Ecuador
Travel Destination – Ecuador
Ecuador delivers an exceptional blend of natural and cultural wonders, from its dramatic volcanic highlands to its biodiverse cloud forests and remote Amazon regions. The Galápagos Islands offer rare wildlife encounters found nowhere else on Earth, while historic centres like Quito and Cuenca showcase deep Indigenous heritage and striking colonial architecture. Whether you're planning to hike among active volcanoes, explore rainforest waterways, or island-hop in the Galápagos, making some smart health preparations will help ensure a safe and rewarding travel experience.
Health Risks
Pre-travel preparation
To prepare for a safe and enjoyable trip to Ecuador, an appointment with a travel doctor can help provide you with tailored health advice for your itinerary, whether you’re touring the Galápagos islands, visiting the equator, or hiking volcanoes. Your travel doctor can review your vaccination history, recommend any travel vaccines for Ecuador, and provide prescriptions for required medications. Booking your appointment six to eight weeks before travelling helps allow time for potential multi-dose vaccines and detailed health advice. However, a last-minute travel health consultation is still helpful for accelerated vaccination schedules and essential information to keep you safe in Ecuador.
Insect avoidance
In Ecuador, mosquitoes can carry diseases such as Dengue, Malaria, and Zika, particularly in lowland and Amazon regions. To reduce your risk, stay in accommodation with air-conditioning and fly screens, but if these aren’t available use a permethrin-treated mosquito net. When outdoors, especially at dawn and dusk, wear long sleeves and long pants, and apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Additional protective measures include treating clothing and gear with permethrin and reducing standing water around your accommodation to limit mosquito breeding.
Food and water hygiene
Ecuador offers a diverse food scene, from fresh coastal seafood to hearty Andean dishes, but travellers should take care with food and water hygiene to avoid gastroenteritis and other gastrointestinal infections. Always wash your hands with soap and water or use antiseptic hand gel before eating. Choose food that is freshly cooked, thoroughly cooked, and served hot, and avoid raw, undercooked, or reheated meals. Street food is generally safest when it is cooked in front of you and served immediately. Fruits and vegetables are safer when they can be peeled before eating, such as bananas and mangos. To reduce the risk of waterborne illness, drink only boiled, filtered, or bottled water, and avoid untreated tap water and ice made from it.
Rabies prevention
Australia is one of the few parts of the world that is free of rabies, but in Ecuador the virus is present in dogs, bats, and other mammals. The most effective way to prevent rabies is to avoid contact with animals, including strays and wildlife. Before travelling, it is recommended to discuss with a travel doctor whether pre-exposure rabies vaccination is appropriate for you, particularly if you plan to visit rural or remote areas, spend time outdoors, or work with animals. If you are bitten, scratched, or exposed to saliva from an animal while in Ecuador, seek immediate medical attention. Prompt treatment can prevent rabies, which is almost one hundred percent fatal once symptoms develop.
Our Travel Doctors
Our fully qualified doctors have an interest in travel medicine and immunisations. And they know travel. Their expert advice will be tailored for you, your travel companions and your trip.
Which shots do I need for Ecuador?
Yellow Fever
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Yellow Fever is a viral infection carried by mosquitoes that can cause fever, headaches, muscle pain, and fatigue. The skin and eyes may turn yellow, and severe complications such as liver and kidney failure can occur, resulting in a fatality rate of 30-60% for these severe cases. In Ecuador, Yellow Fever risk exists mainly in low-altitude regions east of the Andes, including parts of the Amazon basin, while highland cities such as Quito are generally lower risk. Vaccination is medically recommended for travellers visiting risk areas, especially locations with high elevation. People who have lived in or travelled to high risk areas may require proof of Yellow Fever vaccination for entry to Ecuador, so it is important to discuss your itinerary with your travel doctor, as requirements can change.
Hepatitis A
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Contaminated food and water can spread Hepatitis A, a virus that infects the liver and causes fever, fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine, pale stools, and yellowing of the skin or eyes. Hepatitis A is more common in Ecuador than in Australia, and many Australians are not routinely immunised. Travellers who have not completed a two-dose course of the Hepatitis A vaccine are strongly advised to be vaccinated before travel, particularly if visiting rural areas, eating street food, or planning a homestay with local communities.
Typhoid
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Travellers to Ecuador can contract Typhoid fever through contaminated food or water. It is a bacterial infection often caused by Salmonella Typhi. Symptoms can include prolonged fever, fatigue, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, or constipation, and the illness can be severe without treatment. Typhoid is more common in areas with limited sanitation. Vaccination is recommended for travellers who have not previously been immunised, especially those staying with friends or relatives, or visiting rural areas. In addition to immunisation, safe food and water practices remain essential prevention strategies.
Hepatitis B
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The hepatitis B virus spreads through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids, infecting the liver and causing tiredness, nausea, abdominal pain, and yellowing of the skin and eyes. In some people, it may lead to long-term liver disease. Transmission can occur through unprotected sex, unsterile tattooing or piercing, medical procedures, or sharing personal items such as razors. While many younger Australians received Hepatitis B vaccination during childhood, some adults remain unprotected. Hepatitis B vaccination is generally recommended for travellers to Ecuador who have not been vaccinated, particularly those planning longer stays or activities that may increase exposure risk. A travel doctor can review your immunisation history and provide personalised advice.
Routine vaccinations
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Australia’s strong immunisation program means diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, and tetanus are uncommon within Australia. However, these vaccine-preventable illnesses circulate more widely in Ecuador, increasing the risk of exposure for travellers. Before departure, it is recommended to review your routine vaccinations with a travel health professional to ensure they are up to date. Boosters may be advised for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), tetanus, influenza, and COVID-19, depending on your age, medical history, and travel plans.
Ecuador
Other health risks in Ecuador
Malaria
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Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes that infects the liver and red blood cells, causing symptoms such as high fever, chills, fatigue, muscle aches, and anaemia. In severe cases, malaria can affect the brain and become life threatening. In Ecuador, malaria risk is present mainly in low-altitude tropical regions, particularly parts of the Amazon basin and coastal areas, compared to highland cities such as Quito. Your travel doctor may recommend antimalarial tablets, depending on your travel itinerary, and tablets may need to be started before travel and continued after leaving the risk area. Preventing mosquito bites, especially at night, remains a key part of malaria protection.
Dengue
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Dengue fever is a viral illness spread by Aedes mosquitoes and is present in many regions of Ecuador, particularly in urban, coastal, and tropical lowland areas. Symptoms commonly include fever, severe fatigue, headaches, muscle and joint pain, and rash. Most people recover within one to two weeks after their first infection, however, repeat infections increase the risk of a severe form of dengue that involves dangerously low blood pressure and internal bleeding. The mosquitoes that transmit dengue are active primarily during the day. Prevention focuses on avoiding mosquito bites by using insect repellent, wearing long sleeves and pants, and reducing standing water where mosquitoes can breed.
Rabies
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Australia is one of the few parts of the world that is free of rabies, but in Ecuador the virus is present in dogs, bats, and other mammals. The most effective way to prevent rabies is to avoid contact with animals, including strays and wildlife. Before travelling, it is recommended to discuss with a travel doctor whether pre-exposure rabies vaccination is appropriate for you, particularly if you plan to visit rural or remote areas, spend time outdoors, or work with animals. If you are bitten, scratched, or exposed to saliva from an animal while in Ecuador, seek immediate medical attention. Prompt treatment can prevent rabies, which is almost one hundred percent fatal once symptoms develop.
Gastroenteritis
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People who travel to Ecuador are at risk of developing gastroenteritis, also known as travellers’ diarrhoea, which is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with bacteria such as campylobacter, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli or salmonella. Gastroenteritis causes diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and cramps around 24 to 72 hours after exposure. Maintaining hydration is the most important part of treatment, ideally using oral rehydration solutions to replace lost fluids and salts.
Most symptoms resolve within one to three days without further treatment, but medical care is needed if symptoms are severe, prolonged, or if fluid intake cannot keep up with losses. Prevention relies on good hand hygiene and avoiding high-risk foods and drinks.
Non-infectious conditions
Crime and unrest
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Ecuador has declared a nation-wide state of 'internal armed conflict' and a separate state of emergency due to crime and military efforts to combat it. A high degree of caution should be exercised when considering travel to certain parts of Ecuador, with the latest information available on the Australian government’s Smartraveller website.
Altitude sickness
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Many travellers to Ecuador spend time at high elevations, particularly in cities such as Quito (2,850 metres), Cuenca (2,560 metres), and in mountainous regions across the Andes. Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) can affect around one in four people who ascend to altitudes above 2,450 metres without proper acclimatisation. Early symptoms may include headache, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, or vomiting. These symptoms often improve within 12–48 hours if you avoid ascending further.
More serious forms of altitude illness can occur at very high elevations, typically above 4,300 metres, such as when trekking near Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, or other high Andean peaks. High-Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACE) may cause confusion, altered behaviour, or difficulty walking, while High-Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPE) can cause shortness of breath, coughing, or reduced exercise tolerance. Both conditions require urgent descent and immediate medical care.
To reduce the risk of altitude-related illness in Ecuador, ascend gradually, build rest days into your itinerary, and allow your body time to adjust. A travel doctor may recommend preventive medications for travellers heading to very high elevations. Anyone unfamiliar with AMS, HACE, or HAPE should consider travelling with an experienced guide when trekking at altitude.
The CDC highlights three essential precautions:
1) Recognise the early symptoms and act promptly.
2) Do not ascend to sleep at a higher altitude if symptoms develop.
3) Descend immediately if symptoms worsen or fail to improve at the same elevation.
Deep vein thrombosis
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Prolonged air, road and rail travel all carry with them the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This involves a solidifying of blood inside a blood vessel, caused by relative stasis in the flow of blood. Prevention involves getting up to move around at regular intervals during a long trip, staying well hydrated and, for those at risk of DVT, below-knee compression stockings can be worn. DVT is usually treated with blood-thinning medication.
Safety on the roads and elsewhere
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Ecuador offers a wide range of landscapes and travel experiences, so taking sensible safety precautions can make your trip smoother. Road conditions vary between regions, and long-distance journeys often involve mountainous terrain. Choose reputable transport providers and ensure that vehicles have functioning seatbelts. If you plan to ride a motorbike, always wear a certified helmet, be confident in your riding skills, and follow Ecuador’s traffic laws carefully.
For outdoor activities, whether you’re hiking in the Andes, exploring volcanic parks, or visiting the Amazon, wear sturdy, broken-in boots, use sunscreen and insect repellent, and choose routes that match your fitness level. Weather in high-altitude areas can change suddenly, making proper gear important. To safeguard your trip, comprehensive travel insurance that covers medical treatment, evacuation, and adventure activities is strongly recommended.