Monkeys are often mischievous creatures when they’re transplanted into or near to human settlements. You can’t really blame them, we tend to leave food and belongings lying around, and they tend to be curious in nature, so it can result in some human-monkey clashes.
In Puerto Misahualli, Ecuador there is such a troop of monkeys. They are critically endangered Ecuadorian white-faced capuchin monkeys to be precise, although guides and travellers who don’t know better often call them squirrel monkeys. Puerto Misahualli is near Tena, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. If you venture further into the Amazon you’ll likely encounter other monkeys, including squirrel monkeys.
Anyhow, these 20 or so Ecuadorian capuchin monkeys in Puerto Misahualli mostly hang out in some trees that line a central park and nearby restaurants. Occasionally they’ll run along power lines or roofs of buildings. If you’re not paying attention they may grab some food or small objects form you too, including being bold enough to run into some restaurants to grab food, so keep a watchful eye!
I think this guy was keeping a watchful eye on me too. I suppose these monkeys are now semi-wild. They’re more than free to leave the town, and there are bigger, better trees outside of town to live in – but I guess life is good when tourists stop by and become easy targets for free food. It all started many years ago, decades ago actually, when some wild ones began to come into town to raid houses and shops for food. Eventually the entire troop of monkeys caught on and have been here ever since.
A White-fronted Ecuadorian Capuchin Monkey in Misahualli, Ecuador
Updated in January 2018! When I first published this list in 2014, I had 40 craft breweries listed in Ecuador. Now the list includes more than 135! Added and updated all social media and website links. New additions also include a bottle shop and some great beer bars, now that bottled craft beer is a possibility in Ecuador.
I’ve been lucky to visit Ecuador many times and see how the craft beer craze has taken off in the small South American country. Microbreweries, home brewers, nanobreweries, call them whatever you want – small, craft beer producers, are now found everywhere.
I originally wrote an article on the subject for the September/October 2014 issue of TAPS the beer magazine, you can download a digital copy here. Things have changed quite a bit in Ecuador since then.
A Selection of Craft Beer bottles from Ecuador
To add to that article, and my older post about Craft Beer in Ecuador taking on Pilsner and Club, here is a listing of all of the craft (artesanal) brewers in Ecuador. If you know of anyone who should be added to this list, let me know!
Craft beer, or cerveza artesanal, as it is called in Ecuador, now numbers well over 100 different breweries, msot of whom are listed below. This cerveza artesanal list is constantly changing and being updated. Pretty much all of them are on Facebook or Instagram, but not so many have their own functioning websites. Where possible, links have been provided below. Since these guys are all based in Ecuador, you may need to brush up on your Spanish to decipher the where/how to find some of these beers if you’re planning to visit this little country in South America.
Is this list 100% complete? Of course not, but it is more extensive than any list you will find on sites like Untappd or Ratebeer. So send me any information you may have on places that are new for me to check out on my next visit to Ecuador!
Note that some of the breweries above may not have official visiting hours. Additionally, some of them such as Indie Beer Company are bars that commonly serve other Ecuadorian craft beer, but may also serve their own branded beers from time to time. If you are looking to maximize your beer drinking time in Quito, watch for my upcoming “Beer Day in Quito” post!
Best Beer Bars in Ecuador
Sometimes you don’t need to hit an actual brewery to try some of the best beers. There are some great beer bars in Ecuador, mostly around Quito. Here is my quick list of recommendations. In Quito, La Reserva, HOPS Craft Beer Pub, Ciudad Cerveza, Ácrono Beer Pub, Bandido del Paramo, Sirka, Romero’s Burgers and Frida Tacos are my top places. In Tumbaco, it might be worth seeing what El Tasting Room (by Speck) is like or La Barra Restobar in Sangolqui may be worth stopping in at. In Ambato, Madame Bier Resto Pub is a spot to try. In Guayaquil, check out República de la Cerveza and El TapRoom. In Cuenca there is Lacraft Beer Garden as well. All these bars are easily found on Facebook.
Other Ecuador Beer Links
Buy bottles of local craft beer at Viva Cerveza, the best bottle ship in Quito, Ecuador. If you happen to head to Ambato, buy bottles at Im Hoppy. If you’re wanting to do a craft beer tour in Quito, look up Land of Hoppiness, although there are a handful of torus out there. And if you want beer delivered to your house or hotel, there are a few ever-changing services out there too, MotoBirra Beer Delivery may be worth contacting.
Ecuador Beer Festivals
There are many small-scale craft beer festivals popping up around Ecuador. Viva Cerveza happen to run the best and biggest Craft Beer Festival in Ecuador. There is also the Pichincha Beer Fest, which last ran November 2017 and the very small Los Chillos Beer Fest last held in April 2017. If you are in Quito, ask around at some local breweries to see if any festivals are happening soon.
Ecuador Craft Breweries that have been removed from the list:
RIAR Brewing Company (now Shaman Cerveza), Roche’s Brewing in Canoa (closed in 2015), Ambacht Bier in Guayaquil (closed in 2014. Became Región Cerveza Artesanal, which closed in 2015), Santaana Cerveceria / Cerveza Artesanal in Cuenca (reported as closed), Andean Brewing Company in Cuenca (closed in 2015). Vendetta Cerveceria in Quito (out of business), Red Dragon Brewing in Quito (out of business), Reina Cerveza in Guayaquil (out of business), La Cuchara de San Marcos in Quito (good restaurant, but no longer makes beer), Cervecería Cerro Negro in Sangolqui (out of business), Barracuda Cerveza Artesanal in Guayaquil (out of business), Averno Brewery in Quito (now Abysmo), Cerveza Artesanal Diablo en Botella (reported as no longer brewing).
On the drive to Cotopaxi National Park in Ecuador, I was reading up on some of the wildlife in this part of the Andes. It seemed spectacled bears and jaguars are in the park, but are extremely rare to spot. So I was happy to settle for some birds, and maybe some llamas.
One thing I wasn’t aware of before arriving was that there are wild horses in Cotopaxi National Park. I liked the white one most in the group above, but there were also black and brown ones and varied colours.
As with wild horses in other destinations, they’re a little rougher and shaggier than your typical riding horses. There were actually many groups of wild horses in Cotopaxi, if you scan across the rolling hills chances are you’ll find many herds grazing away.
A wild horse grazing in Cotopaxi
I definitely saw more horses than llamas or foxes or condors at Cotopaxi – not what I expected, but it still made for a fun day of exploring and wildlife watching.
These horses are pretty much care-free, as any herds near the gravel roads that run through the park won’t give your vehicle a second look, so you can get some very close photos like the black horse above.
Andean Gull photographed at Limpiopungo Lagoon in Cotopaxi National Park
There really are a lot of different gull species out there aren’t there?
My days of just calling every gull I see a “sea gull” are long gone, but they’re still fairly boring looking birds to me, plus I’ve never forgiven that one that once pooped on my lip when I was a kid.
This one at least had some nice colouring, a distinct black head and white body, somewhat streamlined and elegant compared to the noisy squawkers back at home by Lake Ontario.
This Andean Gull photo was taken at Limpiopungo Lagoon in Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador. These gulls tend to stick to mountain lakes and rivers all along the Andes, from Chile in the south to Colombia in the north.
They’re not endangered at all, due to their widespread habitat.
Two Common Bottlenose Dolphins, photographed in the Galapagos Islands
Dolphins are a special creature. We seem to have a connection to them unlike any other animal in the sea. They’re smart, seemingly playful and downright cute.
In reality though, they are fierce and ferocious hunters, with few enemies in the sea! Despite seeing dolphins in Brazil, the Maldives, Russia, Honduras and other places, I’ve always found photographing dolphins to be a futile effort.
They follow boats or may bow ride, dipping above and below the surface at great speed. Never still, getting a good shot has always seemed impossible! But, on my last trip to the Galapagos Islands I was lucky enough to have a number of dolphins hang out with our boat for around 30 minutes. They were porpoising and bow-riding and having all sorts of fun. So, with a bit of luck and guesswork as to where they’d jump out of the water next, I was about t capture this image of two Common Bottlenose Dolphins jumping out of the water at the same time.
