Transportation

on .

TRANSPORTATION

Getting around Ecuador and its cities is easy, but you should know some tips to get from one place to another in the quickest and safest way.

Air Transportation

The country has two international airports in Guayaquil and Quito, whose work schedule is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are the airports José Joaquín de Olmedo and Mariscal Sucre respectively.

Also there are domestic airports in the cities of Loja, Cuenca, Manta, Santa Cruz (Galápagos), Esmeraldas. These air terminals receive flights until 20h00 and work seven days a week. The domestic airlines providing air service within the country are: TAME, LAN ECUADOR and AEROGAL.

Cuenca has the third largest and biggest airport in the country after the airports in Quito and Guayaquil: The Mariscal Lamar Airport.

The trip from Quito or Guayaquil to Cuenca takes in average 30 minutes. The cost of the plane ticket (round trip) is around 170USD. We recommend you to visit the website of each airline to determine the accurate amount, flight schedules and availability of tickets, as well as offers and promotions available.

Mariscal Lamar Airport
Address: Av Spain and Elia Liut
Aerogal - Aerolineas Galapagos
Address: Remigio Tamariz and Federico Proaño Building Esq Rio Blanco
Lan Ecuador
Address: Simón Bolívar and Benigno Malo 9-18
Online Booking: www.lan.com
There are also local telephone numbers in most of Latin American countries for booking, see the web page.
Tame
Address: Av Spain 14-11 (Interior Airport)
Headquarters: Florencia Astudillo 2-22
Tel: +593-7-2862193/4103104
Online Booking: http://www.tame.com.ec

Buses

Buses are used by most of the population and tourists for travel within Ecuador. Practically you can reach anywhere in the country with only taking one or two buses.

The express service carry you to your destination without intermediate stops. Many bus companies offer new units, with bathroom, TV and reclining seats. Some even serve refreshments during trips.The value fares vary according to the distance you want to travel and the traveler prefers service. The value for travel from Guayaquil to Cuenca, can range from 6 or $ 15 depending on the service you contract and lasts for four hours. From Quito to Cuenca the cost ranges from 12 to 20 dollars and lasts for nine hours.The bus terminals in any city of the country are the places where should be taken interprovincial buses. At these stations there are a wide range of companies to reach any destination in Ecuador. Some companies have their own terminals.

Urban Transport

In big cities you can get almost anywhere via bus. The service is pretty cheap, costs $ 0.25 and there are a lot of units which carry seated passengers whose journeys start at 05h30, but it is common in cities around the Sierra (Mountain area of the country), no work beyond 22h00, but in the Coast cities you can travel on city buses until 24h00.

Another way to get around the city are taxis. The cost will depend on what a meter mark, but is common in Cuenca not use the taxi-meter and the price is negotiated directly with the driver. An average trip can cost between $ 1.50 to $ 2.00, if it is a stretch no more than 15 minutes. The night rates normally tend to be higher, although it is recommended to use radio-taxis, which are equipped with radio units and that they can be reached by telephone, especially for the night.