If you plan on residing in Ecuador for a period of more than six months, you will need to apply for a visa.
It is important to note that if you come into the country on a tourist visa 
(12–X), you will not be able to apply for any other type of permanent visa while in the country. You will have to return to your country of origin and apply from there.
There are two main categories of semi-permanent visas (non-tourists) these are the Non-Resident and Resident (immigrant) visa.
The following information is current from October of 2008, so it is a good idea to investigate the visas requirements and standards before traveling to Ecuador. If you are in Ecuador and need visa advice, head to the Ministry’s office in Quito at Carrión 10-40 and Av. 10 de Agosto. You can also call (593 2) 299–3284/299–3285, although if you go in person you will likely be less frustrated.
For anyone coming into Ecuador for less than 90 days all you need to obtain is a 12–X visa, which is your standard tourist visa. To be issued such a visa all you need is to fill out the form (at the airport), have a valid passport for more than 6 months, have a return ticket, and show proof of your ability to support yourself financially while you are in Ecuador, as those on the tourist visa are prohibited from working. (If you are coming from the US, Canada, or a few other select countries you can renew your tourist visa for another 90 days at the Ministry office in Quito – address is listed above.)
If you want to work while in Ecuador, or want to be able to stay more than 90 days, you can apply for a study visa (12–V), a work visa (12–VI), a volunteer or religious visa (12–VII), a culture exchange visa (12–VIII) or a long-stay business or tourism visa (12–IX).
You can apply for any of the following visas at the Ecuadorian consulate or embassy office in your home country. All of the above listed visas can be renewed from within Ecuador.
Call the nearest consulate to find out the exact fees and stipulations for applying for each of teh following visas.
Here is a list of the Ecuadorian Consulates in the United States:
If what you are looking for in your dining experience is typical Ecuadorian food, then head to Mama Clorinda. The restaurant is on the large side, with 
two levels, and is a perfect place for large groups to go. Not only is there enough room for everyone, the menu is extensive enough that everyone can find something they like.
Mama Clorinda is a popular spot for locals, which has made it a popular spot for tourists as well. The menu features traditional Ecuadorian meals, and might be the only place you actually try cuy (roasted guinea pig). Or maybe not.
Other popular traditional menu choices include the goat stew (seco de chivo) and the guatita (beef, potato, and peanut stew). A must try is the llapingachos: homemade corn tortillas smothered in cheese. 
You can also get more familiar dishes such as grilled pork or roasted chicken and corn on the cob.
An unexpected part of this Gringo’s trip to Mama Clorinda was the entertainment: typical Andean music from Ecuador. It was quite interesting, and very pleasant. Not overpowering at all, it added to our dining experience.
You might avoid it because of the hype, but Mama Clorinda restaurant is clean, professional, and serves up some of the 
best recipes from the highlands of Ecuador. It is definitely worth a visit.
Mama Clorinda is located on Reina Victoria 1144 and Calama, Quito. The phone number is 593 02/2544–362. Reservations aren’t necessary. Main dishes cost between 5 and 15 dollars.
One of the most popular destinations in Ecuador for international travelers and retirees who want to have a little less city than Quito, but a little more connected than Vilcabamba is Otavalo.
At less than 2 hours from Quito, Otavalo is easily accessible by visitors, and has become a major center of tourism in Ecuador. In addition, the first Indigenous Mayor of 
Otavalo, Mario Conejo, is working to transform Otavalo into a model city for Latin America. How? Renovation of the downtown area, a ban on inner city heavy traffic and other bold social programs. Such changes are expected to create a surge in tourism directed at Otavalo.
Otavalo was put on the map by the Otavalo Indians, who are considered to be the most successful tribe of Indians, both economically and politically, in all of Latin America. Not only are they recognized worldwide for their fantastic textiles and high quality craftsmanship, they are also a part of Ecuador’s political world. In addition, Otavalo has ventured into other businesses, becoming the center of Andean folklore music with 3 recording studios.
Surrounded by the Andean mountains, Otavalo is a valley of spectacular views with consistent spring-like weather, making it an attractive place to visit or live.
If you’re thinking about investing in Ecuador, real estate in particular, I suggest looking up Gary A. Scott’s Ecuador Real Estate and Mystical Andes Tours. The tour offers much more than just information about real estate in Ecuador, it gives you an education on 
the market and additional information on business ideas and life in Ecuador in general. Gary and his wife, Merri, are the perfect ones to be offering this tour, as they have experience in real estate around the world (40 years experience in international business), and have been in Ecuador for the last 13 years, owning property and a successful business.
The tour departs from Quito, Ecuador and has a duration of two days in the Province of Imbabura. Gary and Merri recommend that you arrive in Quito one or two days before your tour departure date. After the tour ends you can depart the evening of the last day of the real estate tour or the following morning.
Time for a little travel warning for those headed towards Vilcabamba: do not stay at the hostel Las Ruinas de Quinara, also known as La Casa de Mauricio. The place gets nothing but bad reports from those who stay there, and currently a petition has been made to LibertadLatina.org to do something about the situation.
If you look up Las Ruinas de Quinara almost all the reviews (we’re talking 99.9%) are 
bad. I have never stayed there personally, but around town no one speaks kindly of the owner (except maybe the hostel staff) and many travelers avoid the place because of his reputation of making unwanted advances on female guests.
Because of the hype Vilcabamba receives as being a modern day Garden of Eden of sorts, many who have invested there feel that this is not the kind of bad press that Vilcabamba needs. However, something has to be done. In Ecuador the police protection is minimal, at best, and there is little or no respect for harassment or rape charges. With no strong forensic science, a witness is required to even being to do anything against a sexual offender, and even then many of the police can be bought for the right price.
So for the amount I have been hyping Vilcabamba lately you are probably already making plans to come down and live the natural life! Problem is, how do you get to Vilcabamba?
Basically, you can get to pretty much anywhere you want to in Ecuador, in all of South America really, by bus, if you’re up for the trip. To get to Vilcabamba from Quito you have to take a 15 hour long bus ride from the there to Loja, where the transfer to Vilcabamba is. From there is it another 45 minutes drive to Vilcabamba.
If you don’t have 15 hours to spend touring the Ecuador countryside on a bus, or you value your back, you may prefer to take a direct flight from Quito to La Toma airport, near Loja. If you landed in Ecuador in Guayaquil you can also take a domestic flight into La Toma. Both flights take about 1 hour. Tame Airlines is a popular domestic airline i
n Ecuador and offers several flights throughout the week, both in the morning and the afternoon. Icaro Airline is also another option. (And I hear they employ lingerie models to walk to the aisles during flights…)
After you land in La Toma, Icaro Airlines offers a van service into Loja, which costs under 5 dollars per person. You can also choose to take a shared taxi into Loja, which will cost about half the price.
Once in Loja there is a bus and taxi service that takes you down into the Valley. It costs a couple dollars if you’re sharing, or around 5 dollars if you want it private.
There is also a taxi service that will take you from the airport in La Toma straight to Vilcabamba which costs between $30 and $40 per person. If you are staying at a hotel or hostel in Vilcabamba make sure and ask if they provide service to the airport. They may offer a discounted or free service for hotel guests.
Tasty treats in Vilcabamba can be found at Layseca’s Bakery, and they are probably some of the best you’ll find in all of Ecuador!
Layseca’s is owned by a Belgian chocolatier and cookie 
manufacturer and his Peruvian wife Leonor.
The shop dishes out a daily mix of homemade crepes, waffles, chocolate, cookies, cakes, marmalade, homemade bread and coffee.
Layseca’s uses only the best fresh, organic ingredients. For what you get, the prices are incredible! (A bag of cookies costs less than a dollar!) It’s clear Leonor and her husband are out to share their passion with Vilcabamba, and live happily in the “Valley of Longevity”.
It is located on Juan Montavalo 114–21 and Bolivar in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. The phone number is 093956252 or you can email laysecas@hotmail.com.
The Hacienda San Joaquin, as mentioned in the previous post, is a 663–acre ranch in the Andes Mountains, just two miles outside of Vilcabamba.
There are a limited number of riverfront and hillside homes that are available for 
purchase on the property, which will for the most part remain untouched.
Hacienda San Joaquin is bordered by the Andes Mountains on three sides and the Vilcabamba River on the fourth. The lowest elevation on the property, at the bottom of the valley is 4839 feet, and rises up to 6512 feet in the mountains. Most of the homes are located at an elevation of 5000 feet.
These tips come from Mike at NaturalNews.com. If anyone is an advocate for the benefits of living in Vilcabamba, it’s him, and not without good reason.
Here are just a few of Vilcabamba’s pluses; the cost of living is low, the weather is great, there is abundant water and sunshine and the locals are friendly. Praised for its many health benefits, Vilcabamba has long been thought of as an ideal place to live.
So then what do you need to 
watch out for? The mosquitos, for one. Also, you have to be ready to live without all the amenities you find back home, or in a larger city. It is definitely the kind of place you would want to visit for an extended time period, say several weeks or a month, before making the move.
Without further ado, here are Mike’s tips. (Check out more from Mike on NaturalNews.com)
• Do NOT get in a taxi that’s yellow with a horizontal blue stripe along the edge. These taxis belong to a company of suicidal drivers who seem to be on kamikazee missions. Opt for a white truck taxi instead of the yellow / blue taxis. (Trust me on this…)
• DO strap all your important stuff to your body. There’s not much violent crime in Ecuador, but there are a lot of pickpockets. You can pretty much kiss goodbye to anything that’s not physically strapped to your body (including your purse, cell phone, backpack, etc.) If you wear a backpack, wear it in FRONT.
• DO practice some Spanish before you get here. You’ll need the basics. The very best course I’ve ever found is Pimsleur Spanish, levels 1, 2 and 3. If you get through just level one, you’ll do fine here. (It’s an audio course.) I studies 3 levels for a couple of months and I can get by here with everything I need: Taxis, buying things, asking for directions, making reservations, etc.
• DO bring long pants. Don’t run around in shorts all the time, especially at night, or you’ll get sandfly bites on your ankles. They’re not harmful, but they itch like a bitch.
• DO bring your own toilet paper. Why? Because all the TP here is loaded with fragrance chemicals. Seriously. Load up your suitcase with TP. It’s not even very heavy.
• DO contact Joe or Yadira at San Joaquin before you visit, as they can help you arrange your trip. The local hotel will cost you about $20 / night.
• DO bring lots of $1 and $5 bills. Locals don’t accept $10 and $20 bills, and don’t even think about bringing a fifty. Load up with $1 bills like a crack dealer and just bring those bills with you! Ecuador uses U.S. currency, so you don’t need to exchange anything. Cool, huh?
• DO bring your own natural soap, shampoo and feminine hygiene products. You won’t be able to find “natural” brands here.
Now obviously the natural products and the toilet paper might not be a necessity for all, but it is a good idea to bring any products you feel you can’t live without.
Mike mentioned Joe and Yadira at San Joaquin… more about them and what they have there about to come.
Scientist believe they do. Although longevity studies are not as popular today as they were say 20 or 30 years ago, many have weighed in their opinions on Vilcabamba, Ecuador. They feel the people really do live longer, and you don’t need a scientist to tell you that. Take a brisk walk through the city and you’ll see what they mean; crowns of gray hair adorn many of the city’s residents.
Theories on why residents live so long in Vilcabamba abound. Some of the reasons are thought to be:
- Pure air due to negative ionization
- Perfect mineral balance in the drinking water
- Better climate
- Cultivation of “Yuca Tuber”
- Genetic factors
In reality, combining all the discoveries scientists have made in regards to longevity in Vilcabamba creates a pretty solid basis for extended life span. It is not likely that it is just the air, or just the water, but rather a combination of the geographic location, climate, soil, air, water and way of life that keep these residents so young.
To read further about the research done by scientists in Vilcabamba click here.
