 Security
As said before, prudence and common sense are the most effective measures to prevent unpleasant circumstances. Nevertheless, there are some pointers we can give you that can avoid the “new to the city” issues, and some other annoyances you may find along the way.
 Never walk around parks at night. Especially in the big cities. Small towns and villages are safer but always keep an eye open.
If a street is too dark and too creepy then it’s probably not safe.
Mariscal in Quito may be a popular zone for foreigners, but crimes have been reported here so exercise caution when walking alone at night.
There have been incidents concerning kids that approach you to sell roses while another kid steals your wallet. If you want to buy from them, always keep an eye open.
Call Company cabs when available at night. They may be more expensive ($1 or $2), but they’re definitely safer.
If somebody tries to ask you for your documents in the middle of the day, dressed as a civilian, most of the time it’s just a police officer doing their job. However exceed caution when doing so.
Don’t use drugs. They’re illegal in Ecuador, people do get arrested and do get jail time for this. Drinking in public is pretty common here, although exercise care and respect about where you are and how you are returning home at night.
Be aware of your surroundings when taking public transportation. Especially in rush hours when getting in or out of the bus.
Always consult your tour operator before travelling to an unknown destination that is off the usual tourist trails.
When travelling from city to city on line buses, always be wary of where your baggage is being held, if it is in the lower decks, always try to sit on the side your things are stored, so you can check when they unload or load new baggage.
Never put your baggage on the upper shelfs on buses, always keep it on your feet.
Robberies and such are rare, but like in every country in the world you should be careful. One really useful way to keep some money safe is to sew a little pocket on the inside of your pants, don’t keep all your money there, but keep an emergency $20 for example. As your tour operator, we can’t offer you to store or keep your valuables, although we can store copies of your documents (passport, id, driver license) in our offices for free, and you yourself will seal and secure the envelope, or if you wish we store them digitally. We don’t store credit cards, traveller checks or any other type of monetary paper. | |
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