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We enter the Southern Hemisphere for the second time in seven years on the road and ride to the Middle of the World in Ecuador…
This travel blog recounts our motorcycle adventure through Ecuador in 2024 as part of our round the world trip. To read more stories from our travels check out Our Adventures
Ecuador Motorcycle Travel Blog
By Andy Davidson
Mad or Nomad: Round the World Motorcycle Traveller
On top of the world
There are two worlds in Ecuador: one below the clouds and one above. We’re atop a green mountain peer, looking out over an ocean of white waves rolling away into the distance. It’s peaceful up here, above the clouds on the shoreline. The only sounds are our four motorcycles – and jaws hitting the tanks.
It’s hard to imagine there’s an entire country below us – completely hidden.
Teaming up
On our ride through Canada last year, we met Andrew and Wendy. They’re awesome people and have always wanted to ride in Ecuador. And now we’re here, they flew out, rented a couple of motorcycles and have joined us for a two-week ride.
We crossed the border from Colombia and made a dash for Quito to meet them at Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental where they picked up two 200cc Hero XPulses. We got the maps out and plotted our route over coffee. The country is split into three sections: the coast on the west, the Andes mountains through the middle and the Amazon rainforest to the east. We figured the mountains running along Ecuador’s spine would have the best riding. So, we pinned points on our maps, strapped all our gear down and hit the road.
Middle of the world
We were eager to sink our teeth and tyres into the rough stuff, but first we had to make a quick detour to cross the equator and stand in the middle of the world at 0 degrees latitude. The last time we were in the Southern Hemisphere was 2022 when we rode across Borneo. And by mid-2023 we were back in the North after shipping our bikes to Canada.
Now, in 2024, we’re crossing into the South once again, where we’ll stay for the next few years as we head to the bottom of South America and then ship east to Africa. So, Ecuador’s equatorial belt marks a special moment for us in our travels…
Into the mountains we go
After a few days watching toucans, lazing around in hammocks and acclimatising we started our backcountry ride. And it got good – fast. We chased tracks through rolling greenery for days, continuously climbing higher up non-stop switchbacks, past little towns, llamas, waterfalls and beautiful countryside.
Petrol is easy enough to find in the world below the clouds. But as we climb higher, petrol stations are few and far between. Even when we find one, the pumps don’t work and it’s taken out of buckets. The further we ride and the stations disappear, but we just need to ask enough people and will eventually find a shack behind someone’s house with a few bottles knocking about.
We keep the bikes fuelled with bucket petrol and ourselves topped up on chicken feet and whatever else we can find being smoked on the street. We ride all day until the sun sets burning the clouds orange. Then we find little cabins and hotels to spend the night. It gets cold in the evenings and there’s often no electricity due to Ecuador’s ongoing problem with droughts affecting its hydropower plants. So, we put our feet up by a fire, sip red wine and eat locally made chocolate to keep us warm as we chat the night away.
What goes up…
Fuelled and ready to go again, we hit the road and take more dirt tracks. We’ve been riding above the clouds for a week now. The riding up here is incredible and we’re about as high as we can go. Then we turn around a mountain bend and see the trail plummet downwards in the distance and it suddenly dawns on Alissa that we will eventually have to start going back downhill – and Alissa hates downhills…
Narrow and steep declines washed in loose rocks and coupled with nasty drops nearly send Alissa into a panic attack. We all take our time as Alissa stops at the top of each descent to psych herself up. Our brake discs glow red as the rear tyres bite into rocks for hours on end. The day turns into an obstacle course with one hurdle after another. Until the final challenge – riding through a ring of fire… of course.
Chimbo
To cool down, we take the back trails to Mount Chimborazo. The green farmlands are long gone, replaced by dusty and arid browns. We chase long trails cut through mountains until we turn a corner and spot the snow-capped monster hiding in the hazy distance.
The mountain is the closest point on Earth to the moon and outer space. Earth isn’t a perfect sphere and has a bulge by the equator, and as we’re one degree off the equator, it pushes ol’ Chimbo’s peak the furthest away from Earth’s core than anywhere else on the planet. Mount Everest, which is a whopping 2,585.86 metres higher than Chimborazo is 3,965 miles from the centre, while Chimborazo is 3,967.
Your turn…
One of the best things about Ecuador is the vastness of it wrapped up into such a small space. After all, it’s only roughly the same size as the UK. Yet, you’ve got this empty beauty to ride through for days on end. The constantly changing landscapes in Ecuador make you feel like you’re riding through a new country every day. From cruising above the clouds in seas of white to chasing trails through green meadows, sweating in the Amazon, watching the sun set over smoky burnt yellows and kicking up dust through the rocky Andes mountains. It’s a beautiful country and an incredible place to explore on two wheels.
With thanks to…
Andrew and Wendy
What a blast it’s been hanging out and riding with these cool people for the last two weeks.
Andrew is a motorcycle wizard and is super knowledgeable on CRFs, which is how we first got in touch, via a CRF Facebook group years ago, and have been chatting ever since. So, it’s been brilliant riding together after all this time. And he gave Alissa heaps of very good tips and advice on some of the more challenging rides here in Ecuador.
And Wendy (the walking encyclopaedia) is just so much fun to be around. But also, just have to say, she is a mega talented metal sculpture artist. Seriously, her work will blow your socks off. Take a look at her incredible work: Wendy Stone Metal Design
Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental
Thanks to the great guys at Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental for setting our friends up with their bikes and helping us plot these epic routes. Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental are a professional outfit with seriously high quality and well-looked after motorcycles. There’s a huge range to choose from and you can go for rentals, self-guided or fully guided tours. They’re the best in the business and highly recommended.
Twonie Project
We’ve been in touch with Michael and Angela for years so it was great to finally meet up in Cuenca! They’ve been on the road since 2023 and have ridden here from Canada.
They’re doing something really special as they travel, they run the Twonie Project, where people donate 2 Canadian bucks a month (or one off donations) and they put it towards charitable causes as they go, for example buying washing machines, helping at orphanages, rebuilding school minibuses and supporting people who need help. Very cool people. Check them out: twonieproject.com
Read more on motorcycle travel in Ecuador
Thanks for checking out our Motorcycle Travel Blog Ecuador. We hope you enjoyed it! Here’s a few more related articles on riding in South America that we recommend you read next.
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