Ecuador

Is Ecuador safe to visit?

It depends entirely on where you go. Ecuador had the highest homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary in South America in 2025, a record 50.9 per 100,000 according to InSight Crime, almost twice the rate in Colombia and five times that of Peru. Almost all of it is gang violence on the coast. The UK advises against all but essential travel to seven coastal provinces, including Guayas and its capital Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city.

The places most visitors come for are different. The Galápagos, Quito, Cuenca, Baños, Otavalo and the Andes are outside the US and UK warning zones. They still have street crime and express kidnapping, so they are not carefree, but the killings that drive the national rate are concentrated elsewhere. We score Ecuador 36, among the lowest of the countries we cover, because the score reflects the whole country.

Why did violence explode in Ecuador?

Ecuador sits between Colombia and Peru, the world's two largest cocaine producers, and its Pacific ports became major export routes. Local gangs such as the Choneros and the Lobos fought over ports, prisons and extortion. The homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary went from about 7 per 100,000 in 2019 to 45.7 in 2023 (World Bank data) and 50.9 in 2025.

The government responded with the army and repeated states of emergency. The latest, declared on 15 September 2026 for 60 days, covers Guayas, Manabí, Santa Elena, Los Ríos, El Oro, Pichincha, Esmeraldas and Santo Domingo provinces, with a midnight to 5 am curfew in some of them in late September. Expect checkpoints and soldiers on the streets, including in Quito.

Interior ministry figures show 4,882 homicides from January to July 2026, 7.8% fewer than in the same months of 2025. The fall is uneven: Guayaquil improved, but killings in El Oro province almost doubled, with Machala up from 159 to 280.

Where not to go

The two governments draw slightly different lines.

• UK (FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary): against all but essential travel to Esmeraldas, Manabí, Santa Elena, Guayas, El Oro, Los Ríos and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and to within 20 km of the Colombian border (except Tulcán, the Rumichaca crossing and the Pan-American Highway). Airside transit at Guayaquil airport is exempt. Travelling against this advice can void your insurance.
• US: Level 2 overall, but do not travel to southern Guayaquil (Nueva Prosperina, Pascuales and south of Portete de Tarqui Avenue), Durán, Huaquillas and Arenillas, Quevedo and nearby towns, and Esmeraldas city and the area north of it. Reconsider travel to the rest of Guayaquil and the other coastal provinces, plus Sucumbíos.

The FCDO stresses that tourists are not usually targeted but can be hit by mistaken identity or caught up in attacks. A car bomb exploded near the Mall del Sol and the Sheraton hotel in northern Guayaquil on 14 October 2025, killing at least one person.

Crime in Quito and the Andes

Outside the warning zones, the risk is theft and robbery rather than murder. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says muggings and pickpocketing are common in Quito's old town and at bus stations, and that thieves on motorbikes snatch bags at knife or gunpoint. Fake bus "inspectors" in Quito terminals tell passengers to put bags in the overhead rack so an accomplice can take them.

Express kidnappings are common throughout the country. Victims are usually picked up in taxis hailed on the street and driven between ATMs. Criminals also use scopolamine, a drug that leaves people compliant, sometimes offered on leaflets or in drinks.

Earthquakes, volcanoes and El Niño

Ecuador has a high earthquake and tsunami risk, and coastal towns and the Galápagos have tsunami sirens. Several volcanoes are active. Cotopaxi is the one to watch: an eruption could send mudflows (lahars) towards Latacunga and the valleys east of Quito. The authorities have issued a red alert for the 2026–2027 El Niño, which is expected to bring heavy rain, floods and landslides that cut roads.

Road travel is a risk in itself. WHO estimatedWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 20.1 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says Ecuador has one of the highest rates of road accidents in Latin America, with many uninsured drivers. Avoid road travel after dark, which also cuts the risk of bus robberies.

How to stay safe in Ecuador

• Check the latest FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary and US maps before you book, and buy insurance that covers your route.
• Many Galápagos flights stop in Guayaquil; check with the airline that you stay airside.
• Never hail taxis on the street; use registered yellow taxis, airport booths or hotel-booked radio taxis.
• Keep bags with you on buses, not overhead.
• Acclimatise in Quito before climbing; glaciated peaks need an accredited guide by law.
• Emergency number: 911.

How we scored it

Violent crime (15) is the weakest factor and drags the score down most: 50.9 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary is among the highest rates in the world. Conflict (32) reflects advice against travel to a large part of the country, including its biggest city. Health (58) is the strongest factor. Confidence is medium because 2025 figures come from InSight Crime's round-up and 2026 data are partial.