Most trips to Ecuador follow the same loop: a day or two in Quito’s old town, a flight to the Galápagos, and then home. Both halves are worth doing. But Ecuador also holds cloud forests, Amazon lagoons, and a coastal island that few people ever experience.
These six off-the-beaten-path things to do offer something the headline sights cannot, and they’re among the most memorable experiences you’ll have on your trip.
1. Explore the Canopy at Mashpi Cloud Forest
Mashpi sits in the Chocó cloud forest, northwest of Quito, where mist drifts through the trees most mornings, and the canopy is thick with orchids, hummingbirds, and animals unique to this region. Dawn walks are the best time for bird sightings, and the guides are as happy talking about moss and frogs as they are about anything with feathers.
Climb the canopy tower for a view across the treetops, or try the sky bike, a pedal-powered cable ride that takes you through the upper branches. It is quiet and slow. Because the reserve is within reach of Quito, visiting this cloud forest is a fairly easy addition to your itinerary.
Top Tip: A growing number of Galápagos and Ecuador tours pair a few cloud forest days with a flight out to the archipelago. The two ecosystems could hardly be more different, and many of these guided tours capture this without you needing to worry about the travel logistics.
2. Kayak the Black-Water Lagoons of Cuyabeno
Most Amazon itineraries in Ecuador head to Yasuni or the Napo River. Cuyabeno, in the northeast, is the quieter alternative. It’s a reserve of black-water lagoons where forests appear to float in floodwater for much of the year.
Consider a paddle experience in Laguna Grande at dawn, when the howler monkeys are loudest. Pink river dolphins turn up in these waters, and local indigenous guides know the forest in a way no guidebook can: which call is a toucan, which ripple is a caiman.
Night paddles are worth it too, with eyes glinting along the bank in a torch beam and frogs calling from every direction. Allow a few days, because getting in and out takes up much of the first and last day. Expect basic jungle lodges, humid heat, and a lot of insect repellent. In return, you get one of the wildest corners of Ecuador’s Amazon.
3. Ride with the Chagras Around Cotopaxi
The chagras are Ecuador’s Andean cowboys, and they still work the high grasslands around Cotopaxi on horseback. Riding with them is not a nose-to-tail trail ride. You cross open páramo, tussock, and wind through the high Andes, with one of the world’s highest active volcanoes filling the horizon whenever the clouds lift.
Rides range from a couple of hours to several days between haciendas, so you can sample it or commit to a multi-day tour. Some ranches teach a gentle, natural horsemanship style, so beginners are welcome.
Ask how the ranch matches riders to horses; good chagras will happily explain, and remember to bring layers. It’s cold up there, even when the sun is out, and altitude will make a simple canter feel like effort for the first day or two.
4. Cook a Pamba Mesa Meal in Cotacachi
In the Imbabura highlands, near Otavalo, Kichwa families still organise meals around the pamba mesa: food spread out on a cloth for everyone to share. Cooking one alongside a local host in the Cotacachi area gives a market-town stop some real authenticity.
You handle corn, potatoes, beans, and herbs grown nearby, and learn why the table is laid the way it is. It is a lunch you take part in rather than watch, and a better introduction to highland culture than another hour in a craft market. Pair it with a wander through Cotacachi’s leather shops, or an early start at Otavalo’s market on a Saturday, its busiest day. Dietary needs are usually easy to flag in advance.
5. Visit Isla de la Plata, the Poor Man’s Galápagos
Isla de la Plata lies off the coast of Machalilla National Park, a boat ride from Puerto López, and it is often called the poor man’s Galápagos. The nickname undersells it. Blue-footed boobies nest along the island’s trails, frigatebirds hang overhead, and the snorkelling is good.
Between roughly June and September, humpback whales pass through these waters, so the boat ride can be a highlight in itself. It’s a sensible alternative to the Galápagos, and it is usually much quieter. Day trips typically combine a guided walk on the island with snorkelling, so pack reef-safe sunscreen and a hat, and check sea conditions with the operator, since weather can cancel a boat trip at short notice.
6. Snorkel Through Kicker Rock off San Cristóbal
Back on the island, consider going to Kicker Rock, also called León Dormido. It isn’t exactly a secret, but most visitors only see it from the boat. Two sheer rock walls rise out of the Pacific with a narrow channel between them, and you can snorkel straight through it.
Galápagos sharks, rays, and sea turtles are regular sights below, with sea lions often darting past and seabirds watching from the ledges above. The current can be strong, so this is a guided outing for confident swimmers, not a casual dip.
Book it from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the island’s main town, and take a morning departure if you can.
Fitting These Into Your Trip
None of these need a week to themselves. Choose two or three, leave gaps in the schedule for weather and altitude, and you will come home with photos nobody else on your flight took. Ecuador is compact enough that flights and road transfers between regions are short, which is why these detours are easier to fit in than they sound.
