Travel - International
Note: Travel to northern border areas with Colombia, particularly Napo, Orellana and Sucumbios provinces, is not recommended. It is also advisable to avoid border areas with Ecuador. For further advice visitors should contact their local government travel advice department.
AIR: Ecuador’s national airlines are SAETA (EH), SAN (WB) and TAME (EQ). Ecuatoriana (EU) connects Ecuador with the USA and some South American countries. American Airlines operates daily flights from London Heathrow to Guayaquil, via Miami.
Approximate flight times: From Quito to London is 17 hours, to Los Angeles is 9 hours and to New York is 9 hours 30 minutes.
International airports: Quito (UIO) (Mariscal Sucre) is 5km (3 miles) from the city centre. A bus service operates every 20 minutes from 1100-0300 (travel time – 30 minutes). Return is from Avenida 10 de Agosto. Taxis are also available.
Guayaquil (GYE) (Simón Bolívar) is 5km (3 miles) from the city. There are bus and taxi services into the city.
Departure tax: US$25.
The Visit South America Pass: This must be bought outside South America in country of residence and allows unlimited travel to 36 cities in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines include LAN-Chile (LA), Aer Lingus (EI), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), IBERIA (IB) and Qantas (QF). A minimum of three flights must be booked, with no maximum; the maximum stay is 60 days, with no minimum, and prices depend on the amount of flight zones covered. For both air passes children under 12 years of age are entitled to a 33 per cent discount and infants (under two years old) only pay ten per cent of the adult fare. For further details contact one of the participating airlines.
SEA: There are regular passenger/cargo services from Europe, including Hamburg-South American, Royal Netherlands, Knutsen and Johnson Lines, which take 20-22 days from Rotterdam and Le Havre. Others sail from Antwerp, Genoa and Liverpool, and the US West Coast (Delta Line Cruises). Guayaquil is the main port for both passengers and freight.
ROAD: The Pan-American Highway bisects the country from the Colombian border at Rumichaca south to Quito and on to Riobamba, Cuenca, Loja and ending at Macará near the border with Peru. Bus: Panamericana Internacional operates direct services to Caracas, Venezuela (tel: (2) 250 1585). Rutas de America operates direct services to Venezuela, Colombia and Peru and connections to Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil (tel/fax: (2) 254 8142; fax: (2) 250 3612). Visitors should remember to carry their passports at all times as there may be frequent controls, both within Ecuador and at border crossings.
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