Travelling Ecuador With Children

October 19, 2026

Safety notice for families, October 2026: The government declared a 60-day state of exception on 15 September 2026 in eight provinces, Pichincha (Quito) among them, and curfews have been imposed on several occasions this year. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the coastal provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí, Santa Elena, Guayas, El Oro, Los Ríos and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas (airside transit at Guayaquil airport excepted) and to land within 20 km of the Colombian border, which includes Lago Agrio. The US State Department lists Ecuador at Level 2 overall at the time of writing, with higher levels for named districts. The highlands, Cuenca and the Galápagos lie outside the FCDO areas. Even so, street crime, express kidnapping after hailing a cab on the street and landslides during the forecast 2026-27 El Niño are all reported, so use registered taxis, stay on busy streets by day and keep bags closed. Check gov.uk and travel.state.gov before booking and again before flying. Everything below is for places outside the warned areas.

Ecuador’s fees, rules and comfort levels change with a child’s age, so this page is organised by age rather than by place. Altitude is the one constant: Quito is at about 2,850 m, Cuenca at about 2,560 m and the Quilotoa rim at about 3,900 m. Keep the first days slow, offer plenty of water and descend and get help if a child has a headache, vomiting, confusion or breathlessness at rest.

Babies and toddlers

Under-2s pay nothing for the Galápagos park fee, but the islands need mandatory travel health insurance, and Isabela has only a very basic health centre, so check medical cover before you book. On the mainland, the TelefériQo accepts children from 18 months. The ride takes about 18 minutes from 3,117 m to roughly 4,000 m, and it is cold and windy at the top, so pack hats and windproof layers. Weather can stop the cable car, so keep the afternoon free. Check current opening times on the operator’s fares and hours page .

Children under 12

Foreign children under 12 pay a US$100 Galápagos park fee, half the adult rate, and need the US$20 Transit Control Card from the CGREG counter at the Quito or Guayaquil airport. Rangers collect the fee on arrival at Baltra or San Cristóbal. The free exhibition hall at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora opens daily from 08:00 to 18:00 and has whale skeletons and the story of the tortoise breeding programme. Most sites need an authorised naturalist guide, and the rules ask everyone to keep 2 m from animals and use no flash.

Near Quito, the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo charges US$2.50 for children (adults US$5.00). It has a 30 m monument, a planetarium and several museums, and the doors open 09:00 to 17:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 18:00 at weekends. In Cotopaxi National Park the flat loop around Laguna de Limpiopungo takes about an hour at roughly 3,800 m, and is the easiest way for a family to see the volcano. There is no entrance fee, but you register with the rangers and carry passports for everyone. No public bus goes there, so book a tour or taxi, and check the IG-EPN Cotopaxi page before you leave.

Teenagers

Teens over 12 pay the full US$200 Galápagos fee, so budget for it. The Quilotoa crater suits energetic teenagers, who can walk down in 30 to 45 minutes, though the climb back takes 60 to 120 minutes and a mule uphill costs about US$10 to 12. The community fee is about US$2 and the village has no ATMs. The steep 45 to 75 minute scree walk toward the Cotopaxi refuge at about 4,800 m is a hard outing at altitude, so keep it for older teens who have spent several days acclimatising. Summit climbs are for adults with an accredited guide.

Mindo, about 2 hours from Quito, has a butterfly farm for about US$8 and chocolate tours for about US$10. The FCDO notes that British visitors have died on canopy walks and zip-lines in Ecuador, so use only licensed operators there and watch the harness checks.

If it rains

October to May is the usual rainy season, and a wet El Niño is forecast, so landslides can close mountain roads. Plan indoor stops for mornings you cannot drive: the Mitad del Mundo museums, the planetarium or the Darwin Station hall. Avoid road travel after dark.

Places to skip with children

The Pacific coast and Lago Agrio lie inside government advisory areas, and coastal beaches often have no warning flags and strong currents. Neither is a family stop on a Quito trip.

Browse guided options for families on Viator .