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A mudflow of rocks and debris cascaded through the streets of Alausí on Wednesday — the third landslide event in the Chimborazo canton in just two weeks. The military has deployed to clear roads and assist evacuations as the rainy season intensifies.
Quito was pounded by hail and electrical storms Wednesday afternoon, then blanketed by dense fog Thursday morning. Ecuador’s weather agency forecasts intensifying rainfall through March, raising mudslide risk in the capital’s surrounding valleys.
A group of individuals dragged a dolphin ashore at Crucita beach in Manabí during Carnival and gutted it in front of dozens of tourists and a police officer. Ecuador’s Environment Minister has ordered a criminal investigation under wildlife protection laws that carry up to three years in prison.
Ecuador’s Interior Minister announced that the La Roca maximum-security prison in Guayaquil will be repurposed exclusively for female inmates within four weeks, while construction on a massive new 15,000-bed prison facility begins at the end of Q1.
Since December 24, 2025, only the Rumichaca crossing (Colombia) and Huaquillas crossing (Peru) remain open for international land transit. All other border bridges are physically barricaded as part of the government's security strategy.
Coffee grown in Quito's UNESCO-designated Chocó Andino Biosphere Reserve is gaining international recognition and finding growing markets in Europe, adding another dimension to Ecuador's agricultural export story.
Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2026 features horseback riding among Ecuador's chagra cowboys near Volcán Cotopaxi as one of 25 must-do experiences worldwide. The recognition comes as tourism numbers approach pre-pandemic levels and Cuenca rents climb 20% in central neighborhoods.
INAMHI forecasts heavy rainfall with electrical storms across most of Ecuador through February 19, with three provinces on red alert and nine on orange. The highlands face afternoon thunderstorms, the coast faces flooding risks, and four highways remain closed from earlier weather damage.
President Noboa announced Friday that the national government will operate from Guayaquil for several weeks, with the National Police high command relocating as well. The move comes two days after the arrest of Guayaquil’s mayor and amid record violence that made Ecuador the world’s most dangerous country in 2025.
A major landslide at kilometer 36 of the Calacalí–La Independencia highway on Friday night has completely shut down one of the two main routes connecting Quito to the coast. Travelers face 7-hour detours via Alóag–Santo Domingo as Carnival weekend begins.
International cacao prices have collapsed from a record $13,000 per ton in late 2024 to $3,581 in February 2026. Ecuadorian farmers now receive roughly $130 per quintal — down from $400 a year ago — squeezing margins in communities across the coast.
Loja province has been placed on orange alert and emergency warehouses now hold over 6,000 humanitarian aid kits — three times the historical average. Three cantons are under active watch as the rainy season intensifies across Ecuador's southern highlands.
