Visiting Ecuador

Bus it to Banos! (Baños)

2008-07-16T10:18:00.001-07:00

Photo title: Ayuntamiento de guayaquil
Link to flickr.

Banos (or properly, Baños) lies in the heart of Ecuador, close to the rainforest and surrounded by majestic mountains. On the three-hour drive from Quito, you can admire the magnificent and famous Avenue of the Volcanoes, with Cotopaxi, a perfect cone of eternal snow. Chimborazo, the furthest peak away from the earth's center and Tungurahua, probably the easiest volcano to climb in Ecuador.

Baños is a place for relaxing while enjoying the therapeutic hot springs, unspoiled green surroundings and breathtaking waterfalls. The town's exceptional location offers a combination of colors and light that has inspired painters and poets alike. It is with good reason that artists such as Montalvo, Leon Vieira and Oscar Efren Reyes have been living in this pretty resort town for years. Today, several galleries offer painting and sculptures by talented local artists.

Baños' night life is among Ecuador's most exciting: cinema, cafe theater, bars, clubs, street music, etc...

Melcocha, Ecuador's most famous candy, also originates in Baños. Made from sugar cane, hung from a hook and beaten against the door frame, this taffy is an integral part of the Baños landscape, and something of which the locals are proud.

Baños's basilica Santuario de Baños, dominating the main square, was built with volcanic rock in the 1920s. It was constructed in the gothic style and contains illustrations of the miracles of the Virgin - a reflection of popular art. Since the Pope canonized the Virgin of the Holy Water in 1959, Baños has attracted visitors from all over Ecuador.

Daytrips from Guayaquil

2008-07-16T10:14:00.001-07:00

Photo title: Brand New Guayaquil INTERNATIONAL Airport
Link to flickr.

The Botanical Garden of Guayaqil is located at the foot of the Cerro Colorado hill at Avenida Francisco de Orellana. Here you can find three thousand varieties of vegetable species including hundred and fifty varieties of orchids.

Another great short trip is to Cerro Blanco. Situated at Km. 15 on the coast road it is a representative sample of a tropical dry forest and constitutes an important refuge for more than hundred and ninety species of land birds and six species of sea birds.

Puerto Hondo, 17 kilometers away on the road to the coast, is a large reserve of mangrove trees. Also here is an archeological site called Palombamba where fairly well preserved archeological finds have been made, and which correspond to the Huancavilca culture.

All are easily accessible by car or hitchhiking - normal larger buses aren't always easy to find this far out of the city. However by asking locals you may be able to find a small minibus.

South Guayaquil - Malecon to the Port

2008-07-16T10:11:00.001-07:00

Photo title: Guayaquil - Malecon 2000
Link to flickr.

Parque Espana is located facing the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; in its center stands the statue of Sebastian de Benalcazar, the founder of San Francisco de Quito

In the Parque de la Armada lies the Calderon, a gunboat which played an outstanding role in the naval battle of Jambeli in 1941 and which now contains a historical museum.

Also nearby are the Centro Civico Theater, the planetarium of the Navy. Finally you come to the Puerto Maritimo, Guayaquil's main port and in fact one of the most important ports of South America on the Pacific side. It is considered that 80% of the country's exports and 50% of its imports pass through it.

North Guayaquil - Cerro Del Carmen

2008-07-16T10:08:00.001-07:00

Photo title: Bellavista and central Guayaquil
Link to flickr.

In the north of Guayaquil you find the Cerro del Carmen and Santa Ana, hilltops from where you have a view of the city and where the Daule and Babahoyo rivers that together form the Guayas River. The Rafael Mendoza Bridge is the largest in the country, 2,824 meters in lenght, 870 meters crossing the Daule river and 1,955 meters crossing the Babahoyo river.

At the top of the Cerro del Carmen, you will find the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, blessing the city and at the foot of it the General Cementary, also called the White City. It is considered the most beautiful in the country because of the large number and high quality of its sculptures. It has more than eighty monuments made of Carrara marble imported directly from Italy. The entrance has a long alley of palm trees at the end of which (entering by entrance No.3) you come upon the monument to Vicente Rocafuerte, the first president of Ecuador.

The Barrio las Penas located at the foot of the Santa Ana hill is an area of the city with a coastal colonial architecture. It was destroyed and reconstructed several times as a consequence of fires, in particular the great fire of 1896. It has only one street called Numa Pompilio Llona in honor of a famous Ecuadorian man of letters. This street starts at the Planchada wich was the place from which the city was defended and ends at the old installations of the Brewery, one of the Guayaquil's first industries.

During the festivities conmemorating the foundation of the city, this area becomes the city of outdoor exhibitions where national as well as foreign artists expose their works. Today many of the houses along this street have been turned into a galleries. It is here that many well know poets, heroes and composers were born.

The Church of Santo Domingo, also known as the Church of Saint Vincent was the first church of this city, built in 1548 and reconstructed on several occasions because of fires. The Basilica de la Merced, San Francisco and the Metropolitan Cathedral should also be visited in this area.

Continuing down the Julian Coronel Street you will pass by the Old Jail House, the Luis Vernaza Hospital, the morgue and the General Cemetary.

Downtown Guayaquil City Center

2008-07-16T10:00:00.001-07:00

Photo title: Guayaquil by night
Link to flickr.

The main hotels of Guayaquil (the Continental, Unihotel, Grand Hotel Guayaquil, Plaza Doral, Palace, President, Rizzo, Ramada, Oro Verde) are located in the downtown part of the city. They all are very decent and up to normal western standards for hotel chains. Oro Verde in particular is known for high quality, ornate rooms.

The Malecon Simon Bolivar, which runs along the River, is a great place to take a nice safe walk and enjoy the river front. It is also called the Paseo de las Colonias (the Promendade of the Colonies). It has its beginning at the Avenida Olmedo where the statue of Jose Joaquim de Olmedo, an eminent citizen who fought for the Independence of Guayaquil stands in a park which bears his name.

The public clock (Moorish Tower) was destroyed by the tides as its base was made of wood. It was rebuilt in 1930, on the same spot. It is a Moorish style tower. The purpose of this clock was not a only to call the people to pray but also to alert the population against pirate attacks or to call for help in case of any need.

Municipal Palace, (City Hall) of neoclassic style is considered one of the best architectonic works of the city; and the Parque Sucre which separates it from the Ministry of the Interior Building, the Gobernacion , which is a combination of variety of styles.

The Hemiciclo de la Rotonda where a great marble and bronze statue is erected, conmemorating the meeting between two great liberators in America: Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin.

Parque Centenario is a beatiful park here as well. In the center stands the Column of October or of Liberty, designed by the Spanish sculptor Agustin Queirol in 1918. On each side of its base are the statues of Olmedo, Febres Cordero, Villamil and Antepara, men who distinguished themselves in the in the struggle for the independance of Guayaquil. On each angle of the pedestal there are statues which represent History, Patriotism, Heroism and Justice and on top of the column there is a statue with an outstreched arm holding a torch.

Harvesting Bananas in Ecuador

2008-07-16T09:46:00.001-07:00

Photo title: Harvesting Bananas in Ecuador
Link to flickr.

Just outside Guayaquil, you can head towards Santo Domingo and see authentic banana plantations.

Just north of Babahoyo in the province of Los Rios, is the Dole plantation. You can go inside and have a guided visit of the whole operation, including the trees to the processing to the packaging.

Leave yourself a few hours to see the entire operation. It's very cool and worth the stop if you're heading out of Guayaqil to the coast.

See Dole's site for more info here: DoleCSR.com

Google Maps Ecuador

2007-09-15T17:53:00.001-07:00

Hotel La Casa Sol, Quito, Ecuador
Originally uploaded by ARKNTINA

Google Maps is now available for Ecuador!

Galapagos Cruises and Hotels

2007-03-28T19:02:00.001-07:00

Photo title: Wanna play with me?
Link to flickr.

When visiting the Galapagos, you'll probably have to make the choice between a hotel and a boat cruise.

There are pros and cons of each, but I strongly recommend a hotel in Santa Cruz.

A boat cruise enables you to see more of the outer islands. This is great, but for most folks the outer islands aren't all that different from what you'll see on a day trip from Baltra or Santa Cruz.

On the negative side, boat cruises aren't all that luxurious - you'll be on a 14-person boat and subject to the ocean's motion.

If you want to see the turtles and boobies, you'll be fine with day trips from Santa Cruz.

Bars and Nightlife in Guayaquil

2007-01-29T23:57:00.001-08:00

Photo title: Guayaquil - Malecon 2000
Link to flickr.

There are a few decent bars and nightlife in Guayaquil, despite it being a pretty quiet city overall by world standards.

Most bars close at 3AM, so don't plan on staying out all night.

The notable ones are:

234
Address: Imbabura 234 y Rocafuerte
Phone: 094676409/ 098841325
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 6pm-3am
Neighborhood: Centro

Dadá Lounge
Address: Calle Numa Pompilio Llona Nº 177. Las Peñas.
Phone: 2302828 / 2302840 / 097191514
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 6PM - 3AM
Neighborhood: Centro

Escalón 69 Bar and Restaurant
Address: Escalón # 69, Cerro Santa Ana.

Fizz
Address: Av. Francisco de Orellana 796, Kennedy Norte, frente al WTC

La Paleta
Address: Calle Numa Pompilio Llona #174 (Las Peñas).
Phone: 231-2329
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 8PM-3AM

La Proa
Address: Malecón 2000 al lado del MAAC, frente a Las Peñas y la entrada del túnel.

Madre Paz
Address: Urdesa Central, Av. Las Lomas y V.E. Estrada (Centro Comercial Urdesa, junto a Mr. Sam)

Manggo Bar
Address: Kennedy Mall
Neighborhood: Norte

Mr. Sam's
Address: Las Lomas 205 y V.E. Estrada - Urdesa Central
Phone: (5934) 238-8499

Puerto Madero
Address: Avenida 25 de Julio frente al Mi Comisariato (Riocentro del Sur)
Phone: 2494795 & 2491742
Neighborhood: Sur

Puerto Pirata
Address: Museo Naval "El fortín", escalón 384 (Cerro Santa Ana)
Phone: (5934) 2489022 - 096176447
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 4PM-1AM, Friday & Saturday till 3AM
Neighborhood: Las Peñas

Santé
Address: Av. Francisco de Orellana 796, Kennedy Norte, frente al WTC

Seeker Pub
Address: Víctor Emilio Estrada 1232 y Costanera.
Phone: 238-1826
Neighborhood: Norte

Shake (Lounge)
Address: C.C. Aventura Plaza Av. Carlos Julio Arosemena y Las Monjas
Hours: 5:00pm to 2:00am

Sky (Lounge)
Address: Víctor Emilio Estrada 1117 entre Jiguas y Laureles en Urdesa Central.
Phone: 238-9869 / 09-935-1311

Sogno Karaoke
Address: V.E. Estrada 112 y Circunvalación
Hours: 6:00 pm to 3:00 am
Neighborhood: Norte

Sucata Bar
Address: Orellana 221 y Panamá
Phone: 230-6688
Neighborhood: Centro

West End Karaoke
Address: Las Lomas y calle primera, C.C. Urdesa local # 3

Time in Ecuador Quito and Guayaquil

2007-01-29T23:41:00.001-08:00

Photo title: Teléferico in Quito, Ecuador
Link to flickr.

The time zone in Ecuador is GMT -5, which is the same as Eastern Standard Time. Ecuador does not participate in Daylight Savings Time. The Galapogos Islands are GMT -6, which is the same as US Central Standard Time.

Ecuador's time is equivalent to 5 hours behind London and Paris, one hour behind Brazil and Argentina, two hours ahead of California and the US Pacific Standard Time, one hour ahead of US Mountain Standard Time.

How Ecuador can take your breath away

2006-10-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

Article

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Quito, Ecuador — High above the city, 72 feet to be exact, I'm inching around the 2-foot-wide ledge of the 17th-century bell tower of the Iglesia de la Compañia, trying without much success to tamp down vertigo. Oddly, I feel both terrified and exhilarated.

The tower, when restoration is completed in February, will be more than twice as tall, and the perfect vantage point to view the city's crazy quilt of centuries-old buildings and modern construction. Right now, it's closed to tourists, but invited guests reach the tower by an ancient circular, rickety stairway, in places missing its railings. Better not get dizzy.

Ecuador is noted for its outdoor travel opportunities, especially for seeing exotic animals and swimming with sea lions and giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands. In this small country of 13 million people, you can also trek in the Amazon jungle or get close to whales cavorting off the coast. Who knew there would be nearly as many thrills in its capital city of 1.4 million people and the volcanic region around it?

A visit to Quito, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978, blends history and adventure in unexpected ways.

The elevation

The city is at a breathtaking 9,300 feet, almost twice that of "mile high" Denver and so high some people might suffer minor altitude sickness — fatigue or mental confusion from thin air.

Susan Carter of Gardendale, Ala., had a mild bout when she first arrived for a visit with her daughter Julie, who is getting her masters at Auburn University and was in Quito working for the summer.

"It's just a weird feeling," she says, trying to describe the sensation of lightheadedness later. Even climbing stairs takes an effort and your mind goes goofy, is how I'd describe it, though the symptoms dissipated within a few hours.

The driving

Our guide Julio Rivas, debonair in pressed jeans, a pink golf shirt, sunglasses and a white Panama hat, is at the wheel of an older-model Mercedes station wagon. He's whipping past slower traffic — cars, buses, bikes, anything in his way — on winding mountain roads to Otavalo and Cotacachi. I'm pumping my imaginary brakes, but he's unconcerned and in command, weaving in and out of traffic with the total assurance of a NASCAR driver. "I'm sorry if I scare you," he allows when I let out an involuntary yelp after a particularly close call.

In truth, Rivas isn't a menace on the roads — if the other drivers weren't so erratic and intent on speed, or moving so slowly they're a hazard. That's a big IF, and the mere act of getting from place to place is sometimes as hair-raising as an out-of-control raft trip down white-water rapids.

Accidents are so prevalent that a "blue heart" campaign is attempting to raise auto safety awareness in Quito. You see blue hearts everywhere, painted on streets at the site of fatal accidents.

The markets

The mountain towns of Otavalo and Cotacachi are payback for the risk of getting there. Otavalo is famous for its enormous, crowded Saturday market, where indigenous artisans sell woven tapestries, belts and scarves, hand-knitted clothing, embroidered blouses, baskets and bags, even hammocks. And, of course, the misnamed "Panama" hats, which originated in Ecuador, first woven from toquilla straw by Incas in the 1500s. They got the tag "Panama" when workers on the Panama Canal wore them to protect against the sun.

The hubbub of the market often takes people by surprise. "I've never seen anything like it in my life," says Crissie Eells of Portland, Ore., who visited with her husband, Daniel. He grew up in Bogota, Colombia, the son of missionaries, and spent two years in Quito, and even he was impressed. "The place was packed," he says, "people in front of us, people behind us, booths stretching in all directions."

Visitors who want a less claustrophobic experience can go on other days, when the market is smaller and crowds thinner.

The Eellses say the market was definitely worth their long bus ride to get there, and to Cotacachi, a town noted for its leather craftsmanship. High-quality wallets, purses and knapsacks sell for low prices — you can find a splendid handbag for as little as $20.

The lakes

We stopped for lunch at picturesque Hostería Jatuncocha on 1,400-acre San Pablo Lake, where Quiteños and tourists vacation for mountain air and adventures — using personal watercraft, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing, hiking and riding horses or mountain bikes.

It's owned by Rivas' sister — and we realize as time goes by that he's related to half of Quito; the other half are personal friends or business contacts. His mother's family is one of Quito's founding families.

The food

At Hostería Jatuncocha and everywhere else in Ecuador, the juices make the meal feel special: frothy blackberry, passion fruit, guanabana, nectarine or sweet tomato and numerous others. You'll find the same unusual flavors in helado de paila, a type of light ice cream.

Juice is preferable to the coffee — instant Nescafé is served everywhere. To get the fine coffee that's one of Ecuador's exports, you want "essence of coffee." It's essentially brewed coffee and coffee oils you stir into hot water or hot milk.

Two Ecuadorean dishes were unusual and delicious: corn tostada, an appetizer mix of popcorn, corn and dried bananas, and a potato and corn soup topped with cheese and eaten with a sliced avocado. Seviche, fish marinated in citrus juice, is ubiquitous and too tasty to pass up.

Really adventurous tourists opt for an Ecuadorean delicacy, cuy, or guinea pig. I'd rather be clinging to a bell tower.

The haciendas

For us, the mountain trip includes a glimpse of Ecuador's colonial history, in visits to three of its most noted haciendas, now operated as hotels. Rivas, of course, is acquainted with — or related to — the families that originally owned them.

Hacienda Guachalá, near Cayambe and the equatorial line, is the oldest in Ecuador with construction on some of the property dating to 1580. The early-17th-century Hacienda Cusín, 20 minutes south of Otavalo, is a beautifully restored estate with cobblestone pathways through lush gardens. Hacienda Pinsaquí, constructed in 1790 just north of Otavalo, hosted many important guests in the 1800s, among them Simón Bolívar, the Venezuelan general known as "El Libertador" for leading efforts to free Venezuela, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru from Spanish conquerors.

On the trip back to Quito — a replay of the trip north, only this time on a dark, winding road — we stop in the town of Cayambe, noted for its dairy products. Cheese and biscuits (queso de oja, a mild white cheese rolled in leaves, and biscochos de Cayambe, delicate, feather-light biscuits) taste nothing like the Southern variety.

The TelefériQo

From our hotel room the next morning, we have a clear view of the snow-covered 19,347-foot Cotopaxi volcano, and we delay plans to take in historic buildings in favor of the year-old TelefériQo. It lifts you via cable to 12,300 feet at the base of the Pichincha volcano, high enough for a spectacular view of the city and a new dose of altitude sickness. (It's not recommended for very young children, people older than 65, those with heart conditions — or those with vertigo.)

Visitors come not only for the view but for the amusement park and carnival rides, a disco, shopping center and restaurants and bars.

Once at the top, we take a path another 200 feet higher. Some climbers go all the way to the top of the more-than-15,000-foot volcano, or tackle some of the other volcanoes throughout Ecuador.

We're breathing hard just 200 feet higher, and people with low blood pressure experience tingling or numb hands and feet. But finally we understand why mountain climbers get so hooked on their sport.

"We're afraid of many of the volcanoes right now because we've seen some activity," Rivas tells us. Scientists are watching to see if the rumblings might lead to an eruption. In 1999, Pichincha erupted, coating Quito and surrounding towns in ash.

The Old Town

Leaving the TelefériQo, we thought we were back down to earth, but we were blown away by the colonial architecture of Old Town.

First stop: Independence Square and the Presidential Palace. The palace faces east, so the president receives the first rays of the sun, based on Inca beliefs. The city of Quito takes its name from early settlers, the Quitu people; Ecuador comes from the Spanish word for equator.

Some of Ecuador's recent presidents have not held office long, though Quiteños have hopes for political stability. In 2000, a three-person junta took charge of the country from President Jamil Mahuad, who lost popularity after he led efforts to replace the sucre currency with the U.S. dollar. (American tourists loved this switch as much as Ecuadoreans might have hated it.) Vice President Gustavo Noboa then replaced the junta. In January 2003, a member of the junta, retired Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, took office after being elected president, but he fled the country in April 2005. Vice President Alfredo Palacio assumed the presidency, and elections are being held this fall.

Rivas took us to the little-visited Archivo Metropolitano de Historia (the municipal historical archive), on the estate of the first president of Ecuador, Juan José Flores. (Flores' wealthy wife, Rivas notes, was the real owner of the palatial home.)

Inside the library are significant treasures — amazingly well-maintained documents, bound in exquisitely carved wooden covers, that detail the founding of Quito in 1534, artifacts as significant to Quiteños as our Declaration of Independence.

"We are the only city in South America that has preserved the records of our founding," archivist Diego Chiriboga Murgueitio says proudly.

The home itself houses the Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural, run by — of course — Rivas' cousin. The institute parcels out funding and oversees the many restoration projects under way in Quito and Ecuador. The elegant 1780s home is undergoing renovation and will open next year to tourists; a gallery in one part of the home will showcase Ecuador's noted artists, past and present.

The tower

The Iglesia de la Compañia, where the bell tower is being restored, is often called the most beautiful church in South America. It's hard to argue with that assessment.

No gold was spared when construction began in 1605 — more than 100 pounds of gold leaf decorate almost every available surface. In two cupolas, you'll see an Inca surprise: golden representations of the sun. The effect is stunning, especially since the completion of restoration in December 2005.

Maria Torres-Villa, a Quito native who's a bilingual psychologist for Gwinnett County schools, happened to be visiting the church at the same time we were. Naturally, Rivas recognized family members with her as friends and struck up a conversation.

"They've done a wonderful job with the restoration," Torres-Villa said later in an e-mail about the church where she took her first Holy Communion and attended Mass as a child. "The art and religious pieces look more impressive and brilliant."

(Torres-Villa and her children, Mateo Villa, 13, and Ana Villa, 11, were on a monthlong visit they planned when Delta Air Lines announced its expanded routes to South America. They jumped on the introductory airfare of under $600 round trip. Two highlights of the trip were riding atop the "El Cotopaxi" train to the volcano and taking a whale-watching tour to see humpbacks. "This was an experience we will never forget," she says. "One of them was as close as 6 feet from our boat. We were in awe, amazement and even a little bit of fear to see those giant gentle animals.")

But back to the church: Architects are painstakingly re-creating the tower, which lost more than half its original height in an 1868 earthquake. When the work is completed in February, visitors will pay a small admission fee to take an elevator up 72 feet, then climb new and safer stairs to a height of almost 150 feet.

Tourists will have a grand view of Old Town landmarks, including the plaza and Monastery of San Francisco, Ecuador's oldest church. When construction of the Monastery of San Francisco began in 1534, indigenous artisans believed mirrors brought by the Spaniards were as valuable as gold, and mirrors are incorporated into the altar, Rivas points out. By the time construction began on the Iglesia de la Compañia, the Indians had caught on to the ruse, and there's not a mirror to be found.

(We have Rivas to thank for our visit to the tower and our 72-foot view from the top — he's acquainted with the architects. At every stop, his business or family contacts made our trip more special.)

The Middle of the World

No tourist in Quito can resist a visit to La Mitad del Mundo (the Middle of the World), about 20 minutes from Quito.

You can put one foot in the Southern Hemisphere and one in the Northern and snap your basic "I was here" photo.

Actually, the tourist attraction would be a good place to start your visit, if you haven't read much about Ecuador's diverse regions. One of the main buildings, the Equator Monument, has a museum with artifacts and history from each area, a primer to the country.

The top of the world

A good place to end your visit is where we ended ours: High on a hill in one of Quito's first neighborhoods overlooking the city at sunset. We lingered for one last glimpse.

"They say if you see the city spread before you at nightfall, you'll come back," Rivas says.

I bet a friend told him that, or maybe a relative.

IF YOU GO

Getting there

Delta Air Lines started direct flights in June to Quito, then on to Guayaquil, on Ecuador's coast. Round-trip tickets in late September are about $750 to Quito and about $840 to Guayaquil, a city worth visiting in its own right and where visitors can catch planes to the Galapagos Islands.

Where to stay

• In the new city: Swissôtel, Av. 12 de Octubre, 1820 y Luis-Cordero; a modern high-rise with all the amenities you'd expect from a Swissôtel — plush beds, down comforters, indoor/outdoor heated pool, full-service Amrita Spa — for as little as $125 per night; excellent buffets for about $15 per person. 011-593-22-567600, www.swissotel.com.

• In Old Town: Patio Andaluz, García Moreno N6-52, between Mejía and Olmedo; an elegant boutique hotel in a restored historic building. 011-593-22-280830, www.hotelpatioandaluz.com.

For a guide

• Julio Rivas is your man. He speaks fluent English and has extensive knowledge of Quito's history and landmarks. 011-593-22-94173563 or e-mail j.rivas@hotmail.com.

• Bilingual Metropolitan Policemen conduct tours of Old Town on Tuesdays-Sundays. $10 adults, $5 children. Inquire at Corporación Metropolitana de Turismo below.

Information

• On Quito: Corporación Metropolitana de Turismo, www.quito.com.ec

• On Ecuador: Ecuador Tourist Board, 1-800-328-2367,

www.ecuadortouristboard.com

Icaro Air Flight Schedule

2006-10-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Pic title: Harpy Eagle (Link)

For the times when their website is down, here's a Google Spreadsheet of the Icaro Airlines Flight Schedule from Quito.

This covers flights between Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Loja, Manta, Coca, and Esmeraldas.
You can reach them at 800/883-567 in Ecuador; 593-2/244-8626 or 593-2/225-4891 from the U.S. or elsewhere

Icaro Airlines from Quito Around Ecuador

2006-10-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

Pic title: Coming in for a landing in the Galapagos Islands (Link)

Icaro is a tiny 4 plane airline based in Quito that flies around Ecuador as well as between Quito and Guayaquil. Their website is terrible and usually down, but you can occasionally find their schedule. Your best bet is to call a travel agent specializing in Ecuador for the updated itinerary (see below for links).

Also, you can check out their planes here:
Pictures of the Icaro fleet

Rafting in Ecuador

2006-09-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

Great article on ideas for rafting in Ecuador

I would like to arrange for a two- or three-day rafting trip in Ecuador for myself, my husband, and our sons (ages 12 and 14). We've all done a fair amount of rafting and love it. We want to make sure we find a reputable outfitter to take us on this trip. Do you have any suggestions for rivers or outfitters?
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Back in 1830 when the country's founding fathers were trying to come up with a name for their new Andean country, they kicked around several ideas like "Kingdom of Quito" before choosing Ecuador (a rather poor option, in our humble opinion). Republica del Mucho Adventura probably never came up, and it wouldn't carry clout in diplomatic circles, but that name certainly fits.

Rafting is just one of the many adventures you can take here, and Ecuador offers up some of the best rivers on the continent. You can thank the 20,000-foot peaks of the Andes for that. The mountains, a veritable weather backstop, collect plenty of moisture that feeds tens of thousands of miles of rivers which boil into impossibly scary rapids before easing off into mellow licks of Amazon blackwater in the east and Pacific streams to the west. Between summits and shores you can often find rivers with 60 miles or more of continuous rapids, some with a sustained Class IV ride. Combine that kind of geography with a country that's friendly, extremely colorful, easy to navigate, and infinitely more mellow than Peru or Bolivia, and you've got yourself a great family vacation.
Do you have a question of your own?

Ask a Question Here

Your problem isn't going to be finding a river to run with the right company, but rather which river to run with which company: options abound as you've probably guessed. You can do a one- to three-day trip as well as have options for longer floats. Then again, there's nothing wrong with sticking to the shorter trips to save some time to check out the rest of the Adventure Republic.

As for rivers, the Rio Blanco sits just outside Quito, the capital and main hub for travelers. You could even use Quito as a base for several day trips, if you like. The Blanco has more than 120 miles of rapids. Expect long trains of waves, huge holes, and big scenery as you bounce through places like the El Sapo Canyon. You'll also find a whopping 30 miles or so of—get this—nonstop Class III and IV rapids. It'll take you about four hours to tackle that. If that sounds like a little much, try the Caoni and Mulate rivers, where rapids top out around Class III. Just about any time of year is good to hit these rivers, but February to June offers the most consistent flows. To get more time on the river than just a day, you can combine a trip down the Toachi and Blanco rivers. Sign up with Yacu Amu Rafting (+593.2.290.4054, info@yacuamu.com; www.yacuamu.com). Plus you'll stay in a riverside inn and have time each afternoon to hike through the surrounding rainforest. Count on rapids up to about Class IV. At $195 a person including accommodation, most meals, and transportation from Quito, you'll have plenty of cash left over for some yummy locro soup.

For the ultimate journey, though, sign up with ROW Expediciones (800.451.6034; www.rowinternational.com) for the four-day expedition down the Upano River in Ecuador's Amazon. In November 2005, I joined the company on a trip to the Galápagos and owner Juan Rodriguez is skilled, amicable, and certainly top-notch. He and his U.S. business partner Peter Grubb pioneered rafting down the Upano in the early 1990s and since then they've done more than 30 trips down this classic river. If you're looking for A-1 guides who know an exotic river inside and out, ROW is it.

The trip goes like this: After spending a few days in Quito, you'll take a short flight to Macas, a small frontier town in the jungle. The next day, rafts await you on the shores of the Upano at about 3,000 feet in the Ecuadorian jungle. For the next four days you'll float 65 miles over rapids that range anywhere from Class II to IV. For the first day and a half or so you'll paddle past only a few villages. This area is home to the Shuar Indians, a once-fierce tribe of infamous headhunters. Today ROW has made friends with many of the locals in this region, so expect to pull off the river and visit their homes. Come evening, you'll camp alongside the river on a wide beach and take swims in the tributaries. The next day you'll float through a spectacular gorge where numerous waterfalls rain for hundreds of feet down through the rainforest. You'll explore caves, ogle dozens of species of butterflies, and keep an eye out for funky birds like the gregarious oropendola. At the end of the trip, you'll get off the river and stop off in Cuenca, the country's third largest city and World Heritage Site recognized for its outstanding colonial architecture. And then before you know it, you'll be back in Quito staring up at the volcanoes or wondering about those hacienda inns that beckon you to skip work and stay.

The Upano trips, which run December 17, 24, 31, and on January 7, 2007, will set you back $1,990 to $2,200 for a seven-day trip or $2,190 to $2,490 for a nine-day trip, depending on how many people sign up. Both trips include four days on the river but do not including international or internal airfare (the latter costs around $185).

Where to stay in Quito

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Quito - Ecuador

Quito is a fairly large city and has quite a selection of top quality hotels. You'll find most of the major chains here - Hilton, JW Marriott, etc. One of the best though is the Hotel Dann Carlton.

It's a nice central location downtown and walkable to the waterfront from the rooms. I was last upgraded to a fantastic suite there, all for a rate of about $85 a night.

Getting to the Galapagos Islands from Ecuador

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There are three airlines allowed to fly to the Galapogos Islands.

TAME -http://www.tameairlines.com/home/default.asp
AeroGal - Quito -> Galapagos
Icaro - Quito -> Galapagos

From Quito, AeroGal is about $375 on Boeing 737s or 727s

You can fly out of either Quito (Airport code: UIO)or Guayaquil (Airport code: GYE). American Airlines flys to both out of Miami.