I know the situation in Ecuador changed for the worse this year. We are going to the Galapagos and then staying in Quito for a couple days before meeting up with the Amazon lodge tour in Lago Agrio. I was trying to find flights between Quito and Lago Agrio but it seems the airport in Nueva Loja doesn’t have any flights available ?

So we are stuck driving. I found a highly rated private driver company (day trip) as I figured it would be safer to book a car that can pick us up directly from our hotel and drop us directly at the next one rather than going to a bus station. Recommendations online seem to be to not travel at night so I would book it for the day before the tour meets (at 8am) and stay in a hotel overnight.

We’ve read some experiences regarding Quito, we know that the Galapagos and the Amazon lodge itself will be safe, I’m just a bit worried about the transfer from Quito to Lago Agrio. We’re probably not going to be leaving the hotels after dark and do our best to stay alert. It would be me and my partner going, and we’re both from Canada.

Just wondering if anyone who has recently been to Quito or Nuevo Loja has any experiences or recommendations they can share.

Thanks in advance!

Correction: more specifically it’s Lago Agrio that the tour is leaving from and where we will be spending one night.