Ecuador Guide

All too often I see the following images (and other close variations of them) in various social media networks (e.g., Facebook, Google+ etc) and even search engine image searches claiming to be the Galapagos Islands. While they are nice photographs, they are none the less misleading as they are NOT the Galapagos Islands.  It’s a …

An official bulletin from TAME airline today has just confirmed that as of April 4th, 2013 all  flights into the Baltra airport in the Galapagos Islands (IATA airport code GPS) will increase ATO service tax on airline tickets in the following manner: Colonials:         was USD $1.00 | now USD $ 2.00 | increase …

I am happy to introduce a new feature … “Featured hotels & lodges throughout Ecuador“. These are carefully selected options that I personally feel worthy of more exposure.  Why? Each one has something special, unique or distinct about it … be it the architecture, location, amenities, gastronomy or attentive & personalized attention. Over time, I will be …

17th century hacienda occupying 4 hectares in a quiet sector of Puembo. Located approximately 20 km (15 minutes) from the New Quito Airport, Hacienda San Jose offers a relaxing ambiance. Offering plenty of open green space, this hacienda boasts 31 rooms with garden views, with room options of single, double, triple, suites & country houses. Installation include …

Now almost one week after its long awaited opening on February 20th, 2013, the new Quito International Airport, Mariscal Sucre, settles into its daily routine. There is always something good in an apparently bad situation … and reversely, there can always be something bad in an apparently good situation. Making the most of a very delayed …

“Vaya con tiempo … vaya comiendo!” Roughly translated would be: “Go there with plenty of time … go their eating”. This is in direct reference to the limited road access to/from the airport which can presently take between 90 to 120 minutes one way, and an indirect reference to recent complaints that a soft drink …

As of today, February 20th 2013 Quito airport taxes have increased. Passengers with tickets issued before February 20th can pay for the increase directly at the airport. USD $8.17 tax increase for DOMESTIC/NATIONAL routes. USD $15.86 tax increase for INTERNATIONAL routes. For more information on the new Quito International airport which inaugurated operations today, fell free …

QUICK JUMP MENU INTRO |FACT & FIGURES | MAPS & DIAGRAMS | TRANSPORTATION | IMAGES  | ACCOMMODATION INTRODUCTION After 52 years of service, the current International Airport of Quito, Mariscal Sucre [IATA airport code: UIO], switches off its lights and closes permanently on October 11, 2012  [updated information now puts the opening date for February 20th, 2013]. …

MasterCard presented its second annual Global Destination Cities Index 2012 report, which analyzed the top 132 most visited cities throughout the world. Quito, Ecuador ranks in three important indexes: (1) Destination Cities (Latin America region) by spending; (2) Fastest Growing Destination Cities by Cross-Border spending (International); and (3) Fastest Growing Destination Cities by Visitor Numbers. LATIN …

The January/February 2013 UK edition of National Geographic Traveller magazine [http://natgeotraveller.co.uk/] features the “The 2013 Hot List: this year’s must-see destinations” which correctly include Ecuador in its destination list. Either pick up this latest edition off your news stand or subscribe to the Nat Geo magazine. Even better yet, to plan your visit to Ecuador to experience …