On Saturday, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused widespread damage along the coast of Ecuador.
Centered in the state of Manabi, there is significant damage in coastal cities such as Manta, Pedernales and Portoviejo. Ecuador's largest city of Guayaquil was also impacted with damage to some roadways, bridges and buildings.
No significant damage was reported in Quito and the Galapagos Islands avodied any impact, as there was no tsunami generated by the earthquake.
With thousands of people losing their homes, and hundreds of people killed, this is the worst earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades. We're still hearing from colleagues and friends who live in the affected areas and our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone whose families have been affected by this disaster.
Thankfully, the Galakiwi team and our travelers are all safe, as our tours were all running in areas that were not impacted by the earthquake.
For official updates from the Ecuador Ministry of Tourism and information on how to help, locate or get in touch with people along the coast of Ecuador, please follow this link: