How safe is Ecuador for travelers?

The current picture

Ecuador's security situation deteriorated sharply from 2023 and has not recovered. Guidebooks and blogs written before then describe a different country.

• A nationwide state of emergency is in force, with police and military deployed without notice and extra checks that can disrupt travel.
• The FCDO's advisory covers far more than three provinces. All but essential travel is advised against in Esmeraldas, Manabi, Santa Elena, El Oro, Los Rios, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas and the whole of Guayas - Guayaquil included, with the sole exception of airside transit at Guayaquil airport.
• It also covers the Colombian border. Within 20 km of it, except the El Angel Ecological Reserve, the Rumichaca crossing, Tulcan and the Pan-American Highway in Carchi; plus Lago Agrio in Sucumbios and San Lorenzo in Esmeraldas by name.
• Between them those provinces are most of the coast. If your itinerary was built around Guayaquil, Montanita or the Ruta del Spondylus, that is what the advisory is about.
• Car bombs exploded near Mall del Sol and the Sheraton in Guayaquil on 14 and 15 October 2025, with further explosions across Guayas and El Oro.
• The violence is overwhelmingly between criminal organisations rather than aimed at tourists, and the risk to a visitor is being nearby rather than being targeted.
• Quito, Cuenca, Banos, Otavalo, Mindo, the Amazon lodges and the Galapagos remain normal places to travel, with ordinary city precautions.

Express kidnapping and drugging

• Express kidnapping is common throughout Ecuador: a short opportunistic abduction to empty your accounts at cash machines. It is the reason for the rules about taxis and ATMs.
• Scopolamine is used to incapacitate victims and can be absorbed through the skin, applied to your hand, face or body without your noticing.
• Never accept a drink, a cigarette, a sweet or a leaflet from a stranger, and do not leave a drink unattended.
• If you are robbed, hand everything over. Nothing you are carrying is worth an injury.

The taxi rule

• Use a registered taxi or an app, never a car hailed on the street, especially after dark.
• Registered taxis have an orange number plate, a meter and a visible driver ID.
• Book through your hotel or a radio-dispatched service if you are not using an app.
• Ride in the back, keep the door locked and the phone out of sight.

Everyday city crime

• Bag snatching and pickpocketing on the Trolebus, in markets, at bus terminals and around La Mariscal in Quito.
• Phone snatching in traffic through open car windows and from pedestrians.
• Carry a decoy wallet with a small amount of cash and leave the rest in a hotel safe.
• Photocopy your passport and carry that, keeping the original locked up except when you need it.

Nature, which is the other half

• Altitude affects everyone in Quito, Cotopaxi and Quilotoa. Ascend slowly and see the health section.
• Volcanoes are active. Cotopaxi, Tungurahua and Sangay all have exclusion zones that change; check before climbing anything.
• Pacific currents are strong and drownings at Montanita and the coastal beaches are frequent.
• Protests and roadblocks are common and can close the Pan-American at short notice. They are not aimed at you and are not somewhere to be.