South America

Ecuador

Location

Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru.

The Panecillo Hill area of Quito should be avoided due to ongoing local disputes. Muggings and pickpocketing are common. You should be aware of the increase of "express kidnapping". Cases of drugging victims have also been reported. Vehicle security, personal security, general travel, navigation, off road driving, building / office security, hot weather injuries, personal hygiene, tourist muggings do occur, sanitation / sterilisation, clothing & equipment, emergency first aid, helicopter safety, cultures / customs, communications, emergency shelters. Register with the embassy on arrival.

Coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente).

Tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands.

Frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts

Cholera, hepatitis A, high altitude sickness in Quito (2,800 m), malaria, polio, typhoid, rabies, yellow fever.
Hospital: Hospital Metropolitano, Ave Mariana Jesus y Occidental, Quito. Tel: 2-431520 / 439030

Deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands.

Road conditions are adequate, but driving can be dangerous due to the condition of vehicles on the road and local driving techniques. Roads in the Amazon region are generally very poor and hazardous. Ecuadorian police recommend the use of a local temporary drivers permit.

Hostile Environments and Emergency First Aid Training (HEFAT®) (5 days)
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