Lonely Planet Names Ecuador's Andes Among the World's 25 Must-Do Experiences for 2026

When the world's most influential travel guide puts your country on the list, people pay attention.

The Recognition

Lonely Planet has named Ecuador one of its featured destinations in the Best in Travel 2026 edition — the travel industry's most widely referenced annual recommendation list.

Specifically, horseback riding in the Andes was selected as one of 25 must-do experiences worldwide — featuring Ecuador's chagra cowboy culture and riding through the highlands near Volcán Cotopaxi (5,897 meters).

The entry describes the experience as "immersing yourself in the land's rhythm, traversing remote paths, stopping at traditional haciendas frozen in time, then relaxing with warm hospitality and authentic cuisine, blending adventure with a sense of belonging."

Important context: Ecuador appears in the experiences category, not the destinations list. The 2026 edition uses a completely new format — two unranked lists of 25 (destinations and experiences), replacing the old ranked country/city/region system. Some coverage has framed this as Ecuador being named a "top destination," which overstates it slightly, but the international exposure is real and significant.

What Lonely Planet Highlighted

The Andes horseback experience focuses on:

• Los chagras — Andean cowboys described as the "Spirits of the Highlands" — skilled horsemen dedicated to preserving the land and their animals
• Cotopaxi National Park — 33,393 hectares of páramo grasslands with Ecuador's most iconic volcano as backdrop
• Traditional haciendas — multi-century estates offering hospitality, authentic cuisine, and a window into highland agricultural life
• The Avenue of Volcanoes — Alexander von Humboldt's name for the corridor of peaks running through the central highlands
• Best time to visit: July (dry season, clear skies for volcano views)

The Full 2026 Lists

For context, here's where Ecuador sits:

25 Must-Do Experiences (selected highlights):

• Trekking in Tajikistan, cultural food tours in Dubai, tracking elephants in Namibia, rafting the Grand Canyon, horseback riding in Ecuador's Andes, Mekong River cruises, and whale-watching in the Azores, among others

25 Must-Visit Destinations (Ecuador not on this list):

• Peru, Sri Lanka, Maine (USA), Cádiz (Spain), Botswana, Cartagena (Colombia), Finland, Mexico City, and others

Notably, Peru made the destinations list and Colombia appears through Cartagena — Ecuador has strong regional company.

Ecuador Tourism by the Numbers

The recognition comes during a period of steady tourism recovery:

| Year | International Arrivals | |------|------------------------| | 2019 | 2,044,000 (pre-pandemic) | | 2020 | 468,900 | | 2023 | 1,423,432 | | 2026 (projected) | ~2,800,000 |

Revenue: Tourism contributes approximately 2.9% of GDP and 4.8% of employment. The top source market is the United States (29.8%), followed by Colombia (16.8%) and Spain (8.2%).

Galápagos: A record 330,000 tourists visited the national park in 2023. Entry fees doubled from $100 to $200 for international visitors in August 2024 — the first increase since 1998.

The Tourism Infrastructure Push

Ecuador is expanding its hospitality infrastructure to match the growing attention:

• 4,957 hotels and 15 cruise operations currently active
• New Courtyard by Marriott Quito (84 rooms)
• New Hotel Oro Verde Portoviejo (71 rooms)
• New Hermes Catamaran for luxury Galápagos cruises (12 suites)

What This Means for Expats

• Real estate implications: International recognition drives interest from prospective buyers and renters. Cuenca has already seen 8–12% annual property value appreciation and rental increases of up to 20% in central neighborhoods. Listings in expat-popular areas now command $500–600/month for apartments that rented for $350 two years ago. More tourism exposure means more demand pressure
• The other side of visibility: More tourists and newcomers can strain infrastructure, drive up prices, and change neighborhood character. Long-term residents in places like Cuenca's El Centro, Gringolandia, and the El Vergel corridor already feel this
• Cotopaxi is on your doorstep: If you live in Ecuador and haven't done a chagra horseback experience near Cotopaxi, this is your sign. Hacienda El Porvenir and others offer day and multi-day rides. It's one of the most accessible adventure experiences in the country
• Visitor season planning: July is highlighted as the best time to visit. Expect higher demand for short-term rentals, tours, and flights during the June–August dry season window
• The security caveat: Lonely Planet's recognition sits alongside ongoing international coverage of Ecuador's security crisis. The State Department travel advisory and recent violence in Guayaquil and Esmeraldas complicate the narrative. The reality, as always, is that highland cities like Cuenca, Quito's northern valleys, and the Galápagos remain safe, while coastal urban areas carry higher risk

Sources: Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2026, Metropolitan Touring, CNN, The Cuenca Dispatch