Would you like to live in Ecuador, or truly get to know the country? I help people from the United States and Canada with both: relocating and traveling.
Visas, housing, your first weeks on the ground, or simply the question of what’s possible: you get straight answers from someone who lives in the Yunguilla Valley near Cuenca and knows everyday life here.
Whether you have a plan or just an idea, together we’ll work out which visa fits you, where you could live, and what to expect in your first weeks. And there’s no new currency to learn: Ecuador uses the US dollar.
RelocationThe Andes, the Amazon, the Pacific coast and the Galápagos, all in one country. I’ll help you plan a route that fits your time, your travel style and your budget.
TravelIn a single day you can drive from the coast through cloud forests to the edge of the glaciers.
0 ft
Beaches, fishing villages and whale watching from June to October.
8,200 to 13,100 ft
Cloud forests, lagoons, the Avenue of the Volcanoes and the treeless highlands of the Andes.
20,548 ft
The highest point on Earth, measured from the planet’s center.
Ecuador is one of the 17 megadiverse countries on Earth. More than 1,600 bird species live here, more than in all of North America. Over 130 of them are hummingbirds. High above the Andes circles the Andean condor, Ecuador’s national bird.
The plant life is just as remarkable. Over 4,000 orchid species grow here, many of them found nowhere else. In Yasuní National Park in the Amazon, a single hectare (about 2.5 acres) holds more tree species than the US and Canada combined. Add more than 600 amphibian species and the Galápagos Islands, with animals that live nowhere else in the world.
If you’re moving here, that means you don’t just choose a city, you choose a climate. If you’re traveling, it means a new landscape around every bend.
Many have also chosen to spend their retirement here, because the overall cost of living is up to 60 percent lower than in the United States.
Four services you can book individually or as a complete package. Most clients start with the initial assessment.
Where do I stand, and what are my options? We look at your situation together and you receive a written overview.
Visa rules change often, and the details decide whether things go smoothly or get delayed. I explain the requirements, put your documents together with you and guide you through the application.
I help you find an apartment or house that fits what you’re looking for and support you through viewings and the contract.
Arriving is more than unpacking your bags. In the early days I’m your go-to person for everything daily life brings.
From our first conversation to the day Ecuador feels like home.
A free video call (15–20 min) where you tell me about your plans.
I review your options and you receive a written overview.
We decide what happens when and how much support you need.
I guide you through your visa, your new home and settling in, as much as you’d like.
Ecuador is about the size of Colorado, yet it holds four completely different worlds. With good planning you see more of them and spend less time on the bus.
Quito, Cuenca, the Otavalo market, Cotopaxi volcano and Quilotoa lagoon.
Rainforest lodges, river trips and visits with Indigenous communities.
Beaches, whale watching in season and laid-back fishing towns.
Sea lions, giant tortoises and snorkeling, by cruise or island hopping.
Tell me how long you’re staying, what interests you and how you like to travel. I’ll put together a route with places to stay, transfers and insider tips.
If you’d like, I recommend local guides and tours and I’m available for questions throughout your trip.
You’re thinking about moving abroad but aren’t sure Ecuador is the right fit? Get to know it on a trip first: the landscapes, everyday life and the people. I’m happy to help you plan it.
Plan my tripAlready living in Ecuador? Renewing your visa, converting your driver’s license, someone to go with you to a government office: these things can be a real challenge on the ground. I’m happy to help.
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I’m Sarina, and I live in the Yunguilla Valley, a warm Andean valley southwest of Cuenca. I’m originally from the Black Forest in southern Germany.
Part of my family moved to Ecuador back in the ’90s. Over many visits I fell in love with the country and its people myself. Altogether I’ve now lived here for four years.
So I know Ecuador from both sides: as a visitor discovering the country and as someone living everyday life here. I made the move from the Black Forest to the Andes myself. I know how many questions come up at the start, and how much it helps to have someone who knows the language, the bureaucracy and daily life. Today I share that experience with people taking the same step or getting to know Ecuador first.
Not at first. I translate at appointments and viewings. For everyday life, though, it pays to start learning Spanish early.
That depends on your income, your age and your plans, which is exactly what we clarify in the initial assessment. The rules change often, so I check the current requirements for every case together with specialized local attorneys.
Yes. Many clients book only the initial assessment or only the home search. You decide how much support you want.
No. I prepare you and guide you through the process. For visa applications I work with local attorneys who specialize in immigration and whom I know personally.
For a first overview, yes. But visa rules change often, and many details aren’t written down anywhere: how an office is currently handling a document, which translation is accepted, who is responsible for what. That knowledge comes from personal contacts on the ground. And when something is urgent, you have a phone number where you’ll get a quick answer.
The first call (15–20 min) is free. Afterwards we both decide whether we want to work together. If so, we clarify what support you need, and you receive a clear quote with all costs in US dollars.
The first call (15–20 min) is free and with no obligation. I’ll get back to you within 48 hours. Just send me your contact details and a few times that work for you. Ecuador is on UTC−5 all year, the same as US Eastern Time in winter and Central Time in summer, so scheduling is easy.
Sarina Gröschel
Abdón Calderón
Azuay, Ecuador
Email: sarina-ecuador@gmx.de
Phone and WhatsApp: +49 160 2891898
Protecting your personal data matters to me. Here you can find out what data is collected when you visit this website or contact me, and how I handle it.
Sarina Gröschel, Abdón Calderón, Azuay, Ecuador
Email: sarina-ecuador@gmx.de
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This website does not use cookies, analytics tools or advertising trackers.
When you write to me, I use the information you provide, such as your name, email address, phone number and the content of your message, solely to answer your inquiry and prepare a possible collaboration. I do not share this data without your consent.
Emails are handled by GMX (1&1 Mail & Media GmbH, Germany). If you contact me via WhatsApp, WhatsApp Ireland Limited also processes your data under its own terms, and data may be transferred to the USA. If you’d prefer to avoid that, please contact me by email.
If we work together, I share documents and information only as far as your case requires, for example with attorneys, translators or authorities in Ecuador, and only with your consent.
I keep your data only as long as needed to handle your inquiry or our collaboration, or as required by legal retention periods. After that it is deleted.
Where the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) applies, I process your data to answer your inquiry and carry out our collaboration (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and on the basis of my legitimate interest in operating the website securely (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
You may at any time request information about the data stored about you, ask for it to be corrected, deleted or restricted, object to its processing and receive your data in a common format. You can withdraw any consent you have given at any time. Just send me an email. You also have the right to file a complaint with a data protection authority.
Last updated: October 2026