Hi Joy, it may be too late to change your plans, but if you can get
your flights to the Galapagos to and from Guayaquil (your plane from
Quito will probably stop there, by the way en route to and from the
Galapagos) you are within a two hour drive of the coast and
shelling....I  stayed there for a couple of nights and got a lot of
nice shells along the stretch on both sides of La Libertad and was
able to store them in Guayaquil.  later when departing Ecuador  I had
no trouble taking them out of the country from Guayaquil.

Of course in the Galapagos its clearly a  "dont even touch" let alone
a "no take" policy.

For anybody going to the Galapagos who wants to shell I highly
recommend arranging your  obligatory pre and post Galapagos layover in
Guayaquil, vs Quito. If you dont ask they will always put you into
Quito, but you have the option, esp. as it still  seems all flights
still stop in Guayaquil anyhow. Hire a driver and go to the coast, or
the Dry Rainforest a short distance out of Guayaquil. It beats getting
 mugged or pickpocketed  in Quito's tourist market. (take precautions
Joy!!).







On 3/15/10, Joy Henderson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I am traveling to Ecuador next week and will be in Quito 3 days, Otavalo
> Market one day and on to the Galapagos Islands.  I know you cannot take
> shells in the Galapagos.  Does anyone know of seashell sellers/dealers in
> Quito or at Otavalo Market?  If I purchase shells will I be allowed to bring
> them to the USA?
>
>

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