I haven't hear of any change in insurance and we still have our camper there. Coming over at La Balsa is pretty laid back - except that it can take a very long time to get through Ecuador customs because they have to first enter all your stuff on their computer, then bellow it over a very shaky phone to head office - repeating everything 6 times because of the bad quality of the line, then sit around making small talk for 30 minutes until head office enters it all in their computer and phones back with an authorisation number.

Border is down at the bridge. Nice bitumen road south and goat track north. Welcome to Ecuador.


Then it is two or three hours on a road ranging from reasonable to terrible - depending on the rain to Zumba where you can get fuel on the north end of town provided you have small US bills. We changed 100's in the local bank but they didn't like doing it.

Even when you get on the nice new concrete road, if there has been rain you will find landslips everywhere. In some places they are continuous. God knows how they move around in the rainy season. Oh, now IS the rainy season you say. AND an El Nino event too. Hmmmmm!!! Ah well, our turn will come when we head back down early January.



and of course some of the hard bits are still a muddy mess



might take you two days from the border to gringo-infested Villacabamba, but Hosteria Izhcayluma a few km south is probably the best value $4 pp you will find in Ecuador, especially if you like free Yoga and swimming pool and ... Only motorhomes and vehicle - no tents. Electricity and water and showers

Get used to it because the rest southward are the same BUT several countries do have visas or reciprocity payments. USA citizens are hit hard which is fair because they are all rich, but the poor Australians and Canadians cop it too

__________________
Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

I couldn't find any insurance.
I crossed border between Ipiales/Tulcan on 26/Oct/2015 from Colombia to Ecuador. Then, I moved to Peru later.

- There is no insurance office on border of Ecuador side on the border.
- I went to "Punto de Venta SOAT QBE" building in Tulcan(Ecurdor) where is the closest town to border and ask about the insurance. A staff in the building "You can't have insurance here". Another staff just answered "no". Another staff answered "go to Bank" but Bank staff answered "no". Another answer is "go to Ibarra"...
- Finally I searched Ibarra but I couldn't find any insurance. I regret to have insurance by that.
- I couldn't find third party insurance.
- I have general travel insurance in all over the world. So, my own body injury can be covered by that.
- I just drove carefully for about a few weeks in Ecuador.

Information posted in a newspaper article said that insurance was now fully funded by a levy on annual registration payments and overlanders entering on a valid TIP would be covered automatically

__________________
Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Good to know thanks all - that's good news then for overlanders- more money

Tony, do you have a link to that (assuming it was online) as would like the print it off, just in case!

Probably posted on panamerican facebook in response to my qustion.
Sorry, didnt keep the link as it clearly coincided with what i was seeing when i tried getting it.
Try this link sounds like the orivinal one
http://www.ecuadortimes.net/2015/01/...cost-180-days/

__________________
Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Thanks Tony