robbed, you should just hand over your phone/wallet/whatever because sometimes thieves can be armed. But really, this is an unlikely scenario and the possibility of theft is not so elevated that you should avoid Ecuador entirely.
There is also sometimes civil unrest in Ecuador, and while this can affect tourist destinations (e.g. protests in Quito) you should be fine as long as you avoid any demonstrations.
My Experience in Ecuador
I personally felt very safe the whole three weeks I was in Ecuador traveling alone.
There are a few things that stood out to me about Ecuador. First, no one ever bothered me on the street in any of the destinations I visited. I didn’t experience catcalling, people trying to sell me stuff, or any type of hassling. Compare that to somewhere like Cusco, Peru where you’re constantly having to tell people no and that was something I found to be very refreshing about traveling in Ecuador.
Additionally, I didn’t ever feel like people were trying to rip me off. For example, I couldn’t always get an Uber in some destinations, so I had to take taxis instead. The taxi drivers never tried to charge me an inflated price just because I was a foreigner. I felt like people in Ecuador were open and honest.
Yes, I was on my guard sometimes. When walking around alone in Quito, I was careful not to pull out my phone because I received several warnings about this from locals. I didn’t walk around anywhere alone at night. But I didn’t feel like any place I went to in Ecuador was particularly sketchy.
I met plenty of other solo female travelers in Ecuador who felt the same way.
There was pretty good tourism infrastructure and a developed “backpacker trail” in Ecuador that also made me feel safe because it was never difficult to meet other travelers, get from place to place, or arrange activities. This is something you’ll find pretty much throughout South America.
Food Safety in Ecuador
Now that we’ve established that Ecuador is a safe destination for solo female travelers, I wanted to touch on a few other topics related to safety in Ecuador that you might not have considered yet.
The first thing is food safety in Ecuador. As a developing country, Ecuador does not always have the same food hygiene standards you might be used to at home. I personally got extremely sick from food poisoning while I was in Cuenca, probably thanks to a fruit smoothie I had at the local market.
You should be careful with raw fruits and vegetables, as well as street food.
It’s also important to note that you can’t drink the tap water in Ecuador. I always travel with my LifeStraw water bottle that instantly filters water for me. This worked great in Ecuador (and the rest of South America) and it saves you from having to buy bottled water constantly. Highly recommend getting one!
Language Barrier in Ecuador
Another thing to take into consideration is the potential language barrier in Ecuador. Spanish is the official language of Ecuador, although many indigenous languages are also spoken.
English is not widely spoken in Ecuador aside from some people working in the tourism industry. For this reason, knowing some Spanish will be very helpful when traveling in Ecuador.
I speak and understand Spanish okay, which is probably part of the reason I feel so comfortable in Ecuador and the rest of Latin America. While it’s definitely possible to get by with minimal Spanish, being able to speak at least the basics of Spanish can help make your travel experience smoother overall.
Altitude Sickness in Ecuador
One final safety concern in Ecuador that you might not expect is altitude sickness!
Parts of Ecuador are located at a high altitude, especially the capital city Quito. The altitude in Quito is 9,350 feet which is well over the threshold at which altitude sickness can kick in. If you hike Cotopaxi Volcano, which is a popular tourist activity, you’ll be exposed to even higher altitudes.
Altitude sickness can affect anyone, regardless of age or physical fitness level.
I personally experienced mild altitude sickness when I arrived in Quito. For the first couple of days there, I had a pretty bad headache. I made sure to drink tons of water and took Advil until it stopped.
Other ways to combat altitude sickness include avoiding alcohol, not going to a higher altitude until your symptoms go away, and limiting your physical activity and getting plenty of rest.
Is Ecuador Safe for Solo Female Travelers?
Overall, you can visit Ecuador safely as a solo female traveler. I did and I had a great time!
I was blown away by how beautiful Ecuador is. It has incredibly diverse natural beauty, from mountains to volcanoes to dramatic lakes to waterfalls to jungles and more. It’s a fun and adventurous destination. It’s also one of the most affordable destinations in South America, making it a great value.
I highly recommend Ecuador as a solo female traveler. As long as you follow basic safety precautions, do plenty of research, and know what to expect, you should not experience any issues.
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