Guayaquil

Introduction

Guayaquil st Ana

© All Rights Reserved capibara

Located on the coast, Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador and the commercial hub. Even though it is in the same small country, it is a world apart from its mountainous neighbor, Quito. Guayaquil, with a population of about 3 million, has far more Western influence than most of the neighboring Latin cities. Smog, traffic, dirty streets and numerous stores displaying flat panel TVs and fancy electronics show the sharp contrast between what's coming and what has been. With a clear taste for the American way (and American fast food) much of Guayaquil is turning modern. This city is perfect for those looking for a cheap place to visit with a few nice things to see and access to the Galapagos Islands (by plane) and the beaches of Ecuador (by bus or car). With the use of the US$ the currency is easy to understand and negotiate. The mass importation of goods allows you to buy anything you want at any price you please. The locals speak fast and have a very strong accent, which can be a challenge if you're still just learning Spanish.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Best thing to see and do in Guayaquil is the spectacular multi-million dollar board walk. Several kilometres long, the state of the art walk way borders the inlet to the ocean. It has every thing from a physical exercise area, to a play ground, to an Imax theater, many restaurants, security guards every few hundred yards, a huge monument (on every postcard) to Simon Bolivar and much more.From the board walk you can pick a famous replica pirate ship and sail for a day for not too much money. The ship is old and well maintained and may well be the highlight of your trip to Guayaquil.

Events and Festivals

• July 24 is guayaquil's foundation celebratn. You cant visit the malecon, and enjoy the party. The Malecon is a very safe site which you can visit.

Weather

The climate is warm and humid all year round. Averge highs range from 28 °C in July and August to 32 °C in March and April, while average lows range from 19 °C from July to September to 23 °C in March. Annual precipitation averages around 1,100mm with most of it falling from January to April.

Getting There

By Plane

José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (GYE) is the main gateway by air to Guayaquil and there are quite a few international flights, most of them with LAN Ecuador.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

Taxi drivers do not use their meters. As soon as they see a foreign face, they try to overcharge you. Make sure you ask at your hotel what the cost should be for your journey, and haggle with the taxi driver to agree a price before you start the journey.

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Guayaquileans have a predilection for sea food, especially for "Cebiches" (raw fish marinated in lemon juice), "Encebollado" (cooked fish with onions and yucca) and"Cangrejadas" (crab gatherings), in which family and/or friends get together around a table with the typical tools such as a small hammer and a board to savour them, accompanied by different hot sauces. All the above dishes are served with rice which is "Ecuadorians daily bread". To enjoy these local specialties, visit Guayaquil's best Ecuadorian food restaurants and/or Sea food restaurants.

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• Universidad de Guayaquil (Spanish only)

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The centre of most towns, cities and villages have telephone 'shops', advertised in the street as 'cabinas'. Go in, ask for a free phone booth and call. There is usually a digital display giving the cost (per second) of your call, whether local, national or international. Some mobile phone SIM cards of various networks have problems working in Ecuador - you can purchase a local network SIM (for an unlocked phone) for a few dollars in local mobile phone shops.

Post

Correos del Ecuador is the national postal service of Ecuador. It's fairly reliable to send postcards and letters to other countries, though count on at least 5 days up to weeks for it to arrive. In general, postal services to North America are much faster than to other western countries. Prices start at around $1 (up to 20 grams), but rise steeply after that. You can get stamps at post offices or small shops/kiosks. Post offices generally are open from 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday and 8:00am to noon on Saturdays, although there are slight variations throughout the country. If you are going to send heavier post or post which has more value, it might be better to contact private courier companies like DHL, TNT, UPS or FedEx, which are generally about the same price and much faster!