Exercise caution — there are real risks that travellers should plan around. Political freedoms are limited and travellers should be mindful of local sensitivities.
Regional breakdown
The risk picture in Ecuador is split sharply between the coast and the highlands. The official advisory guidance warns against all but essential travel to seven coastal provinces: Esmeraldas, Manabí, Santa Elena, Guayas, El Oro. Los Ríos and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. Airside transit through Guayaquil airport is treated separately and remains permitted. A 20km strip along the Colombian border carries the same warning, with named exceptions for the El Ángel Ecological Reserve. The Rumichaca crossing, Tulcán town and the Pan-American Highway itself. The official advisory guidance goes further in specific pockets. It tells citizens not to travel to Guayaquil south of Portete de Tarqui Avenue, to Duran canton. To Huaquillas and Arenillas in El Oro, to Quevedo, Quinsaloma and Pueblo Viejo in Los Ríos. And to Esmeraldas city and the strip running north to the Colombian frontier. Sucumbíos in the Amazon north-east is also flagged at the higher tier. The Andean spine looks different. Quito, Cuenca, Otavalo, Baños and the routes onto Cotopaxi and Chimborazo sit outside the highest warnings, as do the Galápagos Islands. Travellers heading to those areas still pass through a country under emergency rule, so conditions can shift between provinces within a single day.
Recent advisory changes
The official advisory guidance last updated its Ecuador guidance on 11 March 2026. It reflects a 30-day state of internal disturbance, renewed on 28 February 2026, that covers 11 provinces. Four of those provinces — Guayas, Los Ríos. Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and El Oro — sit under an 11pm to 5am curfew running through 30 March. The official advisory guidance also reminds travellers that going against its advice can void UK travel insurance. The official advisory guidance reissued its Ecuador advisory on 14 October 2025 and holds the country at Level 2. Exercise Increased Caution, with the Level 3 and Level 4 carve-outs listed above. The advisory points to four drivers: violent crime tied to drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion targeting foreigners and residents. The risk of attacks using vehicle-borne or drone-delivered devices, and protests that can shut down inter-provincial routes. Both governments describe a heightened police and military footprint nationwide, which travellers will notice at checkpoints, in ports and around government buildings.
What travellers should know
Practical planning matters more in Ecuador now than it did two years ago. Check official advisory guidance and official advisory guidance pages within 48 hours of departure, because provincial decrees and curfews are being renewed in 30-day cycles. Confirm with airlines and tour operators whether their cover still applies to your itinerary, particularly if it touches Guayas. Los Ríos, Esmeraldas or the northern border. Carry a printed copy of your accommodation address and a working local SIM. As roadblocks tied to protests can cut data coverage in the coastal provinces. On the ground, the recurring advice from both governments is to avoid displays of wealth. Use booked transport rather than street taxis, and treat ATMs as a daytime activity in busy, well-lit locations. Express kidnappings — short abductions ending in forced ATM withdrawals — have been reported in Guayaquil and Quito. Travellers heading into the Amazon should arrange transfers through established lodges rather than driving themselves near Sucumbíos. Anyone visiting the Galápagos should still expect security checks at mainland transit points. Register with your embassy if your stay runs beyond a short visit, and keep one contact at home briefed on your route.